Let’s face it, we’ve probably all put together way too much Ikea furniture in our lifetimes. Some of us may have even experienced the frustration of stripping screw after screw as we try to assemble the Swedish-named chairs, cabinets and desks, not to mention entire kitchens. Well I have great news for you! There is a secret to this screw-stripping madness. The answer is “Pozidriv”.

Pozidriv

Pozidriv (often spelt Pozidrive, Posidrive or Pozi-drive) is a type of screw head and drill bit, that is actually supposed to be an improvement over the standard Phillips screw head. Unfortunately, just about everyone, including Ikea employees, have no idea that every single screw provided with Ikea furniture and Ikea kitchen cabinets is actually a Pozidriv screw and that when you use a standard Phillips drill bit with these screws, it will cam out and strip the screw.

So what’s the difference? A Pozidriv screw will look almost exactly the same as a Phillips screw, but if you look closely, you’ll notice an extra tiny cross at a 45-degree angle to the normal “star” shape. Take a look at the picture at the bottom of this post. You’ll see the Pozidriv groove.

If you want to stop stripping Ikea screws, you need to pick up a Pozidriv bit. It may seem like overkill to purchase a drill bit specifically for assembling Ikea furniture, but if you’re doing any amount of substantial assembling – like installing an Ikea kitchen – trust me, it’s worth it! I picked up an awesome diamond-coated Pozidriv bit from Lee Valley for less than $5. Once you have this bit in your hands, you’ll be amazed at how well the screws just seem to “lock in” and you’ll never strip another screw again!

One last note: as I mentioned above, no one at Ikea knows about Pozidriv, and they will just tell you to use a normal Phillips screwdriver or drill bit. They don’t even sell Pozidriv bits at the store. I would love to see Ikea include these drill bits with their furniture, or at least make it known that each and every screw they distribute is actually a Pozidriv screw.