ᐅ Why do some Malm drawers warp or become misaligned after several years?
Created on: 7 Mar 2015 10:32
A
alike
Hello everyone,
I have a question that has been on my mind for a while: why do some Malm drawers warp after several years?
I am specifically referring to the IKEA Malm bed or chest of drawers, where after some time the drawers tend to warp slightly, stick, or no longer slide smoothly. I can imagine there are several possible causes, such as material deformation, moisture, or maybe mechanical issues with the drawer slides.
I am interested to know if anyone has more detailed experience or even technical explanations as to why this happens more often with these pieces of furniture.
Thanks in advance for your input!
I have a question that has been on my mind for a while: why do some Malm drawers warp after several years?
I am specifically referring to the IKEA Malm bed or chest of drawers, where after some time the drawers tend to warp slightly, stick, or no longer slide smoothly. I can imagine there are several possible causes, such as material deformation, moisture, or maybe mechanical issues with the drawer slides.
I am interested to know if anyone has more detailed experience or even technical explanations as to why this happens more often with these pieces of furniture.
Thanks in advance for your input!
M
matthewon8 Mar 2015 08:13It is interesting that this issue almost exclusively occurs with furniture made from low-cost materials – when looking at high-quality solid wood dressers, such effects are much less common.
I agree with that, but I don’t think the material alone is to blame. From my experience, customers often aren’t very careful in how they use and maintain the furniture. Minor damage like scratches or even moisture caused by unusual stress on drawers greatly accelerates the process.
Therefore, I would also say that the expected service life and the workmanship, together with user behavior, are key factors. The problem of "warping after years" is, in a way, an unavoidable compromise with inexpensive mass-produced products—unless they are handled very carefully and kept in very stable conditions.
FAZAR schrieb:
The aging of the material combined with mechanical play and assembly errors causes the well-known problem.
I agree with that, but I don’t think the material alone is to blame. From my experience, customers often aren’t very careful in how they use and maintain the furniture. Minor damage like scratches or even moisture caused by unusual stress on drawers greatly accelerates the process.
Therefore, I would also say that the expected service life and the workmanship, together with user behavior, are key factors. The problem of "warping after years" is, in a way, an unavoidable compromise with inexpensive mass-produced products—unless they are handled very carefully and kept in very stable conditions.
R
Rashadmeo8 Mar 2015 18:24Wow, I find this topic really interesting!
I once had a Malm dresser that started sticking and barely opened after 7 years. I finally oiled and realigned the drawer slides myself, and lo and behold: it worked much better again!
Tip: Don’t throw everything away right away; sometimes a little maintenance helps! Just take out the drawers, check if the slides are clean, apply lubricant, and put them back in!
Do it yourself—these small steps can work wonders! 🙂
I once had a Malm dresser that started sticking and barely opened after 7 years. I finally oiled and realigned the drawer slides myself, and lo and behold: it worked much better again!
Tip: Don’t throw everything away right away; sometimes a little maintenance helps! Just take out the drawers, check if the slides are clean, apply lubricant, and put them back in!
Do it yourself—these small steps can work wonders! 🙂
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