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fotokatze19 Oct 2014 20:15Hello IKEA friends!
My wife and I have been IKEA customers for over 35 years. That’s why our house is furnished with IKEA furniture, some of which is over 30 years old and has survived three moves. So it was completely natural for us—admittedly without much thought—to choose IKEA’s PAX wardrobes when furnishing our newly renovated bedroom.
What a disappointment! This weekend we assembled the first wardrobes and were let down both by the design and the quality of the particleboard used.
PAX Design – Feet
======================
A PAX wardrobe has no feet. This means the two side panels in particleboard go all the way down to the floor. Our very old IKEA kitchen cabinets (from decades ago) were built this way too. However, many years ago IKEA moved away from this concept for kitchen furniture and introduced feet. Why? Anyone who has seen what happens if a particleboard touches water even for a minute or two knows what I mean—the particleboard swells immediately and irreversibly, and the entire cabinet becomes unsalvageable and must be discarded. Unfortunately, with PAX wardrobes in the 21st century, we are still at this level. A real shame! I had expected a better construction—especially since IKEA offers better solutions in their kitchens. And please, from decades of life experience, I know what can happen over time in a bedroom, even if there is no dripping faucet or leaking drain.
PAX Design – Hammer-in Nuts in the Bottom Panel
=======================================
In the bottom panel, two hammer-in nuts are hammered in. A leveling foot is screwed into the threaded nuts. This whole setup is so unstable due to the low-quality particleboard that even the slightest shear movement causes the nuts to tear out over a large area, resulting in total damage to the cabinet frame. This type of fitting is so low quality that probably 90% of wardrobes moved during a relocation or renovation—and where the leveling foot was not unscrewed beforehand—become defective immediately. Of course, the instructions say to unscrew the leveling foot first, but who remembers that after years? IKEA always presents itself as forward-thinking, resource-saving, and environmentally conscious. But in this case, IKEA has clearly not thought ahead. A pity! There are better and more durable solutions than hammer-in nuts in such fragile particleboard.
PAX Quality
==================
The particleboard material used, at least for the PAX wardrobes we bought recently, has a consistency like crispbread. Fits IKEA, I guess. I’m not a carpenter or wood expert, but IKEA particleboard used to be denser, finer-grained, tougher, and more durable. We tried to seal the rear crossbeam of the PAX wardrobe, which is pure particleboard without any protective coating and would swell immediately if exposed to water, with varnish as a precaution. That was hopeless. Even applying a small amount of varnish to the open-pored IKEA particleboard causes immediate swelling… So we bought laminated particleboard strips from the local carpenter for little money and protected the open edges with edge banding. Comparing a “standard” everyday particleboard from a carpenter with the original IKEA particleboard—what a difference. The carpenter’s particleboard has smooth, fine-pored cut edges with a closed, firm surface. The IKEA particleboard has large pores and loose chips at the cut edges. You can simply crumble the IKEA board with your fingernail and pull out the rough wood chips easily.
Clearly, IKEA saves a lot of weight in transport by using the cheapest particleboard quality that just barely meets the furniture’s functional needs, increasing profit margins and maybe slightly lowering the consumer price. But for me, it means furniture like this cannot be moved again after assembly, let alone relocated. So the only option is immediate and final disposal! Over the past 35 years we have bought IKEA furniture that has survived almost three moves largely undamaged. This new generation of IKEA furniture will not experience that anymore but will take it for granted that IKEA furniture cannot be moved but must be thrown away and rebought again and again.
That’s not sustainable!
fotokatze
My wife and I have been IKEA customers for over 35 years. That’s why our house is furnished with IKEA furniture, some of which is over 30 years old and has survived three moves. So it was completely natural for us—admittedly without much thought—to choose IKEA’s PAX wardrobes when furnishing our newly renovated bedroom.
What a disappointment! This weekend we assembled the first wardrobes and were let down both by the design and the quality of the particleboard used.
PAX Design – Feet
======================
A PAX wardrobe has no feet. This means the two side panels in particleboard go all the way down to the floor. Our very old IKEA kitchen cabinets (from decades ago) were built this way too. However, many years ago IKEA moved away from this concept for kitchen furniture and introduced feet. Why? Anyone who has seen what happens if a particleboard touches water even for a minute or two knows what I mean—the particleboard swells immediately and irreversibly, and the entire cabinet becomes unsalvageable and must be discarded. Unfortunately, with PAX wardrobes in the 21st century, we are still at this level. A real shame! I had expected a better construction—especially since IKEA offers better solutions in their kitchens. And please, from decades of life experience, I know what can happen over time in a bedroom, even if there is no dripping faucet or leaking drain.
