ᐅ Is it possible to retrofit soft-close mechanisms to Ikea BRIMNES furniture?

Hello everyone,

I am interested in whether it is possible to retrofit the Ikea Brimnes wardrobe, specifically the model with drawers, with a soft-close mechanism. I want to know if there are compatible soft-close drawer dampers available that work with the existing drawer slides, or if the conversion would be complex and might require additional modifications to the wardrobe.

I have noticed that Ikea offers soft-close options on some newer models, but my BRIMNES does not have this feature. Does anyone have reliable solutions or experience with how this can be achieved?

Thanks in advance for your opinions and tips!

Yes, this is generally possible. You can purchase retrofit soft-close mechanisms and install them on the drawers. It is important that the dimensions match. For BRIMNES, you can measure the drawer sides and choose the appropriate dampers accordingly.

Hello salman,

to answer your question thoroughly, it would be helpful to know the exact BRIMNES model and the drawer size you have, as compatibility of soft-close systems depends on the dimensions and construction of the runners.

Ikea usually installs simple metal drawer slides without soft-close in BRIMNES. For retrofitting, you can either use small external soft-close dampers that are mounted on the drawer side and cabinet frame or inner wall, or you can replace the runners entirely with soft-close models, which requires a bit more skill and precise measuring.

For the external damper solution, you should consider the following points:
- The mounting hardware must fit and be stable.
- The installation depth between drawer and cabinet must not be too small.
- Soft-close dampers generally have a specific installation orientation that cannot be changed.

One possible issue is that some BRIMNES models have quite narrow side panels — this can cause the dampers to not be held securely.

Therefore, my advice is to measure the drawers and cabinet carefully and look specifically for soft-close sets that are designed to fit the existing dimensions. If you want a complete technical guide for the conversion, just let me know, and I can describe the individual steps in detail!

Hey salman,

really good idea to retrofit the BRIMNES with soft-close! It instantly makes the cabinet feel much higher quality and more pleasant to use. 😊

I installed third-party soft-close dampers on my BRIMNES myself – it was actually quite straightforward with screws on the drawer side and inside the cabinet frame. The key is to measure carefully and avoid improvising, otherwise it can quickly start squeaking or sticking.

A little tip: Before buying, temporarily fix the dampers with some adhesive tape to find the optimal position – this saves time and frustration later on.

Good luck, I’m sure it will turn out great!

chen67 schrieb:
I installed third-party soft-close dampers on my BRIMNES myself – it was actually quite straightforward with screws on the drawer side and inside the cabinet.

That is correct. Especially with the common standard sizes of Ikea drawers, these sets are usually compatible. The important thing is that the angle is correct and the dampers do not interfere with the drawer runners.

I installed soft-close dampers on a similar Ikea cabinet. It worked without major modifications.

However, the drawers need to have at least a few millimeters of clearance on the side panels for the damper to function properly.