ᐅ How do you secure Ikea Pax wardrobes to tiled floors?

Hello everyone,

I am currently planning to assemble my Ikea Pax wardrobe in my apartment. The issue is that our floor is tiled. Since Ikea Pax is usually secured to the wall with plugs and screws, I am uncertain about the best way to fix it to a tiled floor without damaging the tiles or compromising stability.

My specific question: What options are available for safely securing an Ikea Pax to tiled floors? Are there special anchors or fastening techniques I should consider? Or perhaps alternatives to direct screwing that protect the floor and tiles?

It is important to me that the fixing is stable enough to meet standard safety requirements, effectively preventing the wardrobe units from tipping or falling over. Also, I would like to rely on professional advice rather than mere guesses.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hello tafausto44,

I can suggest a fairly structured approach on how to secure an Ikea Pax system on a tiled floor without damaging the tiles, while ensuring good stability:

- First, determine the exact location in the room and check where wall fixing is possible. Ikea generally recommends securing the wardrobe to the wall to minimize the risk of tipping.
- If wall fixing is not possible or sufficient, floor-side fixing is an option. In this case, you can use special tile anchors designed for tiled walls. It is important to drill slowly using a suitable drill bit to avoid cracking the tile surface.
- Instead of drilling directly into the tile, you can also drill into the grout lines. The downside is that grout lines are often wider and less stable.
- An alternative I often recommend is using special heavy-duty anchors for tiles combined with silicone as a protective seal around the drill hole to gently seal it.

Summary: Drill carefully, choose suitable anchors, and prioritize wall fixing whenever possible. Direct screwing into the floor itself is usually difficult without damaging the tiles. Sometimes retrofitting with clamping strips or galvanized metal brackets fixed under the wardrobe and pressing against the wall is recommended, which does not damage the floor.

Hope this helps you move forward!

klo40 schrieb:
It is important to work slowly with a suitable drill bit to avoid cracking the tile surface.

From my perspective, this is a very crucial point: Often people just start drilling without considering material stress or tile quality. You should always proceed slowly and use a drill bit designed specifically for tiles.

However, the demand for a strong attachment doesn’t always match reality: Floor tiles are often not designed to withstand point loads from furniture.

So the real question is: Is it absolutely necessary for you to fix the cabinet to the floor, or is securing it to the wall enough? An Ikea Pax cabinet is usually secured to the wall — so why risk stressing or damaging the tiled floor?

Are there any special conditions that make floor mounting necessary here?

Danial schrieb:
Is it absolutely necessary for you to fix the cabinet to the floor, or is securing it to the wall enough?

Thank you for your question, Danial.

In my case, wall mounting is planned, but I have two concerns:

- Part of the wall is tiled, which makes drilling difficult. I’d rather avoid damaging the tiles, but I’m not sure how else to ensure the cabinet is stable.
- Additionally, larger sections of the Pax system should be securely connected to each other, so relying solely on wall mounting might not be sufficient.

That’s why I’m considering adding floor fixing to anchor the cabinet safely, especially where the tiles are.

Of course, the wall should be included in the installation, but how to best handle tiled walls is completely unclear to me. I’m mainly looking for a comprehensive solution covering everything from drill bits to fasteners.

Here is a detailed approach for securing an Ikea Pax wardrobe on a tiled floor:

1. Wall Fixing with Tiles:
- Use an appropriate tile drill bit (e.g., carbide-tipped or diamond-coated).
- Keep the drilling speed low; cooling with water can prevent cracking.
- Start with a small drill bit (3-4 mm (0.1-0.16 inches)) and then drill up to the required size.
- Use specialized anchors for tiles, not standard wall plugs.

2. Avoid Floor Fixing:
- Tiles can easily crack from point loads like screws.
- If absolutely necessary, plan for backing plates to better distribute the load.
- Alternatively, floor rails can be used to secure the wardrobe.

3. Additional Stabilization with Angle Brackets:
- Connect individual Pax units using sturdy metal angle brackets to increase overall stability.

4. Silicone Sealing:
- Apply transparent silicone around the drilled holes in the tiles and anchors to accommodate movement.

In general: Tiles are not ideal for anchor fixings, so precision in drilling and using suitable materials is crucial. It is also important that the Pax is secured to the wall whenever possible—if needed, at the lower section where either the tiles or the wall are stable enough.

One more question: How thick are the tiles and the screed layer underneath? This is relevant for choosing the right anchors.

TYRELL schrieb:
One more question: How thick are the tiles and the screed layer underneath?

Good question, TYRELL. The tiles are about 10 mm (0.4 inches) thick, and the screed layer underneath is probably at least 5-6 cm (2-2.4 inches) thick.

The floor is a standard high-quality ceramic tile floor with good load-bearing capacity.

Drilling into the tile is certainly possible, but the tile would need to be protected from cracking. That is exactly my biggest concern.

I prefer not to combine interlocking between wall and floor if the damage to the tile is too extensive.

Are there special drilling techniques or maybe some kind of protective adapter for the drill set to prevent damage to the tile?