IKEA Assembly Tips

One of the advantages of hosting Thanksgiving this year was that my parents stayed for a few days to help babysit. My partner and I were able to run some errands, including a trip to IKEA, our favorite home-furnishing store. IKEA is fun with kids, too—in fact, it’s one of the most kid-friendly stores that’s not specifically a “kids’ store.” (More on this in another post.) This time, however, we were buying bookshelves. Big bookshelves, that tested the limits of our car and meant I had to drive, since my taller partner couldn’t drive with the seat pulled all the way forward. Going without our son gave us that much more room. When we got home, our son’s delight in playing with Grandma and Grandpa meant we also had time to assemble everything.

IKEA is one of the best in the business when it comes to cleverly packaged, easy-to-assemble items. Still, not everything goes together without a hitch. Here are some tips to help your IKEA assembly experience go as smoothly as possible—you can use most of them with other brands as well.

Open the boxes and lay everything out on the floor. Sort the screws, fasteners, and other small parts into bowls.
Count the parts to make sure you aren’t missing anything.
Take note of any parts that are similar but not identical. Note the patterns of holes in the boards, and determine if certain pieces have differing top and bottom or left and right sides.
Read through the directions once before you start.
Unless the instructions tell you otherwise, don’t fully tighten the screws until the end. A small bit of “play”can help you fit parts together. At the end, go around and tighten up everything. (Remember that IKEA pressboard doesn’t take to being over-tightened, though.)
Most IKEA furniture can be put together with nothing more than the included “IKEA tool,” a small Allen wrench. You may, however, find it helpful to have the following tools as well:
- An electric screwdriver with an Allen-wrench (hex) bit. Works the same as the IKEA tool, but faster.
- A rubber mallet for gently but firmly tapping boards together, or for pounding in the little wooden pegs used to fasten certain items. Even if your aim is off, there’s less likelihood you’ll gouge your board than with a metal hammer.
- A medium-sized Phillips screwdriver. The one that comes on many pocket knives will do. Occasionally, IKEA throws in a few Phillips-head screws.
- A measuring tape. Make sure your finished item will fit the space you have in mind.
- A level. Especially useful if you’re hanging shelves on a wall.
- A bottle opener. To help celebrate when you finish.
Never assemble furniture with your partner when either of you is PMS’ing. Just don’t.