It Would Be A Big Mistake To Skip This Crucial Step When Stacking IKEA Furniture

One of the reasons IKEA is such a beloved brand is because it is so easy to hack. Oftentimes, creative home decorators use the furniture as a starting point to create something a little more intricate and unique, whether that's transforming an IKEA bookcase into shoe storage or stacking various units together to make a bigger piece of furniture. If you're doing the latter, make sure you don't skip one crucial step when balancing different pieces on top of each other, and that is securing them to the wall. This ensures the various furniture elements will stay snuggly against the wall and won't accidentally topple over and hurt someone. 

There are many different scenarios where you would find yourself stacking various IKEA pieces together. Perhaps you combined the EKET cabinet with a 12-slot KALLAX shelving unit to create a large storage unit. Or maybe you stacked pieces that are meant to go together, like a BILLY bookcase with a shelf extension on top that gives it more height. Whatever the reason, make sure you don't skip securing each element to the wall. Here is why.

There are several reasons why you should anchor your furniture to the wall. The first is because it makes the space safer for children. Whether you have a child of your own or have nieces or nephews, it's always a good idea to make the space safe for their wellbeing. Kids are naturally curious, and you never know when they will try to climb a piece of furniture or push against it. Because of this, IKEA strongly urges customers to anchor anything bulky to a stud to keep it firmly in place. This can include anything from bookcases to dressers to cabinets to clothing storage solutions. Each IKEA piece comes with a corresponding wall anchoring kit, so make sure to utilize that when building your furniture. 

Even if you don't expect to have kids in your abode anytime soon, it's important to anchor your pieces. If you have multiple cabinets stacked on top of each other and a friend leans against it, one of them can easily topple over. It can also be a safety risk if you live in an area that experiences earthquakes. Taking the extra few minutes to lock your pieces to the wall ensures there will be fewer accidents in your home.

While heavy IKEA pieces come with wall anchoring kits, you might have thrown yours out when setting it up. Luckily, IKEA allows customers to request a kit for dressers and chests for free whenever the need arises. They have two different kit types available. If you own something from the STOCKHOLM, NORDLI, BUSUNGE, or STUVA collection, you need to order the R2 kit by filling out a form here. If you own dressers from collections outside of those listed, you can order the R1 kit here. For furniture outside of drawers and chests, you can also go to the customer service desk at your local IKEA and ask them for an anchor replacement piece. They will likely give it to you for free. Alternatively, you can also buy a third-party anchor kit from places like Amazon. For example, the Ougourim Furniture Anchors are only $10.

IKEA also warns that you will need different kinds of screws depending on what type of wall material you're anchoring your furniture to. If there is a stud available, you just have to use a screw to secure the anchor to the wall. If you only have drywall without a stud — or are screwing it into a brick or stone wall — then you will need to add an 8 mm plug to the wall first to reinforce the screw. Such a plug is available in IKEA's FIXA set, which is a screw and plug kit with 260 pieces.