ᐅ Why do Malm drawers sometimes get stuck for no apparent reason?
Created on: 18 Feb 2022 09:12
G
georgsin
Hello everyone,
I have a rather specific problem that I haven’t been able to find much clarity on so far: “Why do Malm drawers stick without any obvious reason?”
I own several Malm dressers from IKEA, all relatively new with no significant signs of wear, but their drawers frequently stick. There is no visible damage or warping, and the drawer slides all appear to be in perfect condition. This happens regardless of whether the drawer is fully loaded or nearly empty.
I am particularly interested in what factors, despite everything appearing to be in order and correctly assembled, could cause this sticking. Is it due to the design? The materials? Temperature or humidity influences? Or perhaps something entirely different?
Maybe someone here has noticed similar issues or understands the technical background that could help prevent or fix this sticking without having to disassemble the entire drawer.
I look forward to your insights and experiences!
I have a rather specific problem that I haven’t been able to find much clarity on so far: “Why do Malm drawers stick without any obvious reason?”
I own several Malm dressers from IKEA, all relatively new with no significant signs of wear, but their drawers frequently stick. There is no visible damage or warping, and the drawer slides all appear to be in perfect condition. This happens regardless of whether the drawer is fully loaded or nearly empty.
I am particularly interested in what factors, despite everything appearing to be in order and correctly assembled, could cause this sticking. Is it due to the design? The materials? Temperature or humidity influences? Or perhaps something entirely different?
Maybe someone here has noticed similar issues or understands the technical background that could help prevent or fix this sticking without having to disassemble the entire drawer.
I look forward to your insights and experiences!
georgsin schrieb:
I find it a bit surprising because the drawers often seem to be assembled very preciselyFit accuracy is a good point.
The manufacturing process for IKEA furniture is based on mass production and efficient assembly methods. Therefore, components are designed to stay within moderate tolerance ranges to satisfy a wide range of self-assembling customers.
In particular, the drawer runners in the Malm series need to allow for more tolerance — if they were made with very tight precision, assembly would be considerably more difficult for non-professionals.
Additionally, it is known that foil coatings on particleboard are sensitive to moisture, which can affect the adhesion quality of the drawers.
Z
zarHenning20 Feb 2022 07:53Another practical tip:
Check whether the drawers are pushed too far into the cabinet. Sometimes they hit the back or the cabinet frame, causing them to stick when opened next time.
Also, drawers often catch on the front or side edges if they are slightly misaligned.
Check whether the drawers are pushed too far into the cabinet. Sometimes they hit the back or the cabinet frame, causing them to stick when opened next time.
Also, drawers often catch on the front or side edges if they are slightly misaligned.
zarHenning schrieb:
Sometimes they hit the back or the cabinet frame, causing the drawer to stick when opened next time.I can confirm that! I had a case where the drawer was overloaded and slightly touched the bottom inside the cabinet frame. Then, of course, it wouldn’t move until I fixed it.
So, keep the load light and try testing whether the fully loaded drawer still moves smoothly 🙂
KAUDRA62 schrieb:
Silicone sprays or special Teflon sprays are best suited for plastic and metal partsThank you very much for the tip! I will try that before considering more complex repairs.
zarHenning schrieb:
Check whether the drawers are pushed too far into the cabinetI hadn’t really realized that a drawer could get stuck if pushed in too far.
I will pay attention to how the drawer behaves at different insertion depths.
Overall, thanks to everyone for the very helpful and detailed posts! The topic is definitely more complex than I initially thought.
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