Those of you that can build flat pack furniture..

[Cupofteaandbiscuits]

Please give me some tips! We have been building two high sleeper beds. Four hours in and not much progress. The instructions are rubbish and it doesn’t come naturally to either of us. Any tips to help this not end in divorce 😂

I believe there are companies that you can pay to do it.

Each have your roles my dp does the hammering screwing together etc I find the pieces, read instructions, hand over tools etc
Work tidy clean away packaging as you go.
Have a clear picture of what the finished thing looks like
Stop and have regular tea breaks.

Sometimes you can YouTube .. have you tried?

Sorry, no help just hope: We spent one Christmas eve 6 hours building one of those canopy tricycles- we are still married 😀

I’m an ace at flat packs. What actually is the problem? I like to unwrap and lay everything out and flick through instructions so I can visualise how it fits together.

Sometimes it’s good to get some small repetitive tasks out the way first ( building drawers for example). Then it’s just step by step. With abed surly it’s just long bit to short bit, other side, slats and then any extra bits ?

Can you post a pic of where you're up to, both with the build and where in the instructions you've got to?

I start by identifying what all the bits are and checking they're all there. Then I sort it into piles of the different assembly stages, and then work through the instructions.

ETA my credentials - I built three chests of drawers while my husband was still building one 😂

Oh God, I got fabulous (bargain of the year) side tables in a local shop. They just sell, and off you go! So here I am, looking at the boxes (unopened) and I see on the side that it says 2 people needed for assembly. I think I'll have a go by myself and if getting into bother will call on my (very busy) brother at the weekend. But he's useless at DIY also so it could be fun!

I'm going with the theory of laying everything out and discreetly marking each bit with the numbers on the instructions. What can possibly go wrong...... At least it is just an Allen key job and that's included.

What's the problemo?

Where are you coming unstuck?

Where's it from? That might help people who have built it but yes check YouTube I put together a bike using it yesterday as the instructions were useless

Two people needed for assembly is a lie, unless it's huge.

Just see it as a big lego set.

Take it slowly, and in small stages and always make sure you are screwing the right part into the right hole before you commence.

Check, check, check again.

Is it IKEA?
Lay out the bits exactly like in the pics, ie so you can check all the holes line up and are in the right place. I line them so they're the same angle and everything.

If you can, use an electric screwdriver with an allen key bit.

I bloody love building flat pack 😀

Yes to laying everything out. With something large do that outside the door, otherwise you'll end up kicking bits about. Also lay out all the wood pieces, not just the screws etc. That can really help as often there are several bits that look identical at first glance but the holes are on opposite sides, or one piece is slightly longer etc.

It’s this one. Not helped by it coming in three separate boxes each with different instructions for the whole thing. We have found after much confusion which ones are the right instructions. It’s complicated and I hate flat packs as it is!

Unless it's massive, I'd do anything to keep it a one person job. Lay out all the fiddly bits in groups- on separate white pieces of paper if necessary. If it's IKEA follow it absolutely to the letter.
Don't wing it.

Sort all the pieces into their groups. Lay them out. Put them together.

You can pay people to do it though.

I became good at DIY by having a broke single mother then an abusive lazy husband. If something needs doing then I just have to work out how to do it by myself.

Biggest help is to lay out every piece and match it up to the inventory. Put a label on it if possible.

Ooh I built that years ago (the bunk bed version). I will say it’s a fantastic bed, really sturdy, lasts very well. It’s worth it in the end!

I think it took us several evenings to get it done (we were building in the hour or two after kids went to sleep and before they woke up again 😆).

I would just say be very very methodical. Lay everything out. Measure everything to check you have the right pieces. If the piece doesn’t look right it probably isn’t. It’s a shame there aren’t any online assembly videos - I’ve found them handy for ikea stuff in the past.

Probably they want you to build the bed standalone, then the stand it goes on, then fix them together. Might help to do it in modular style like this. They do this bed as a low sleeper, bunkbed, high sleeper etc so it’s quite modular and each bit can likely be built separately.

I always start by counting all the small bits and putting each type in a separate small bowl and lining the bowls up in the order in which they will be used. Then make sure I know which large piece is which, a Post I note on each piece is useful if the instructions name them. I pay special attention to pieces that look similar but have slight differences that might get accidentally used in the wrong position.

An electric screwdriver (with allen key inserts if necessary) helps my hands because I have quite a weak grip.

For some reason all bed instructions except for IKEA are utterly mental and don't make any sense. Sorry. Good luck.

I lay it all out and label the pieces with colour coded post it notes. I don't rush it either, I take lots of breaks to stretch out.

I’ve got a PhD in flatpack. I actually find it quite relaxing - as someone said, it’s a giant Lego set. Plus it’s very satisfying to look at furniture you’ve built yourself.

You need to really study the diagrams and make sure your pieces are going in on the proper sides - it can be very annoying to take apart what you’ve just put together. But it happens! Don’t let it get to you.

Resist the urge to take any shortcut. If something doesn’t look right, pause and deal with it now. Better to go back one step than ten.

Always think about the finished article: the sides that are visible won’t have visible screws/bolts/holes. In a bed there will be lots of mirror pieces - make sure they’re facing in the right direction.

Make sure all screws and bolts are really tight so your bed is sturdy and solid. I always give a final tightening at the end.

I would also invest in a good electric screwdriver. It will save you time, effort and blisters.

I don’t think that’s true anymore - I’ve recently done furniture and gym equipment from various places (Habitat, random Amazon sellers) and everything was crystal clear.

Also - I lay everything on a blanket to avoid scratches. Tie my hair so it is not in my face. Have a cushion to kneel on. And good lighting. But then again I’m quite ancient 😊

Electric screwdriver was a total gamechanger for us- DH and I do it together- I'm the organiser- I count the bits and lay them out. He can visualise better than me- we put together a double bed, wardrobe and chest of drawers in about 4 hours when we did up DS's room. Before the electric screwdriver we were on the brink of divorce every sodding time. A 'computer cabinet' (remember them- massive desktop/tower inside) resulted in cancelling all plans for a weekend once