ᐅ Adding casters to KALLAX units: Adhesive or screws?

hauklo schrieb:
The surface is not porous enough, and temperature fluctuations can cause the adhesive to peel off.

Exactly. Additionally, you should be aware that some adhesive tapes or glues not only fail under stress but can also leave residues on the KALLAX that may damage or discolor the material.

As an alternative to gluing, if you don’t want to screw, you could try special adhesive adapters with screw fittings. These are glued on, and then you screw the caster or wheel onto them. However, this is more of a makeshift solution with mixed results.

Personally, I stick with securely screwing in place, especially if the shelf is frequently moved or heavily loaded.

meGreg schrieb:
Screws provide a secure hold and give you that confident feeling

Absolutely! Screws are just more reliable, and with the right choice, retrofitting doesn’t turn into a big hassle!

But I find that gluing can be really handy sometimes when you want to do something quickly and without tools. 🙂 Just not for KALLAX rollers, which constantly move and need to support weight.

Conclusion: Use screws for flexibility and stability. For quick, light adjustments, glue might work – but probably not here, so, screws, screws, screws!

For better clarity, here is a summary of the key points:

- Kallax material: particleboard with a foil surface, therefore only partially suitable for gluing
- Screws: mechanically strong, require pre-drilling, but reliable
- Gluing: visually clean, quick, but usually not durable

Tips:
- Pre-drilling reduces splitting
- Avoid screws that are too long
- Make sure the type of caster is matched to the screw or adhesive surface

I tested both options myself, and after about 1 month, the glued casters were loose, while the screwed ones were still firmly in place.

If you don’t want to drill holes, I would recommend switching to casters with clamp mounts, which can simply be clamped on.

Overall, screws are the safer option.

mesila schrieb:
If you don’t want to drill holes, I would rather recommend switching to casters with clamp attachments

Good tip. I wasn’t familiar with casters that use clamps before; it sounds like the best compromise if you don’t want or aren’t allowed to drill.

But be careful: clamp systems only work with shelves that have sufficiently sturdy edges or panel thicknesses. With the KALLAX’s thin walls of about 16 mm (0.6 inches), you’d have to check carefully whether the casters grip properly.

If the shelf is moved often or carries heavy loads, clamps usually won’t hold up. Then, screwing in the casters is the only option.

Cheers!