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I have some old IKEA beds that are very squeaky. I tried to fasten each bolt as much as I can, but the squeakiness persists.

I came to the conclusion that it is caused by some design flaw, but I cannot figure out what it is.

Are there some guidelines when designing beds to prevent squeakiness? For instance, are there some recommended joints?

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    Since we have no pictures to go on — hint hint ;-) — we can't advise where these might be located but if this is surfaces rubbing together find where the squeaks are, disassemble, apply wax where needed, reassemble. You could try talc, but wax should provide a longer-lasting effect (possibly permanent in this situation). If any of the screws have become a loose fit in the material it would be worth the time to reinforce their holes (I'd go ahead and do all of them while I was at it, can't hurt). Also, if you have any dowels in certain of the joints I'd recommend glueing them into one side.
    – Graphus
    Nov 5, 2020 at 9:38

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The problem comes from two pieces rubbing together. Either the material is not clamped tight enough, and cannot be due to the material or fasteners used, or there is too much flex in the piece itself (not braced properly). IKEA furniture being flat packed and "easy to assemble" combined with the pricing has this kind of issue as an inherent flaw.

If you switch from pine and particle board with veneer price goes up, change certain fasteners or joinery, complications happen with assembly or the ability to flat pack.

The best advice I would say is see where the movement is in the piece and brace those joints to limit movement. Then the squeaks should be gone. Or you could lube it up with some WD40 ;).

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  • I know it was mainly meant as a joke, but WD-40 is not a good choice as a lubricant. It is a solvent, so it will break down grime, rust, and anything else on the surfaces it's applied to, but it will not "stick around" after that. It will evaporate fairly quickly, without leaving behind any actual lubricant. I'd suggest a grease (for metal) or wax (for wood) to lubricate with instead.
    – SaSSafraS1232
    Nov 4, 2020 at 22:58
  • @SaSSafraS1232, WD-40 does not evaporate completely. It is a mixture of 'weights', not all evaporative, some after the volatile fraction does evaporate there is always some remainder (a surprising amount in fact). Given how widespread this belief is I was surprised the first time I saw the residue left in an open container after spraying loose parts with the stuff! Anyway that aside, ditto what you say about it not being a good choice here :-)
    – Graphus
    Nov 5, 2020 at 9:30

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