Love it or hate it, flatpack furniture has become a staple of the modern household. Whether it’s something as simple as a floating shelf or as complicated as a fireplace LED TV stand monstrosity, it all breaks down into very simple parts that look easy in the pictures but often end up taking your entire weekend and maybe an extra session of marriage counseling.
If you want to avoid this the easy way, hire a handyman like myself to assemble it and get your weekend back or if you are bound and determined or need to save the money here’s some simple tips that will make it easier.
First and obviously, read the instructions and look at the pictures and do this twice before you pull out a single part. You might have thought you understood but sometimes it takes a few read-throughs to make sure you do it the right way and don’t have to undo your work. Nothing is worse that getting to step 34 and realizing you forgot step 6.
Second, most instruction booklets have a parts list, you must go through every part and ensure you have it or that it isn’t damaged. Otherwise this can lead to rebagging all those painful pieces of hardware, labeling them, and hoping you don’t mix up or lose anything in the process. Online shippers such as Amazon prefer to see damaged pieces in boxes to ensure you get a refund or that working with the seller is less difficult.
Third, using a variable speed impact driver or borrowing one from your neighbor will exponentially increase assembly time. However you can damage or strip out the parts if you’re not careful. Only use this step if you are comfortable or familiar with using power tools. A drill with a clutch is a safer, training-wheel version of this. If you set the clutch so it doesn’t spin too hard and cause damage, you can use it with more confidence.