IKEA furniture - putting together

[OliviaBensonOnAGoodDay]

We're moving at the weekend and have bought almost all of our furniture from ikea.

How long would you expect it to take to do the following:

One TV cabinet
2 dining chairs
Coffee table
Side table
Outside table and 2 chairs
2 wardrobes (3 door)
2 bedside cabinets
A chest of drawers (4 doors)
Day bed (with 2 drawers)

DP thinks it's doable in a weekend, I'm not so sure.

Any ideas appreciated. We have an electric drill if that helps!

[Jenijena]

I think they all come with an estimated time to put them together on the instructions (as in you'll need two people for 45 minutes...). I'm sure it's possible but you'll be knackered, but part of the course for moving house?

[GinIsIn]

It took us about 3 days to do an equivalent amount so I think it's doable - we don't have an electric drill and I'm 6 months pregnant so it took us longer!

[Doublejeopardy]

All except the wardrobes are less than an hour each but the wardrobes could be an afternoon each depending on the size of them

[onitlikeacarbonnet]

It'll be the wardrobe and drawers that'll take the most time.
Get dp to do them
Beds are easy as are tables and chairs.
I might leave the outdoor stuff as presumably you won't be using it right away.
But I think it's definitely doable.
Congratulations on your new home

[PinkiePiesCupcakes]

Depends how experienced you are tbh.
I could knock them together in about 14 hours total.
But I worked as a professional assembly technician for over a decade.

[TheSnorkMaidenReturns]

Do you need to take them all apart? Or completely apart?

The cheaper stuff needs to be handled with great care if you are taking it apart and putting it back together.

[EssentialHummus]

Completely doable. Most Ikea chairs take 15 minutes each, max, and side tables/bedside cabinets tend to be quick too. Wardrobes will be the fiddliest, as PP said.

[Thingywhatsit]

Completely depends on what you have brought to be honest and what tools you have and how your DIY skills are. If you are a perfectionist then double the time! And if you have kids about as well....

I think it's doable in a weekend, but the wardrobes could take you 4/5 hours or so depending on what it is. You will also get completely fed up so you can't do it solidly. You will have flatpack burn out and then start making costly time consuming mistakes. In a weekend I managed to do a extending kitchen table, 4 chairs, side table, chest of drawers, kallax unit, double wardrobe. Just me and 2 kids here and my parents came round to help with wardrobe, drawers and kitchen table. Father is in the trade but it still took us bloody ages (mostly cos he is likes to rewrite the instructions as he can do it a better way! And I prefer to follow the instructions down to the letter

[PurpleDaisies]

Thats definitely doable in a weekend. Ikea flatpack is great-really obvious what you should do.

We disassemble our ikea chest of drawers, wardrobes and bookcases with no issues (apart from which pieces went with which bit for furniture so I'd recommend labelling them well!).

[youngestisapsycho]

My DH would do that all in one day... but he is a carpenter and Superman with a drill and anything flatpack! You'll def need two of you for the wardrobes. Its easy to do stuff together... the drawers take time with all the dowels and putting all the sides together. Use a hammer for the dowels, don't just push them in and think they'll be fine!

[reallybadidea]

So jealous, I love putting ikea furniture together!

[EssentialHummus]

really me too! It's like Lego for adults

[JoJoSM2]

It's def doable if you're good at following instructions;)

[heavenlypink]

I usually have no bother putting flat packs together but struggled a little with the recent items of drawers and a desk. A bed was much easier but a little fiddly. Tips: Get a container to pop all the screws and bits in and lay out all the pieces so you can see the holes.

[AndNowItsSeven]

The day bed will take the weekend on its own.

[idontlikealdi]

The if it's the hemnes daybed - at least a whole day and most of the evening....

[MangoBiscuit]

Would depend mostly on whether DH was helping or just making me tea. Quicker if the latter.

I think the wardrobes will take the longest / be the most awkward, and you'll need the most space for them. If at all possible, get those done first, while the room is empty. Electric drill makes a big difference, especially if you have the right alan key bit.

Also, if you have an empty egg carton, use that for the different types of screws / dowels etc. (much like heavenlypink suggests) Sort them before you start and scribble the numbers on the box.

[LIZS]

Pax wardrobe? at least a day and do it first as they impossibly tall to manoeuvre easily into position. Dds wardrobe and chest of drawers took at least a day. Allow for a few hours of argument in the midst of the chaos.

[OMGtwins]

Wardrobes and beds from IKEA are evil. One 3 door PAX took me and my Dad (we both quite handy and work well together) 4 hours, and we hardly had anything to go inside. if you have internal drawers etc they will take ages. My folding sofa bed took 3 hours too, on my own tho.

The rest will take a day total, but you might lose the will part way through....

[OliviaBensonOnAGoodDay]

Allow for a few hours of argument in the midst of the chaos.

Oh God

Thanks everyone for all your advice, have been frantically screenshotting and sending to DP.

Will let you know how we get on...

[atticusclaw2]

Its took DH and I less than an hour to do two sink units at the weekend. They each had two drawers and so rather like a chest of drawers.

The hemnes day bed took us about an hour (from memory, we've had ours a while).

Easily doable over the course of a weekend. but you'll be extremely bored.

[idontlikealdi]

Wow the bloody Hemnes in an hour - you should advertise your services - I would have paid ££ to not have to do that one!

[thenewaveragebear1983]

Pax wardrobes - once you're in the swing they go up pretty easily but the first one is a PITA as that's where you make all the mistakes! Definitely a two person job. Also, contrary to what my dh insists- always count the number of empty holes between shelves. Perspective + flat pack fatigue = wonky shelves!
We decided not to fit the handles on ours, we'd do it tomorrow. Yeah, that was 6 years ago.