ᐅ Securing KALLAX with Silicone – Is It Effective Against Vibration?

Hello everyone,

I have a KALLAX shelving unit from IKEA that I use for my audio system. I have noticed that the shelf sometimes vibrates slightly, for example when the bass from the speakers gets louder. The vibration is not very strong but noticeable and becomes annoying over time.

I have heard that KALLAX shelves can be secured with silicone pads or silicone strips to dampen these vibrations. My question is: Is it actually effective to use silicone to stabilize the KALLAX shelf and reduce vibrations? Or are there better alternatives to solve this problem?

Maybe someone has experience with this or knows other practical solutions that are easy to implement. Thanks in advance!

saujan schrieb:
My question is: Is it really effective to secure the KALLAX shelf with silicone to reduce vibrations efficiently?

Hi! Sure, silicone is great for damping vibrations. I’ve fitted my KALLAX with silicone feet, which not only protect the floor but also absorb minor shocks well. This is especially useful for audio setups. The silicone acts like a shock absorber, so the whole structure wobbles less.

But honestly, with strong bass, silicone alone might not be enough. You could also add soundproofing mats inside the shelf to reduce vibrations further. That makes everything feel a lot more stable 🙂

saujan schrieb:
The vibration is not extremely strong, but it is noticeable and annoys me over time.

To reduce vibrations in KALLAX shelves, silicone is indeed a practical and cost-effective solution.

From a technical point of view, this method works because silicone is elastic and vibration-damping – it converts kinetic energy (i.e., vibration) into heat, thereby preventing it from spreading further through the wooden panel. However, there are a few things to keep in mind:

First of all, the exact positioning of the silicone pads is important. Ideally, they should be placed under the feet of the shelf – where it contacts the floor. This way, vibrations coming through the floor are filtered.

Additionally, you might consider applying silicone strips at the joints of the shelf components to block the transmission of sound and vibration within the furniture itself.

However, the material of the KALLAX panels is MDF or particleboard with a melamine coating and is not elastic. If the shelf itself is resonating, the only solution is to increase stiffness, for example by adding extra bracing or securing it firmly to the wall.

My question to you is: Do you think the shelf itself is wobbling, or is the vibration coming only from your system and traveling up through the floor? This affects where you should focus your efforts.

kulau schrieb:
However, the material of the KALLAX panels is MDF or particleboard with a melamine coating and is not flexible. If the shelf itself “resonates,” the only solution is to increase rigidity, for example, through additional bracing or secure wall mounting.

Correct, MDF panels only respond to vibrations to a limited extent when using silicone pads. Silicone is particularly useful as a decoupling layer between the shelf and the floor.

For a noticeable improvement, it is advisable to combine several measures:

1. Silicone pads under the shelf legs for decoupling
2. Insulation mats or foam panels inside the shelf for vibration absorption
3. Additional cross braces to increase overall stiffness
4. Secure wall mounting to minimize vibrations

Relying on silicone alone can only provide partial relief, especially if the shelf itself begins to vibrate. I recommend precisely identifying the source of the vibration and then implementing the necessary targeted measures.

Apply silicone under the feet and secure the back panel to the wall using brackets. This stops most vibrations. Rarely is anything more needed.

I also equipped my KALLAX with silicone pads and can honestly say it made a big difference! The vibrations from the bass are much less noticeable. 🙂

It’s important that the pads are high quality and not too small, otherwise the shelf might slip. I especially liked these self-adhesive silicone strips – quick to apply and very effective.

Additionally, I put felt pads underneath to protect the floor in case it needs to be moved. Overall, I’m very satisfied!

So, my advice would be: give silicone a try, you really can’t go wrong! 🙂