ᐅ Why do some BILLY doors start squeaking only after several months?
Created on: 20 Mar 2024 09:37
J
JasongauHello everyone, I have a question that has been on my mind for some time:
Why do the doors of the IKEA BILLY bookshelf sometimes start squeaking only after several months of use?
I have different BILLY models at home where the doors are completely quiet at first, sometimes working for months without any noise, and then suddenly begin to squeak over time, noticeable when opening and closing.
I’m interested in understanding what mechanical or material-related reasons could cause this delayed onset of squeaking. Could it be a form of material fatigue, wear from use, or do environmental factors or moisture influence the phenomenon? Also, I wonder if there are common mistakes during assembly or lubrication that could at least prevent the squeaking afterward.
I would really appreciate a technically sound explanation!
Why do the doors of the IKEA BILLY bookshelf sometimes start squeaking only after several months of use?
I have different BILLY models at home where the doors are completely quiet at first, sometimes working for months without any noise, and then suddenly begin to squeak over time, noticeable when opening and closing.
I’m interested in understanding what mechanical or material-related reasons could cause this delayed onset of squeaking. Could it be a form of material fatigue, wear from use, or do environmental factors or moisture influence the phenomenon? Also, I wonder if there are common mistakes during assembly or lubrication that could at least prevent the squeaking afterward.
I would really appreciate a technically sound explanation!
Hello Jasongau, this is a very interesting and complex question that involves several factors.
First of all, the BILLY shelf is a fairly simple piece of furniture, mainly made of particleboard with a melamine coating. The doors on such furniture usually have basic hinges that contain both metal and plastic components.
The delayed squeaking can have several causes:
1. Material stress and settling: Wood-based materials tend to deform slightly over time due to changes in temperature, humidity, and regular use. This settling often occurs over weeks or months. When the stress in the material changes, the door’s position shifts and the hinge contact changes, causing friction and thus squeaking.
2. Hinge mechanics: The hinges themselves can lose smoothness due to dirt particles, slight rust formation, or simply the wear of lubricants. Especially when the doors are new, there is often enough lubricant applied. Over time, this either dries out or spreads unevenly, particularly in Mediterranean or high-humidity environments.
3. Installation and adjustment: An often underestimated factor is the precise adjustment of the doors during installation. If the hinges are not perfectly aligned or the screws are somewhat loose, this leads to small movements and resulting squeaking noises, which can either decrease or increase over time depending on the material.
4. Environmental influences: Temperature fluctuations and especially humidity play an important role for such furniture. Melamine-coated particleboard is relatively durable but still absorbs some moisture and swells slightly. This minimal movement can affect the behavior of the hinges.
Have you noticed if the squeaking mainly occurs with higher humidity? Or does it affect some doors more than others? This might help to narrow down the cause.
Additionally, I recommend cleaning the hinges and applying an appropriate lubricant like silicone spray, or possibly graphite powder, to prevent the noise permanently.
First of all, the BILLY shelf is a fairly simple piece of furniture, mainly made of particleboard with a melamine coating. The doors on such furniture usually have basic hinges that contain both metal and plastic components.
The delayed squeaking can have several causes:
1. Material stress and settling: Wood-based materials tend to deform slightly over time due to changes in temperature, humidity, and regular use. This settling often occurs over weeks or months. When the stress in the material changes, the door’s position shifts and the hinge contact changes, causing friction and thus squeaking.
2. Hinge mechanics: The hinges themselves can lose smoothness due to dirt particles, slight rust formation, or simply the wear of lubricants. Especially when the doors are new, there is often enough lubricant applied. Over time, this either dries out or spreads unevenly, particularly in Mediterranean or high-humidity environments.
3. Installation and adjustment: An often underestimated factor is the precise adjustment of the doors during installation. If the hinges are not perfectly aligned or the screws are somewhat loose, this leads to small movements and resulting squeaking noises, which can either decrease or increase over time depending on the material.
4. Environmental influences: Temperature fluctuations and especially humidity play an important role for such furniture. Melamine-coated particleboard is relatively durable but still absorbs some moisture and swells slightly. This minimal movement can affect the behavior of the hinges.
Have you noticed if the squeaking mainly occurs with higher humidity? Or does it affect some doors more than others? This might help to narrow down the cause.
Additionally, I recommend cleaning the hinges and applying an appropriate lubricant like silicone spray, or possibly graphite powder, to prevent the noise permanently.
Palenar schrieb:
Temperature fluctuations and especially humidity play a major role with this kind of furniture.That may be true, but I think it is too general to say that humidity is always the reason for squeaking in BILLY doors.
It also depends on how precisely the doors are installed and whether the material really behaves as assumed. Additionally, I would question the idea that settling and deformation over months only then cause the squeaking.
Could it not also be that the material does not change that much, but that the different thermal expansions of metal and engineered wood at the hinges cause the noise as they slowly adjust?
I would tend to say that the aging process of the hinge material and the resulting changes in friction are the key factors.
Moreover, it would be interesting to know if BILLY doors use a common hinge size that shows similar behavior on other furniture, or if it is a special design with unique characteristics.
All in all, all possible influences should be thoroughly analyzed before relying on common explanations like humidity or settling.
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