ᐅ Problems During Assembly: Screws Don’t Hold in the Wood of the Kallax Unit?

Hello everyone,

I’m currently facing a problem assembling my IKEA Kallax shelf: the screws don’t grip the wood at all, even though I’m using exactly the specified screws. The holes are pre-drilled and match the standard size, yet the screws just spin and don’t pull into the wood. The wood doesn’t seem completely soft or damaged, more like regular MDF. I’ve already tried gently setting the screws a few millimeters (inches) deeper, but that didn’t help. Has anyone experienced something similar or have tips on how to get the screws to hold without damaging or drilling the shelf?

Thanks in advance!

I know this problem. Often it is caused by the pre-drilled hole being too large for the screw. Simply apply a small amount of wood glue, then insert the screw – this will hold better.

Farmo schrieb:
I know that problem. It’s often because the pre-drilled hole is too large for the screw.

Exactly! Sometimes a few wooden dowels as filler do the trick—kind of a DIY upgrade for your Kallax. Just insert some dowel splints, and it holds tight again. Don’t worry, it’ll be really stable, promise! 😉

Brin8 schrieb:
The screws don’t grip the wood at all, even though I’m using exactly the specified screws.

Hello! The issue with screws not holding in the pre-drilled Kallax wood often occurs because the material is MDF, which, as you mentioned, is not particularly strong. The screws can easily spin out.

My recommendation: If the screw just spins, try filling the hole first with a wooden dowel or a toothpick before screwing it in. This gives the screw better grip. Alternatively, wood glue mixed with small wood chips can also work to provide extra hold.

Please try this carefully to avoid swelling or splitting. You can also use special screws designed for MDF, which have thicker threads. Good luck!

Naomige schrieb:
Alternatively, wood glue mixed with small wood chips can also be suitable – this provides additional hold.

Generally interesting, but I view this critically: Adding wood glue or filler material does improve hold, but over time the material might change due to fluctuating humidity, which could affect stability.

My question would rather be: How large is the hole diameter compared to the screw? Has the hole possibly become worn out? In that case, the only solution is to drill or create a new hole further out.

Are the original screws from IKEA or from elsewhere? There have been reports that some cheap screws used with Kallax lack sufficient threading. Clarification on this would be helpful.