ᐅ Why does the BILLY bookshelf creak when opening the doors?

Hello everyone,

I have had an IKEA BILLY shelving unit with doors for a while now, and I’ve noticed that the doors often creak when opened. I’m curious why the BILLY shelving unit creaks when opening the doors, even though it is relatively new and was assembled properly. The noise occurs when the doors are opened or closed and sounds like metal or wood rubbing against each other. It is also not equally loud every time the doors are opened.

Has anyone had similar experiences? Could it be due to the hinge quality, material tension, or maybe the door adjustment? I suspect it is related to the mechanism but would like to understand how to fix it specifically.

Thanks in advance for your opinions and tips!

Marlu46 schrieb:
I'm interested in why the BILLY shelf creaks when opening the doors, even though it is fairly new...

The creaking often occurs due to slight misalignments or insufficient lubrication of the hinges. In the case of BILLY shelves, the hinges are simple metal press fittings that can creak when overloaded or if dust accumulates.

A first step is to clean the hinges and possibly apply a suitable lubricant (e.g., silicone or Teflon spray) lightly. It is important to avoid using oils that can damage or cause fabrics to stick.

Additionally, it is helpful to check the screws on the hinges and tighten them if necessary, as slight loosening from use can cause noises.

Marlu46 schrieb:
It’s not equally loud every time you open it.

This is an important point, as the creaking can vary depending on the load and the direction of movement. For BILLY shelves made of particleboard, changes in room humidity can cause slight expansion or contraction of the wood, which may result in noises at the joints—especially in movable parts like door hinges.

SONLIS schrieb:
Clean and lubricate the hinges

is also a good suggestion. Properly aligning the doors can further reduce stresses that would otherwise cause friction noises.

With such a malfunction, it is also helpful to check the surrounding edge strips for damage or if the door rubs at certain points. If the shelf is somewhat older or slightly warped in several areas, additional adjustments may be necessary.

Keatondra schrieb:
With BILLY shelves made of particleboard, changes in room humidity can cause noises at the joints.

I can confirm this. I experienced the exact same issue at home, especially in autumn or winter when the air gets drier—you notice the creaking much more. I found it particularly annoying when opening the doors right after getting up; somehow the noise seems much louder when the house is quiet.

After that, I oiled the hinges, carefully applying the oil with a thin brush to avoid any drips on the wood surfaces or the shelf board. Since then, the noise has been significantly reduced, but not completely gone. I suspect the remaining sounds come from stresses in the wood and slight looseness in the screws.

In any case, I would strongly recommend avoiding over-application of oil, as that tends to attract dust over time and can make things worse. A dry PTFE spray seems to work best in my experience.