ᐅ What to do if Ikea Hemnes furniture feels wobbly after transportation?

Hello everyone,

I recently received several pieces of furniture from the Hemnes series by Ikea, and after assembling them, I noticed that they wobble noticeably in several places. This is especially evident with wardrobes and dressers, which of course affects their stability and everyday usability.

I suspect that the transport may have loosened or damaged some of the joints. Perhaps not all connection points were tightened properly, or small wooden dowels might have shifted.

My question to the community: What are practical and proven methods to securely and stably reinstall Hemnes furniture after transport to eliminate this wobbling?

I appreciate any tips, especially if you have had similar experiences and possibly used specific techniques or tools to improve stability. Thanks in advance!

Hello tius62,

I’ll go step by step and give you a brief guide on how to prevent or fix wobbling in Hemnes furniture after transport:

- First, check all screws and connectors: IKEA furniture often uses cam locks, screws, and wooden dowels. These can easily loosen during transport or be incorrectly assembled.

- Tighten screws carefully with the appropriate screwdriver, taking care not to damage the material.

- Look out for deformations or damaged wooden parts. Especially with particleboard, edges or drill holes can swell, which reduces stability.

- If wobbling is visible, make sure to place the furniture on a level surface. Small unevenness can cause wobbling. Felt or plastic furniture glides can help here.

- If certain joints no longer hold properly, wood glue or suitable special dowels can provide more permanent stability.

- Finally, check the furniture with a spirit level.

Summary: Usually, the problem can be solved simply by systematically tightening screws, inspecting connectors, and leveling the furniture on the floor. Transport often affects larger furniture items through shaking, which can slightly loosen screw connections.

If you want, I can explain in more detail which parts you should check. Just let me know.

In short: Check that all screws are firmly tightened and the cabinet is level. If needed, place small felt pads under the feet. This often helps.

LOGEMIN schrieb:
Usually, the issue can be resolved simply by systematically tightening, checking the fasteners, and aligning the furniture on the floor.

This matches my experience as well, but I want to go into a bit more detail because the Hemnes design has some specific weaknesses that many users either overlook or handle incorrectly.

- Hemnes furniture is made from solid pine, which is generally stable; however, the wood reacts to moisture and temperature changes that can occur during transport. This can cause joints to loosen or wooden dowels to no longer fit perfectly in their holes.

- One important point is the assembly of the back panel: it is often made from thinner material and is attached with small nails or staples. If there are any slight damages from transport, the cabinet can start to wobble.

- My tip: If in doubt, additionally secure the back panel with screws if possible. This greatly stabilizes the entire frame.

- Furthermore, I recommend reinforcing all connection points with appropriate wood glue or thin-viscosity adhesive. Simply tightening screws is often not enough since they don’t always fit optimally in the dowel holes.

- The floor where the furniture stands should be checked very carefully: unevenness inevitably causes wobbling. Small adjustments to the furniture feet might also be necessary.

I would be interested to know if you’ve noticed whether the wobbling mostly happens at the front, back, or sides, and whether it occurs more with larger or smaller pieces of furniture.

Palenar schrieb:
I’m curious if you’ve noticed whether the wobbling mostly occurs at the front, back, or sides, and if it tends to happen more with large or smaller pieces of furniture.

Thank you for the detailed response. I notice the wobbling especially with larger furniture like the three-door wardrobe and the large dresser. It seems to be mainly at the side panels and lower joints of the furniture pieces. The back panels do feel somewhat loose in places—I hadn’t checked that before.

I’ll try your suggestions with wood glue and possibly additional screws on the back panels.

I have checked the floor for levelness, and it is actually fine, but the furniture legs don’t have adjustable feet for leveling. I’m considering using small furniture gliders or shims to compensate.

Would it make sense to reinforce Hemnes models with extra metal brackets or corner braces inside, or would that significantly interfere with the original construction?

tius62 schrieb:
Would it be advisable to reinforce Hemnes models with additional metal brackets or corner connectors on the inside, or would that interfere too much with the construction?

That’s a good question, and I’m happy to answer:

In general, reinforcing furniture with metal brackets or corner connectors is a well-established practice when the furniture is not sufficiently stable from the factory or when the material weakens over time. Especially for solid wood like Hemnes, this can be useful, particularly for large pieces that are subjected to higher loads.

Advantages:
- The metal brackets improve load-bearing capacity and effectively prevent wobbling by providing additional fixation.
- They can usually be installed discreetly on the inside, so the appearance is hardly affected.

However, please keep in mind:
- Use brackets that are not too large and won’t damage the wood surface.
- Pre-drill holes carefully to avoid cracks.
- Choose brackets made of rust-resistant material to prevent corrosion.

If you follow these precautions, there’s no reason not to do it. I personally do this often with large IKEA furniture because the standard fasteners sometimes loosen, and this small investment adds considerable stability.

If you like, I can also provide examples of suitable brackets and the optimal installation method.