Updated
Flat-Pack Furniture Wobbling Or Coming Apart
A wardrobe, chest or bookcase rocks, leans, or has joints that keep working loose however often they are tightened.
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What's happening?
Flat-pack furniture is chipboard held together by cam locks and dowels, and it gets its stiffness from one thing people routinely leave out: the thin hardboard back, pinned all round. Without it the carcase is four panels and a set of hinges, and it racks into a parallelogram under its own weight. The second failure is the cams themselves, which grip a dowel in a hole in chipboard — a cam that was not fully turned home never pulls the joint tight, and once the panel has moved even slightly the hole enlarges and the joint will not hold again. On tall units there is a third thing that matters more than either: the anti-tip strap or bracket in the box, which is there to stop the unit falling forward.
What usually causes it?
- The hardboard back left off, or pinned on only at the corners, so the carcase has no rigidity
- Cam locks not turned fully home during assembly, leaving every joint slightly loose
- Cam holes enlarged in the chipboard after the unit has been moved or racked
- The unit assembled on an uneven floor and then racked as it was pushed into place
- Dragging the unit across a floor rather than lifting it, which loads every joint sideways
- The unit loaded far beyond what the shelves and the carcase were designed for
- The supplied anti-tip strap or bracket never fitted to the wall
Is it dangerous?
Tall furniture tipping forward is one of the recognised in-home hazards for young children, which is why manufacturers supply an anti-tip fixing with wardrobes, tall chests and bookcases. A unit that already rocks is closer to that than one that does not. Fit the strap, keep heavy items in the bottom drawers, and never let a child climb on open drawers.
Can I fix it myself?
Yes, in the right order. Empty the unit, lay it down if you can, and pin the back properly all round — that alone squares most racking carcases and takes the movement out. Then work round every cam lock and turn it fully home. Finally fix the anti-tip strap into a stud or into masonry, not into plasterboard alone. Reassembling a unit that has been apart more than once needs the enlarged cam holes dealt with rather than just retightened.
When should you call a handyman?
Call a handyman when cam holes have blown out in the chipboard, when panels have swollen or split, when a tall unit needs securing to a wall you are not sure about, or when you would rather a wardrobe or a bunk bed was built properly the first time. It is one of the most common things people book a handyman for, alongside a list of other small jobs.
What will the handyman actually do?
- Empty and lay the unit down to square the carcase before anything is tightened
- Fit or re-pin the back panel all round so the carcase is properly braced
- Turn every cam lock fully home and repair enlarged cam and dowel holes in the chipboard
- Level the unit on the actual floor it stands on, packing feet where the floor is uneven
- Fix the anti-tip strap or bracket into a stud or masonry and check the unit is stable when loaded
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