ᐅ Kallax screws loosening after a short time – would thicker wood be a better solution?
Created on: 16 Jun 2024 08:17
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BATUHAN
Hello everyone, I have a Kallax shelf from IKEA that I mainly use for books and some decorative items. Unfortunately, I have noticed that after a short time, the screws holding the back panels and shelves become loose. This causes the shelf to wobble slightly, and the overall stability doesn’t seem very strong. My question is: from a technical perspective, would it make sense to build a similar structure using thicker wood or reinforce it to avoid the problem with loose screws? The standard Kallax wood seems quite thin and perhaps not sturdy enough for long-term use. Does anyone have experience with using thicker wood boards for shelves like this or tips on how to keep the screw connections permanently stable? Looking forward to your opinions and suggestions!
The varying thicknesses suggest a patchwork solution. It’s better to start fresh and use solid wood rather than opting for the cheap Kallax.
Exactly. Having to constantly retighten screws is a design flaw.
Greglau schrieb:
without improving the design, it doesn’t help much
Exactly. Having to constantly retighten screws is a design flaw.
I take a more pragmatic approach: you should carefully consider which forces act where.
If the shelf mainly holds books, the loads are concentrated on the shelves and the partitions. These should be thicker and more stable. The side panels are often secondary, mainly serving to maintain the overall shape and not bearing heavy loads.
This is a very important point. Irregularities during assembly can cause distortions over time, which accelerates the loss of clamping force in the screws.
If the shelf mainly holds books, the loads are concentrated on the shelves and the partitions. These should be thicker and more stable. The side panels are often secondary, mainly serving to maintain the overall shape and not bearing heavy loads.
Filippo schrieb:
The difference in thickness should not be too large, as this can cause misalignments
This is a very important point. Irregularities during assembly can cause distortions over time, which accelerates the loss of clamping force in the screws.
Thanks for the constructive replies so far!
I am now leaning more towards at least replacing the shelves with thicker boards and keeping the sides mostly original if the goal is to improve stability.
Another question for the experts: Are there types of wood that are particularly suitable for reinforcement without significantly increasing the cost? Is plywood really the best compromise between strength and price?
Thanks in advance!
I am now leaning more towards at least replacing the shelves with thicker boards and keeping the sides mostly original if the goal is to improve stability.
Another question for the experts: Are there types of wood that are particularly suitable for reinforcement without significantly increasing the cost? Is plywood really the best compromise between strength and price?
Thanks in advance!
BATUHAN schrieb:
Are there types of wood that are particularly suitable for reinforcement without significantly increasing the cost?Plywood panels (birch) indeed offer a very good price-performance ratio. They have good strength, are dimensionally stable, and are easy to work with.
Alternatives would be spruce or pine wooden battens for reinforcement (e.g., beams) that can be screwed under the shelves. This lowers costs but still provides stability. Solid wood is more expensive and often heavier.
MDF or particleboard are inexpensive but do not hold screws well.
Personally, for your Kallax replacement, I would use 18 mm (0.7 inch) birch plywood, which is sturdy and relatively lightweight.
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