Buying new IKEA furniture can be a fun experience. You get to see everything in person, see how different pieces of furniture work together, what the dimensions really look like and how the furniture functions, and everything! Making the buying process that much easier, but it’s one of those things that just can’t be fun through and through, there’s always something that goes wrong. You’ll either find that the warehouse section doesn’t have the furniture you picked out in stock, or the assembly is torturous.
While there’s little we can do in terms of the former, there are ways to make the latter less infuriating. Below are all the different ways you can make the IKEA furniture assembly easier, so you don’t have to stress over it one bit!
#1: Read the instructions before getting started
Although it might seem like a waste of time to just sit there, reading the instructions before getting started on the build because it’s not like you can just memorize them anyway, that’s not the case. If you just quickly read through the entire instruction manual before getting started, you’ll know what the entire assembly process is going to look like. That will help you stay prepared for the steps that come after each other and streamline the whole process a lot more. Making the job a lot less stressful!
#2: Layout all the pieces neatly
Nothing says “stress”, like not being able to find the right slab of white in a room full of slabs of white. It’s easy to get the pieces mixed up if you just unpacked them in a pile or are unpacking them as you go. Instead of landing in that problem, take your time and lay out all the pieces neatly, so you know exactly where they are when you’re assembling them!
#3: Buy your own power tools
If you’re assembling large furniture, it might come with several hundred pieces! Assembling all of those pieces with a tiny L-shaped multipurpose screwdriver might take you several hours if not days, and let’s be honest, no one has days to spend on assembling furniture. One way to make the job a lot easier, and faster, is to buy your own power tools, and assemble the furniture using that instead! Power tools will make each screw go in at least twice as fast if not more, and make the job end in half the time it would take you to do everything manually! The only thing to note here is to practice caution with the power tools so you don’t accidentally split the wood and make things worse! Use power, with caution, and make things easier for yourself!
#4: Add wood glue
Even though the screws and parts IKEA sends in the packaging are enough to hold everything together, IKEA furniture isn’t exactly the most durable. You might find random little corners chipping, or gaps forming in the pieces, making the whole thing wobbly, and unstable. If you leave the furniture like that, it’s likely that it will end up breaking apart later on, and the remedy to it is in the assembly. While you’re assembling the furniture, add wood glue to all the pieces that meet, and wherever you’ve inserted wooden dowels. The glue will ensure that everything is tightly packed, and won’t move for a very long time!
#5: Call a professional
If you’ve read all of these tips, and still think that the assembly process is going to be stressful, there’s another way to deal with it – call in a professional. Handyman NYC, or a handyman in your local area, would be able to come in and assemble all of the furniture for you! That way, you’ll be stress-free, and all the furniture will get assembled, making it a win-win situation!