ᐅ Why does the MALM dresser still wobble despite being secured to the wall?

Hello everyone,

I recently acquired a MALM chest of drawers from IKEA, which I have properly secured to the wall using the included wall anchor. Despite this, the chest noticeably wobbles with small movements, especially when pulling or pushing the drawers. The anchor appears to be correctly installed—the holes are anchored in a concrete wall, and the screws are tightened firmly.

My question to the community is: Why does the MALM chest of drawers wobble despite the wall anchor? Are there known weak points in the design, common installation mistakes, or other causes I might be overlooking?

I look forward to your insights, tips, or experiences.

Nicodemu46 schrieb:
Why does the MALM dresser wobble despite being secured to the wall?

Hey, this is a common issue with MALM dressers, even when everything is done correctly. 😊 Often, it’s because the dresser itself allows some movement due to its thin material and the large drawer construction. The wall anchoring prevents tipping, but the soft material still flexes a bit.

Try adding extra reinforcement, for example with small wooden wedges between the back panel and the wall, or stabilizing brackets on the sides to increase stability. Sometimes, checking the looseness in the drawer slides helps — if the drawers wiggle, you’ll notice it more on the dresser itself.

Hello,

to better understand the causes of wobbling despite the wall mounting of the MALM chest of drawers, we should systematically consider several points:

1. Mounting Points: IKEA provides a simple wall mounting for the MALM chest of drawers, which is usually attached only at a single upper point. One anchor prevents tipping but cannot fully stabilize against lateral movement.

2. Installation Location and Wall: The condition of the wall is crucial. A solid concrete wall, as in your case, is generally ideal. However, it is important that the anchors and screws are embedded deeply enough into the masonry and are sized appropriately for the weight and leverage forces.

3. Chest Construction: The MALM chest of drawers is made of relatively thin engineered wood (particleboard or MDF). The material tends to flex slightly and cause wobbling, especially due to the lever forces generated when drawers are fully extended.

4. Quality of Assembly: Check whether all the chest’s screws are properly tightened, the drawer slides are free of play, and the back panel is correctly fitted. The back panel often stabilizes the MALM chest when it is installed perfectly flat and taut.

My tip: Verify whether the back panel was installed warped or fixed only at a few points. Adding a second wall anchor (or brackets on the lower back) could further reduce wobbling. Also, adjusting the drawer slides may be part of the solution.

Could you describe exactly how the wall mounting is attached in your case (e.g. only at the upper center or at multiple points)? This will allow for more precise advice.

In short: A single wall anchor at the top is not enough to make the dresser completely stable. It is better to install two anchors, one at the top and one at the bottom. Also, check that all screws in the dresser are tight.

draFrederi schrieb:
Often, it’s because the dresser itself allows slight movement due to its thin material and the large drawer design.

I generally agree with this but would like to ask: How certain is the claim that the material is responsible for the wobbling? Because if the dresser noticeably wobbles despite being securely fastened to the wall and properly installed, we should also consider the mechanical stresses on the wall mounting.

With dynamic loads (when opening/closing the drawers), even strong anchors can loosen slightly, or the mounting bracket may not be stiff enough.

Therefore, it would be interesting to know whether the attachment was done with special brackets or just the simple mounting hardware provided. Reinforcing with multiple brackets or angle profiles can make a significant difference. It might also be worth checking if the dresser needs more than one wall fastener to eliminate the play.

BENBI schrieb:
Could you describe exactly how the wall mounting was installed on your side (e.g., only at the top center or at multiple points)?

I installed the dresser using the supplied mounting bracket, which essentially secures an angle bracket at the top on the back with two screws. So, the bracket is fixed to the wall at only one point at the top center. The dresser stands directly against the wall, and the back panel is properly installed and flush.

The screws for this are anchored deep into the concrete and combined with appropriate wall plugs. The drawer slides are properly tensioned—not loose, but they have some play.

The wobbling is mainly noticeable when applying slight lateral pressure to the dresser, less so when opening the drawers. The dresser seems to tilt or rotate slightly without the mounting coming loose.

I now suspect that this might be due to the single mounting point, as no additional brackets are planned.