ᐅ What should I do if my MALM bed legs are wobbly?

Hello everyone, I recently assembled a Malm sideboard from IKEA, but unfortunately, the legs wobble quite a bit, especially when opening the drawers. The furniture is placed on a relatively even laminate floor, and I have checked the screws multiple times – they are tightened properly. I am interested in practical solutions to improve the stability of the legs and eliminate the wobbling permanently, without damaging the furniture or making major modifications. Are there any proven methods, particularly for the MALM series, that I should be aware of? Thank you in advance for your advice!

Basically, wobbling in MALM furniture is often caused by slight unevenness in the floor combined with the plastic bottoms of the legs, which provide no grip. A simple and effective solution is to use felt pads or anti-slip pads under the legs. This improves stability and compensates for minor floor irregularities. Additionally, you should check whether all the legs are securely attached – with MALM models, the legs are often only screwed in or inserted. If there is any looseness, a drop of wood glue or construction adhesive can help stabilize the connection without damaging the furniture.

Hey, I had the same problem with my MALM dresser :-) I just attached small rubber pads under the feet. This immediately reduced the wobbling and also protected the floor from scratches. Plus: it even dampens the noise level a bit. Definitely worth trying 😉

Edit: Oh, and another idea is to replace the feet if the original ones don’t provide enough contact area.

Check if the floor is completely level. If not, be sure to compensate with felt or rubber pads. Retighten the screws securely.

Wobbling usually results from uneven load distribution or a loose leg. Rubber pads or small wedges provide an immediate fix.

A sustainable solution involves combining several measures: First, it is important to carefully inspect the bearing surfaces of the feet. These should be clean and free of manufacturing residues to ensure optimal contact with the floor. Next, the use of self-adhesive rubber pads or felt glides is recommended to compensate for pressure points and dampen vibrations. If there is still play, strengthening the attachment by tightening or readjusting the screws, or using washers at the connection points can help. Alternatively, for particularly sensitive floors, widening the foot’s contact area using suitable wood or plastic plates, which can also be glued, is effective. These measures have been tested and generally lead to a significant improvement in the stability of your MALM furniture.