ᐅ I can no longer securely fasten my Kallax unit to the wall – could this be due to poor building structure?

Hello everyone,

I have a new Kallax shelving unit from IKEA that I wanted to securely fasten to the wall for better stability. Unfortunately, the screws won’t hold in the wall – the anchors just don’t grip, and the screws are loose or fall out as soon as I hang or load the shelf.

My question is whether this could be a typical sign of poor building quality, or if I might be fundamentally doing something wrong with the installation process or the materials I’m using. The wall itself is an older masonry wall made of bricks and has slightly crumbling plaster. Should I use special anchors instead, or even switch to a different fixing method?

I’m looking forward to your assessments and advice!

menon schrieb:
The anchors just don’t hold, and the screws are loose or falling out

That definitely sounds like an issue with the wall material. Especially in older buildings with brick masonry and aged plaster, the load-bearing capacity can be significantly reduced, particularly if the plaster is crumbly. The first step is to determine whether the anchor is holding in solid masonry or only in the deteriorated plaster.

Classification of anchors for fixings:

1. Anchors for solid, load-bearing materials (concrete, solid brick)
2. Specialized anchors for cavities or porous walls

With a crumbly wall, a chemical anchor (injection mortar) can provide better grip, as it bonds within the masonry and fills voids. Long-shaft anchors with a larger surface area can also be helpful.

First, check the depth and condition of the drilled hole: if the hole is too shallow or not clean, no anchor will hold. The drill diameter also must match the anchor exactly.

One more question: which anchors did you use, and how thick are the walls? If you are using standard plastic anchors only in thin plaster, it is unlikely to work.

We can go into more detail if needed.

If the plaster is crumbling, I would first remove the plaster around the fixing hole and drill directly into the brick. Then you can use special masonry anchors there. Try something like "Fischer UX" or "Sormat Power". These usually hold much better.

menon schrieb:
The screws are loose or fall out as soon as I hang or load the shelf

In addition to the points already mentioned regarding the condition of the masonry, it is important to identify the type of wall. Older buildings often have different building materials within the same room: solid bricks, cavity walls, sometimes even lightweight construction or wood reinforcements.

1. Misleading plaster: If the plaster layer is thick, screwing into it is pointless. You need a solid base for the anchors.

2. Drill hole check: After drilling, you can test with a pointed tool whether there is solid material behind the hole or just cavity or crumbly plaster.

3. Correct drilling: Using a masonry drill bit or hammer drill is essential for brick. Regular drill bits are ineffective.

4. Quality and type of anchors: For porous and brittle walls, there are special heavy-duty anchors that expand or clamp inside the wall.

5. Alternatives: Are you considering angle brackets or freestanding frames? Sometimes the shelf can be secured to the floor or mounted with a gap from the wall.

Finally, it would be useful to know how heavy the shelf is expected to be when loaded. Kallax-style shelves are relatively lightweight, but when filled and used as storage, considerable weight can accumulate.

glapu schrieb:
If the plaster is crumbling, I would first remove the plaster around the fixing hole and drill directly into the brick

So far, I have only done this partially because I thought it wasn’t necessary and would involve too much effort. I will definitely remove it completely and then drill again.

danial60 schrieb:
What type of anchors did you use?

I originally used simple plastic anchors that IKEA usually provides with their screws, but I also tried ones from the hardware store with a larger diameter.

The wall consists of 24 cm (9.5 inches) thick red brick masonry, the plaster is about 1.5 cm (0.6 inches) thick and really very sandy, partly already crumbling.

The shelf is intended to carry typical household loads – books, decorations, maybe occasionally some heavier items. That’s why I want to secure the shelf to the wall to prevent it from tipping over.

I think this raises a fundamental question: Do these shelves always have to be screwed to the wall?

menon schrieb:
The shelf is supposed to carry typical living room loads – books, decorations, maybe even some heavier items.

Okay, but is it really that dangerous if a Kallax tips over? What alternatives are there that don’t involve risky installation attempts?

My view: Honestly, most people overdo it with fastening because they get too unsettled by manufacturer instructions. I simply squeezed my Kallax into a niche against the ceiling, and it holds really firmly without damaging the walls.

Maybe consider less invasive support options before you ruin the structure for no reason? 😉