ᐅ Why do screws keep coming loose in some BILLY shelves?

Technically, the issue lies with the particleboard material, which compresses under load and with changes in humidity. The screws are originally embedded in the wood fiber material, which loosens over time.

The screws used in the Billy shelves are designed for their intended purpose, but a permanent fixing method such as threadlocker or lightly tightening with adhesive can help.

Recommendation:

- Apply some wood glue to the screws before screwing them in
- Avoid overtightening when fastening
- Possibly pre-drill holes slightly when replacing screws later

Let me go into more detail because this topic is technically interesting.

The BILLY shelf is made from particleboard, which is pressed from fine wood chips and binders. Due to the structure of these panels, there are disadvantages when it comes to screw holding capacity.

Important to know:

1. Particleboard absorbs moisture and releases it again – this causes slight changes in volume (expansion and contraction).
2. Temperature fluctuations can cause stresses, putting mechanical strain on the screws.
3. The drilling holes produced in manufacturing fit standard screws, but the thread engagement in the material is relatively weak.

My advice would be to properly repair the affected screw holes:

- Avoid age-related damage or widening of the hole caused by overtightening with excessive force.
- Instead of the original screws, consider using screws with a larger thread diameter (slightly enlarging the hole beforehand).
- Alternatively, use wood filler to refill the hole and then drill a new pilot hole.

One more question for Resan: Are the shelves continuously loaded during daily use, or are they mainly static? For example, is there a lot of weight consistently on the shelf boards, or is the unit frequently moved?

kaubi schrieb:
One more question for Resan: Are the shelves continuously loaded during daily use, or are they mostly static? For example, do the shelves hold heavy weight regularly, or is the shelf often moved?

Thanks for the detailed answer! The shelves are mostly static and hold books, decorations, and occasionally binders. There is very little movement, except during cleaning or tidying up.

The weight obviously varies, sometimes less, sometimes more. But I have the impression that the screws tend to loosen even when the shelf isn’t heavily loaded or moved. The side panels seem especially affected.

One more additional question from my side: Would it make sense to try professional furniture connectors instead of the original screws? Or are there standard solutions for BILLY that prevent this problem?

Screws always loosen when the material "moves," meaning moisture levels change or loads fluctuate.

Furniture connectors are usually more stable but require more effort during installation.

Alternatively, use medium-strength threadlocker on the screws to secure them, which makes them much less likely to loosen.

Resan schrieb:
Or does BILLY have standard solutions to prevent this issue?

I have wondered that myself.

In my experience, IKEA usually opts for simple solutions that are cost-effective but sometimes require a bit more maintenance. For my shelves, I once got special screw locking washers with rubber. They help because they absorb slight wobbling.

It might be interesting to know if anyone here has modified a BILLY shelf with such additional parts?

I would like to add that there is a practical solution:

If the grip weakens, you can unscrew the screws, insert a small piece of toothpick or wooden skewer with wood glue into the hole, and once it has dried, screw the screw back in. This enlarges the round hole slightly and gives the screw better grip again.

Joe52 schrieb:
I once got special screw locking washers with rubber for my shelves. They help because they absorb slight movement.

That also sounds reasonable to compensate for dynamic loads.