If a Malm is your first wrap, you have picked a kind place to start. It is mostly flat drawer fronts with barely a curve in sight, and flat, sealed panels are exactly where peel and stick vinyl behaves best, so bubbles are easy to keep at bay. We will walk through it together, drawer front by drawer front, so even on your very first go you can land a clean result.
The trick that beats bubbles is gentler than you might expect. Work on one flat front at a time, peel the backing away a little at a time as you go, and ease the film down with a soft squeegee or a clean cloth in slow, overlapping strokes from the centre out to the edges. That gives any trapped air somewhere to escape, so you will almost never need to lift and reset. Let your hands stay relaxed and the panel will reward you.
How many metres for a 3 drawer and a 6 drawer Malm?
As a rough guide to help you plan, a 3 drawer Malm needs about 2 to 3 metres and a 6 drawer Malm about 4 to 5 metres, with a little extra to fold the lip around each front. Think of these as friendly ballparks rather than gospel, because Malm comes in a few widths and you might choose to wrap the top as well. Pop your exact model and measurements in to estimate your metres before you order, and round up rather than down so you are never caught short halfway through.
Should I wrap the drawers on or off the carcass?
Where you can, take the drawer fronts off and wrap them flat. A Malm drawer lifts straight out, and on most models the front pops off the drawer box with a few screws, which leaves you a clean rectangle on the bench with no handles, runners or carcass getting in your way. Flat and unobstructed is how you keep edges tidy and stay clear of bubbles. If a front simply will not come off without a fight, that is completely fine. Wrap it in place with the drawer pulled right out so you can still reach all four edges.
How long does each drawer take?
Give yourself around 15 to 20 minutes per drawer front once you have warmed up, and a touch longer for the first one while you find your rhythm. So a 3 drawer Malm is a comfortable afternoon and a 6 drawer is a relaxed weekend, not a marathon. There is no need to rush. Clean and degrease each front, let it dry, then take your time on the squeegee. Slow hands are what give you that smooth, factory looking finish, and you will feel yourself getting better with every panel.
How do I keep the edges clean?
Wrap the front face first, then fold the lip neatly around to the back and trim with a fresh, sharp blade. A premium film has more body than bargain contact paper, so it folds around the lip without creasing or tearing the way cheap craft film tends to. Warm the corners with a hair dryer so the vinyl relaxes and hugs the edge, press it down firm, then run a blade along the back edge for a crisp line. A dull blade will drag and lift, so swap to a fresh snap off tip the moment it stops gliding. That one small habit saves a lot of frustration.
Will it come off cleanly later?
When the day comes to move on, you have options, and that is the whole point. Warm the film with a hair dryer and peel it back slowly at a low angle. On a clean, sealed, sound surface it can lift away cleanly, but please test a hidden spot first, because the result stays your responsibility and we would never want you to bank your bond on a promise. Wrapping a Malm in a rental is one of the most reversible updates going, and our rental and bond guide walks you through patch testing and a clean exit so you stay on the right side of your lease.
The Malm is really just the start. The same flat panel method makes light work of a Kallax shelf, a Pax wardrobe door or a Billy bookcase, and you can plan a whole room from our IKEA furniture wrap guide. If you are feeling a little nervous about committing a whole dresser, the kindest first move is to see the finish in your own light. Grab a The Sample Box, tape a few swatches to a drawer front, and live with them for a day. Touch it before you believe it. The wood grains and warm stones in our furniture wrap range can turn a plain white Malm into something that looks like it cost a great deal more than it did. Good taste, applied.