ᐅ How do you repair the wallpaper or foil coating on Ikea HEMNES furniture?

Hello everyone,

I recently bought an Ikea Hemnes wardrobe and unfortunately noticed that the wallpaper or foil coating is damaged in some areas. The surface is partially peeling off or showing small cracks. Since it is the typical "foil" coating, I am wondering what the best way to repair such damage is without ruining the appearance or making the effort too complicated. Are there proven methods to touch up the wallpaper or foil coating on HEMNES furniture? What types of adhesive or filler are suitable? And is it possible to properly prepare and treat damaged areas yourself without having to re-cover or repaint the entire cabinet? I look forward to your tips and experiences.

You should first press down all loose edges of the foil with a heat-resistant adhesive. For example, there are special spray adhesives designed for foils. Fill small tears with waterproof wood glue. Don’t forget to clean and degrease the surface before gluing.

For repairing damaged foil or wallpaper coatings on Ikea HEMNES furniture, the following procedure is recommended:

- Thoroughly clean the surface with isopropyl alcohol to remove grease and dirt.
- Secure any loose foil areas with a solvent-resistant contact adhesive applied spot-wise.
- For cracks or missing sections, apply a thin layer of high-quality wood or furniture filler and sand lightly if needed.
- After drying, carefully cut a matching color or decorative foil and fix it with spray adhesive if necessary.

For HEMNES specifically, it is important not to use aggressive solvents, as the foils are water-based and can be damaged by strong chemicals. Alternatively, decorative foil can be used to cover and visually improve the surface.

[@puplo, post: u1l1b0, member: XXX]
I had a similar situation and found the following approach effective:

First, I carefully removed all loose adhesive film residues from the damaged areas using a needle or scalpel to create an optimal bonding surface. Then, for smaller cracks, I applied transparent contact adhesive with a fine brush, pressed it gently, and smoothed it out using a work surface or a soft cloth.

For larger detached sections, it can be helpful to apply very thin glue residues precisely with a spray adhesive without a carrier and press the film firmly in place. If any unevenness remains, very fine sandpaper (minimum grit 400) helps to carefully smooth the transition.

If you don’t have the right materials, you can also use wood glue (e.g., Ponal) heavily diluted to fix small areas—if you work carefully, the repair will be hardly noticeable afterward.

The key is to work patiently and avoid using too much adhesive, as this can cause a visible glue layer or discoloration. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.

BOLUKEO schrieb:

You should first press down all loose film edges using a heat-resistant adhesive.

This is basically correct, but I would recommend using a solvent-based adhesive instead of a "heat-resistant" one, as many heat-resistant adhesives do not work well in practice with PP- or PE-based films.

hauklo schrieb:

For cracks or defects, a thin layer of high-quality wood filler or furniture filler is suitable, sanding finely if needed.

It is important to ensure that the filler remains flexible, as the film coating will otherwise crack with movement. Special flexible filler compounds are recommended.

In summary, repairing HEMNES films only succeeds with very thin material layers and flexible substances to avoid creating additional stresses that lead to re-peeling.

For application, I recommend small ZZ fan brushes and applying adhesive or filler sparingly and locally to avoid damaging photocopies of the surface to be restored over a large area.