7 Expert tips to assembling flat pack furniture

Check your parts for missing or damaged components before commencing assembly.

If you want to assemble furniture on your own, there are some easy ways to make the project go faster and make it more enjoyable. Here are some proven tips and tricks to assemble furniture from the professionals.

1. Check Your Parts – Every instruction manual found in buildable furniture says to check your parts to make sure you have enough of each part and there is nothing missing. But its the most skipped of all the steps. Why? Because no one wants to spend valuable time going through hundreds of screws, hinges, and bolts. But, there’s nothing worse than getting halfway through assembling a piece of furniture only to find that you are missing a board, or you’ve misplaced screws. You can’t return it half built, so what can you do – take it apart to return or go try to buy the missing parts yourself? Either way its no fun at all!

2. Know which parts are which – Most flat pack furniture kits come with a large bag of nails, screws, nuts, and bolts. So you have to figure out which screw is the 5/8″ and which is the 1/2″ screw. If you guess incorrectly, it can mean disaster because some screws are too long and will poke through the other side ruining your new furniture. So its important to separate your parts and know which ones are which before you start assembling.

Reliability and Trust in Flat Pack Assembly since 2003.

3. Have Tools Ready – Its a good idea to have at least one power tool handy with a charged battery ready to use when you attempt to assemble furniture. Hand tools have their place as well so you don’t strip screws and use tool much force on others. But a good power screwdriver with several different size bits available in Phillips head and flat head varieties. You should also have a hammer on hand, and an Allen wrench set. While most flat pack kits come with mini tools, it will certainly take longer using those.

4. Make Space – Make sure you have plenty of space to lay your unit down while assembling the furniture. Give yourself ample space to sit on the floor and leave room for your tools and parts. Trying to assemble furniture in a crowded area wastes time and can easily frustrate you.

5. Work on a Blanket – Although it may not seem like it, flat pack furniture can be dirty and have lots of sawdust on it when you are assembling. Its a smart idea to place a blanket down whether to cover a nice carpet indoors or to protect the furniture if assembling outside or in a garage.

Allowing enough time to assemble your products is key to a successful outcome!

6. Ask a Friend to Help – Everything goes faster with two! If you know someone who is mechanically inclined or is handy around the house, you may want to ask for his or her help in your project. Some pieces are too heavy to assemble yourself, or units like corner desks can be too awkward to hold together by yourself. Get some help if you are taking on a complex furniture assembly job. But make sure your friend is even tempered. Even the smallest flat pack job can cause an argument so choose someone you can work well with.

7. Plan Enough Time – I can’t stress this one enough! Almost every inexperienced assembler will at some point underestimate the time it takes to properly build a piece of furniture. If you think it will take you an hour – plan three hours! I know its sounds like a lot, but mistakes happen, and it can be difficult to figure out the instructions sometimes. Its better to complete a project early than to have to leave half a dresser laying in the middle of your bedroom floor. Trust me!

I hope these tips will help you the next time you want to assemble furniture yourself. You can always make it fun by turning it into a party. Invite some friends to help, order a pizza and supply the drinks!