Why fix furniture to wall?

jennlx

I have a 6 month old, and have now read recommendations to fix all heavy furniture to the walls in my house. We live in rented accomodation and are not allowed to drill holes in the walls. Is it really necessary to fix furniture in this way? I know, for example, that Argos/Ikea recommend fixing their furniture but wouldn't the weight of the books in the bookcase ensure that toppling wouldn't happen unless my child actually tried to scale it? The same with a wardrobe? Or is it really only the cheaper furniture which needs to be fixed? I must admit, I do want to fix the furniture (rather safe than sorry) but am stressing a bit as it is not possible in the rented house. Any ideas?

pinkteapot

The necessity depends on the weight and depth of the furniture, and also how it is loaded.

If you have a bookcase that's not very deep, it's less stable than say a wardrobe that is deeper. If you have a bookcase that you can't fix to the wall, stack the bottom shelf or two completely full of the heaviest books you have, then work upwards. Don't fill the upper shelves completely (if at all). With enough weight at the bottom it would take a LOT of force to pull it over.

Have a look at how upright it's standing - is it leaning forward a bit (is there a gap between the top of it and the wall?)?

Same principles will work with wardrobes and other furniture.

Argos and Ikea recommend it because their furniture is quite light. We've got a cheapy Argos bookcase that leans forward horribly unless it's fixed to the wall. On the other hand we also have a solid oak bookcase in our lounge that is pretty unlikely to move anywhere. Including out of the house, ever, given the effort involved in getting it in.

On another note, do you know what paint has been used on the walls in your rented place? I drilled some holes in the wall at my old rented place, and had nails up for pictures etc. LL didn't mind so long as I filled, sanded and painted the walls again afterwards. If you're worried it might be worth asking the landlord/letting agency. If you're planning on staying in the place for a good few years they might be ok with it.

trumpton

There are actually quite a few children killed and injured by falling furniture each year - large flat screen tv's for example have caused a lot of injuries as they can be pulled or knocked over much more easily. Tv's on high units again are dangerous if a child pulls the flex and it falls on them.

I vaguely remember a heartbreaking case a few years ago where two young children were killed after they had climbed up a dresser and it fell forward. If you have heavy books at the bottom and light ones at the top, then a bookcase might be okay, but if they were climbing on it and it fell forward it could still cause serious injury.

I would secure tall furniture if you can. I think Ikea have a system where you attach a strap to it and screw the strap to the wall, so not too messy and easy to fill the holes later. There's lots of sites with advice on child-proofing your home on the web.

My big thing is glass doors. So many people still have full doors in single glazed glass from the 1970's, often at the front door, right at the bottom of the stairs. These are so dangerous as kids run up to them hands out in front of them and they shatter so easily.

liam8282

Maybe you could just put a wedge under the front of the piece of furniture to stop any leaning forward?

Also make sure the furniture isn't resting on the carpet grippers at the back, this will cause it to lean forward aswell.

I have just put a chest of drawers up from Ikea, about 4 foot high, and I just wedged the front of that up with some of the card packaging, it is very secure and not going anywhere.

QTPie

You could ask your landlord if he would consider you doing it?

We have just taken delivery of 4 bookcases from IKEA (well one needs to go back and be swapped - faulty) and are fixing them to the walls: I think that bookcases are particularly bad. We have an "almost 9 month old" who will soon be pulling himself up on things. Although he is unlikely to be in the study along for some time, having the bookcases fixed to the walls (all of our wardrobes are built-in and we have no other tall furniture) us another piece of mind.

We have two Lindham play pens (£69 each) clicked together as a massive room divider and that has helped - keep him away from certain things - since he has been commando crawling (7 months). The flatscreen TV needs to be fixed to the cabinet (at the moment it is outside of the "baby enclosure") too...

QT

VoucherMan

A more cynical view.

You have been advised to fix it to the wall. It it falls over and injures you don't try to sue them for compensation - you were warned.

ormus

VoucherMan wrote: »

A more cynical view.

You have been advised to fix it to the wall. It it falls over and injures you don't try to sue them for compensation - you were warned.

aye thats true enough.
but only cause there are so many numpties about.

tall thin/ish furniture with heavy items inside, need securing if there are children about. simple as that.

a wardrobe may look ok, until you open a door. then it can become very unstable. a child pulling on the door can easy tip it over.

WestonDave

When we were kids my foster brother did exactly that - we had a huge old wardrobe (would have been perfect for "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) that had two drawers in the base and then a hanging area that started a couple of feet off the ground. To be fair to my brother we'd all spend years climbing into the hanging bit. Anyway one day when he was upstairs alone we suddenly heard this massive crash, followed by screaming. When we got upstairs he was fine if very scared - but only because when the top half of the wardrobe seperated from the drawer base, it had fallen onto the end of a bed (was half an old set of wooden bunk beds so had a high "headboard" at both ends) - even then the post on the corner of the bed had punched a hole right through the wooden front of the wardrobe. Fortunately the mirrors in the doors hadn't shattered. The wardrobe was a write off - had it landed square on my brother he wouldn't have been far off but the bed saved him by creating a space under it when it fell.

Worst case scenario - you drill the holes and lose some of your deposit when you move out - given a choice between that and potential serious injury you don't have many options!

TimBuckTeeth

Looking at the problem from another angle (maybe not that helpful), is to get some solid stable furniture, not cheap, especially if you already have some. It could still be pulled over, but unlikely and not very easily.

I have had cheap Argos/Ikea wood effect bookcases before and they are flimsy and the shelves bend under the weight of books. I didn't secure them to the wall but it is a good idea as they are unstable and weak. Cheap furniture is a false economy as it will fall apart after a few years as mine did.

I paid nearly £300 which I thought was a lot at the time, but well worth it, for a solid oak bookcase and it is much better. It looks better, is solid - doesn't flex and sway when pushed and the shelves haven't sagged after 4 years also it is deeper than the cheaper bookcases so stable. I don't have it secured to the wall and don't think it needs it.

System

you have to take into account the type of floor , a bookcase that was not a problem downstairs on a concrete floor is a lot less stable in dd s bedroom on a wooden floor, we fixed it to the wall as its better to be safe than sorry .

milliebear00001

Bookcases are a problem, chests of drawers are a problem - children pull out the drawers and climb on them. You need to fix them or be sure you never leave your child alone in a room with the furniture.