ᐅ What should you do if the drawer handles on your Malm nightstand become loose?

Hello everyone,

I have a problem with my Malm nightstand from Ikea: the drawer handles are quite loose, making it uncomfortable to open and close the drawers. I have already tried tightening the screws, but that only works temporarily because the holes seem to have worn out a bit. Does anyone know of a permanent solution to secure the handles firmly again? I would also appreciate any tips if there are special fasteners or tricks that Ikea doesn’t provide.

Thanks in advance for your help!

The problem is usually that the screws have too much play in the holes. A solution is to fill the holes with wood glue and wood shavings, then screw them in again.

Hello!

Here is a simple three-step workaround:

1. Remove the screws and inspect the holes carefully – they are often slightly worn out.
2. Fill the holes with small wooden dowels or toothpick pieces, adding a bit of wood glue.
3. Carefully reinsert the screw and allow it to harden.

Important: Do not tighten too much immediately, or the material might tear out. Using this method, I stabilized my Malm drawer handles years ago, and they have held perfectly ever since.

To fully understand the issue, it would be helpful to know the exact material of the handles and the drawer, as well as whether the nightstand is older or relatively new. Malm nightstands usually consist of particleboard with a foil or lacquer coating. Repeated opening and closing can cause the screw holes in the material to enlarge, which explains the loosening.

A detailed procedure would be:

- Completely remove the screws and deburr the worn areas with fine sandpaper.
- Glue small pieces of wood or particleboard, cut to size, into the holes, possibly together with strong wood glue or epoxy resin.
- After the adhesive has fully cured, carefully drill new holes that are not too large (e.g., with a 3–4 mm (1/8–5/32 inch) drill bit).
- Then attach the handles using appropriate screws.

Make sure to allow sufficient cooling or drying times. It is definitely worth measuring precisely and avoiding drilling oversized holes, as this would worsen the problem.

Luchen schrieb:
The solution is to fill the holes with wood glue and wood shavings

That sounds so simple and effective! 🙂 Especially with flat-pack furniture, this is a really popular method to quickly secure loose handles.

I also recommend cleaning the screws beforehand to ensure the wood glue adheres properly. And if you have threadlocker (the blue paste) available, that can further improve the hold.

Thanks in advance for the helpful tips!

Regarding the material: The drawer is made of particleboard with a white laminate finish. The handles are plastic, and the screws go from the inside through the drawer front into the handles. The screws themselves turn inside the hole in the wood instead of holding together with the handle. I suspect that the hole in the wood is somewhat worn out.

PRA64 schrieb:
Filling the holes with small wooden dowels or toothpick pieces, adding some wood glue

sounds most practical to me. What do you mean by "not tightening too much" – what torque would you recommend, or how can you best feel when to stop?

And do you perhaps have suggestions if the handle already develops cracks from loosening? Or is it better to replace the handle in that case?