ᐅ What can help with dents in Malm furniture?

Hello everyone,

I need some advice on an issue I’ve encountered with several of my Malm furniture pieces: dents or depressions in the surfaces, mostly on the drawer fronts or tabletops. Since Malm is made of particleboard with a laminate finish, these dents often look quite unattractive, and I’m unsure of the best way to fix them without damaging the surface.

I understand that with solid wood, steam or sanding might help, but does this work for furniture with a laminate coating? Are there specific methods or products that can help remove dents or at least make them less noticeable?

Maybe someone has experience with this and can share tips on what works for Malm furniture without completely ruining the paint or laminate.

Thanks in advance!

Brianja schrieb:
Since Malm is known to be made of particleboard with a foil surface, dents often look quite unattractive, and I’m unsure of the best way to address them without damaging the surface.

This issue is fairly complex because the foil coating on Ikea furniture does not allow for traditional wood repair methods. Conventional sanding or steaming, as used with solid wood, tends to cause more harm since the foil can easily tear or peel off.

I would also suggest first considering how deep the dents actually are and whether they affect only the surface foil or the underlying panel. With foil surfaces, often only cosmetic fixes are possible, such as polishing compounds or special repair kits designed for foil and plastic coatings.

Brianja schrieb:
Are there specific methods or products that help remove dents or at least make them less visible?

There are repair kits that involve warming the foil with a heat gun or special steaming systems to soften the foil slightly and gently push the dent out. However, without experience, there is a significant risk of causing more damage.

My recommendation would be to first assess how sensitive the affected areas really are before attempting a repair yourself, and perhaps consult a professional repair service. There are also online providers specializing in furniture repairs who can fix foil surfaces and particleboard.

In any case, I would advise against using aggressive methods like sandpaper, strong solvents, or mechanical dent pulling.

Dents in Malm furniture are usually difficult to fix properly because the particleboard underneath is damaged. Try using a steam iron:

Place a damp cloth over the dent, then gently steam it with the iron; sometimes the area will raise a little. But be careful, or the veneer may melt.

Genevieve schrieb:
There are repair kits that rely on heating the foil with a heat gun or special steam systems[...] However, without experience, there is a high risk of causing more damage.

That sums it up very well. The surface texture of the foil on Malm furniture is not comparable to painted solid wood; it is rather delicate.

From a technical perspective, small dents can be improved with controlled heat and moisture, but the moisture absorption of the particleboard underneath the foil is low, so the effect is often limited.

Alternatively, one can try to reduce the visual impact by using fine polish or special repair pens for foils that conceal color or small scratches.

Important: Before using any method, test it on an inconspicuous area to avoid unwanted changes.

Ultimately, repairing this type of furniture is always a compromise between effort and result.