ᐅ The MALM dresser starts to wobble after some time – are there any solutions to stabilize it?

I have been using the Malm chest of drawers from IKEA for some time, but I am experiencing a problem: after a while, the chest starts to wobble, which is especially noticeable when opening and closing the drawers. The construction itself seems stable, but there seems to be some play or movement developing somewhere that causes this rocking. My question to the community is whether there are any proven fixes, retrofits, or special techniques to permanently resolve this instability. Perhaps someone knows of causes such as loose screws, material changes, or assembly issues that could lead to this behavior. I look forward to any experiences and tips!

Tighten the screws on the feet and connectors again; this is usually the cause of any wobbling.

Sometimes it helps to attach washers or small felt pads to the legs to compensate for unevenness.

I understand your frustration; a wobbly dresser is really annoying. It happened to me too, and I was genuinely worried that something might break. I tightened all the screws and also used wood glue on the joints. Since then, nothing has wobbled anymore, although I was initially unsure if that was the best solution. If anyone has any experience or better ideas, I would be interested to hear them.

There are clear facts on this topic: The MALM dresser is known for its modular construction using screw connections. Wobbling primarily occurs due to loose screws on the support legs and the connecting plates between the side panels. Tightening the screws carefully is the first step. For a long-lasting fix, it is recommended to use a threadlocker, for example, a medium-strength threadlocker (Loctite 243), which reliably prevents screws from loosening again without damaging them.

HORST41 schrieb:
Then I tightened all the screws and additionally used wood glue at the joints.

Wood glue can help temporarily, but it is not ideal because dressers often experience slight movements due to use and load. This can cause the glue to crack and, when exposed to moisture, to soften.