PAX Design – Hammer-in Nuts in the Bottom Panel
=======================================
In the bottom panel, two hammer-in nuts are hammered in. A leveling foot is screwed into the threaded nuts. This whole setup is so unstable due to the low-quality particleboard that even the slightest shear movement causes the nuts to tear out over a large area, resulting in total damage to the cabinet frame. This type of fitting is so low quality that probably 90% of wardrobes moved during a relocation or renovation—and where the leveling foot was not unscrewed beforehand—become defective immediately. Of course, the instructions say to unscrew the leveling foot first, but who remembers that after years? IKEA always presents itself as forward-thinking, resource-saving, and environmentally conscious. But in this case, IKEA has clearly not thought ahead. A pity! There are better and more durable solutions than hammer-in nuts in such fragile particleboard.
PAX Quality
==================
The particleboard material used, at least for the PAX wardrobes we bought recently, has a consistency like crispbread. Fits IKEA, I guess. I’m not a carpenter or wood expert, but IKEA particleboard used to be denser, finer-grained, tougher, and more durable. We tried to seal the rear crossbeam of the PAX wardrobe, which is pure particleboard without any protective coating and would swell immediately if exposed to water, with varnish as a precaution. That was hopeless. Even applying a small amount of varnish to the open-pored IKEA particleboard causes immediate swelling… So we bought laminated particleboard strips from the local carpenter for little money and protected the open edges with edge banding. Comparing a “standard” everyday particleboard from a carpenter with the original IKEA particleboard—what a difference. The carpenter’s particleboard has smooth, fine-pored cut edges with a closed, firm surface. The IKEA particleboard has large pores and loose chips at the cut edges. You can simply crumble the IKEA board with your fingernail and pull out the rough wood chips easily.
Clearly, IKEA saves a lot of weight in transport by using the cheapest particleboard quality that just barely meets the furniture’s functional needs, increasing profit margins and maybe slightly lowering the consumer price. But for me, it means furniture like this cannot be moved again after assembly, let alone relocated. So the only option is immediate and final disposal! Over the past 35 years we have bought IKEA furniture that has survived almost three moves largely undamaged. This new generation of IKEA furniture will not experience that anymore but will take it for granted that IKEA furniture cannot be moved but must be thrown away and rebought again and again.
That’s not sustainable!
fotokatze
Hello!
Either Ikea has changed something or these are (older stock?). I have to say, we bought our bedroom set two weeks ago and were impressed by the very good quality.
The panels are heavy and very stable, all the drill holes, screws, dowels, and all other fittings matched immediately and perfectly. The wardrobes are rock solid.
However (!), by chance we took our bed boxes and Komplement drawers from two different pallets, and it became clear that the (probably) newer ones fit together much more loosely than the others. It seems like they might have been reworked.
Best regards
Either Ikea has changed something or these are (older stock?). I have to say, we bought our bedroom set two weeks ago and were impressed by the very good quality.
The panels are heavy and very stable, all the drill holes, screws, dowels, and all other fittings matched immediately and perfectly. The wardrobes are rock solid.
However (!), by chance we took our bed boxes and Komplement drawers from two different pallets, and it became clear that the (probably) newer ones fit together much more loosely than the others. It seems like they might have been reworked.
Best regards
G
gandalf_817520 Jan 2015 15:05I once had the experience of moving a PAX wardrobe. It was practically taken apart completely for that. And it doesn’t handle that well... I ended up having to fix many screws with glue. That’s definitely questionable, but it’s something you have to accept given the price, which is significantly lower compared to solid wood bedroom furniture.
Well, I don’t understand the criticism of Pax. Mine is about 20 years old, has been through around 15 moves, and is still in good condition.
I also don’t find the particle board to be "cheap" or prone to swelling immediately. It actually survived a washing machine flood without showing any noticeable damage. I think the fact that it extends all the way down to the floor adds to its stability...
I also don’t find the particle board to be "cheap" or prone to swelling immediately. It actually survived a washing machine flood without showing any noticeable damage. I think the fact that it extends all the way down to the floor adds to its stability...
I
IKEA-Experte24 Jan 2015 12:30It should be noted that 20 years ago, particle boards were manufactured with higher emissions, meaning they contained more (formaldehyde-based) adhesives and might have been somewhat more durable as a result. Recently, a TV program showing the production of particle boards revealed that Kronospan also produces boards for IKEA.
I actually prefer the current carcasses to the old ones. Although they still feel a bit flimsy, I think the new surface with slightly rounded edges looks more high-quality. The Pax back panel remains a disaster, as it is just thin cardboard that tears easily and doesn’t fit tightly against the built-in units at the back.
I admit, if Ikea had ever released a premium version of the Pax, I probably would have been willing to pay an extra 1,000 euros for better overall quality.
The design with the insert nuts for the feet is indeed problematic. I hammered them in well, but they still don’t hold properly. However, if the floor is reasonably level and you secure the unit properly to the wall, in my opinion, you don’t really need them. I’ve now screwed them all back up.
I admit, if Ikea had ever released a premium version of the Pax, I probably would have been willing to pay an extra 1,000 euros for better overall quality.
The design with the insert nuts for the feet is indeed problematic. I hammered them in well, but they still don’t hold properly. However, if the floor is reasonably level and you secure the unit properly to the wall, in my opinion, you don’t really need them. I’ve now screwed them all back up.
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