When it comes to budget furniture, nobody does it better than IKEA. But part of that cost-saving is labor–the labor that you put in to turn that flat-pack box into a piece of furniture. As with any DIY project, ready-to-assemble furniture is an adventure; a composite of tribulations and accomplishment. Recently, after a project that was more tribulation than accomplishment, I wrote down some ideas that would prevent the myriad mistakes I’ve made building IKEA furniture. I applied these recently to a credenza from CB2; lo and behold, I managed to build a solid piece of furniture without breaking it or putting anything on upside down. It was a miracle. To me, this meant that these 10 concepts are more than just IKEA assembly tips–they’re revelations worth shouting from the mountaintops to all future flat-pack builders. I humbly present to you, righteous assembler, The Ten Commandments of IKEA Furniture. Before you even unbox your furniture, you should physically prepare the area you’ll be working in.
You should give yourself enough room that the finished piece could be laid down and you could comfortably walk around every side of it (because, in many cases, that’s exactly how it’s built). Open the box and read the instructions. Make a mental note of any steps that require rotation and ensure you have enough space to do that. Also, unless you’re working on carpet, use a rug (or the box that the furniture came in) to protect both the floor and the furniture. The first section of an IKEA instruction manual includes a summary of the pieces that should be included in the box. First, open up the hardware bags and organize them as you count them. You can use small bowls or get creative–ice cube trays, egg cartons, muffin tins, or a simple loop of tape are recommended in this Reddit post. You’ll want to do the same with the furniture pieces to familiarize yourself with each piece. Is this the top or the bottom of the dresser? Are they identical and interchangeable, or are they actually slightly different?
The reason we recommend inventorying hardware and fasteners first is because these are the most likely to get left out. Missing pieces are a common IKEA woe, so make sure everything is there. If it’s not, find the six-digit part number in the instructions. You have a few options to get the missing piece: you can visit a nearby store’s “missing a part” section, call your local store (ask for the relevant department rather than going through the operator), or fill out this online request form and get the piece mailed to you. IKEA often recommends (wordlessly via a gender-neutral stick figure) the use of simple screwdrivers, hammers, and the included Allen keys to construct its pieces, but you can make the job faster and easier if you bring some of your own tools. For easier assembly of all IKEA furniture, this is what I recommend you bring:This is somewhat controversial in the IKEA community as you can certainly ruin your furniture by over-tightening, but if you turn your torque settings down and drill carefully, you can save a ton of time versus using a screwdriver.
The alternative (but rarer) implement, this tool generally has lower torque and more maneuverability. If you have more than one piece to assemble, you may want to consider grabbing this and the power drill to get the best of both worlds.To save your hands from having to use the tiny Allen key – also known as a hex key or wrench – bring this tool (similar to those used for bikes) or an insert setThis will help speed up the process for any furniture that includes wooden dowels (hint: basically all of it). One light whack will ensure that the dowels are in all the way. Apartment Therapy recommends using a white rubber mallet to avoid leaving marks, but I used black rubber to no ill effect. Let’s face it: IKEA furniture isn’t as sturdy as your grandmother’s antiques. A common mistake is to try to compensate by cranking down on screws or bolts. But most IKEA furniture is made from medium density fiberboard (MDF), which is why it’s not as sturdy as nana’s side tables, and tightening past the boundaries of the pre-drilled holes will cause the fiberboard to split.
This results in a looser connection that could lead to an irreparably wobbly piece. When using Allen keys, don’t torque the bolt in with your full body weight. If you’re using a manual screwdriver, tighten screws until they are flush with the wood and no more. You can tell when a screw or bolt starts to get slightly more difficult to turn–stop there or you’re risking cracking the fiberboard. If you’re using a powered drill, make sure to turn the torque down to the lowest setting. Post updated by SpareFoot, 1/30/2017.If you're still stashing your off-season clothes and other accessories in a pile under the bed, we're offering a better alternative for keeping the extras out of sight. Here are 14 storage beds that master the art of built-in organization. 100 Secrets to a Better Night's Sleep – Starting Tonight The Best Mattress Protectors to Safeguard Your Bedding Investment The Best Mattresses to Ensure More Satisfying Shut-Eye 10 Lap Desks That Create An Impromptu Workspace Anywhere
Baby Products for 2017 10 Toddler Beds You'll Wish Came in Your Size Our 30 Favorite Home Decor Destinations to Shop Online 10 Crisp White Duvet Covers For Sweet Slumbering 50 Beautiful Bedroom Decor Ideas to Create a Serene Sleep Space 20 Bed Pillows to Get the Best Sleep Possible 11 Chic Shoe Cabinets to Keep Your Kicks OrganizedIKEA is a great place for furniture that's easy to assemble and affordable. What IKEA isn't, however, is a hardware store. We love good IKEA hacks as much as the next person, but there are times when IKEA is a good place for DIY projects, and other times when it's really not. Here's how to tell. Before we begin, IKEA is great. You can argue about its durability, or when it's worth it at all to buy cheap furniture, but the company doesn't stay in business because it's furntiure build quality and design are awful. That said, it's no panacea. IKEA furniture can fit a lot of shapes and spaces, but it's not the same as raw materials, and often costs more than just getting the raw materials for your DIY project.
Sometimes, it's just cheaper and more efficient to go to Home Depot and buy some wood, paint, nails, and go to work. When IKEA Is a Great Option for DIYThere are some times when IKEA is a perfect fit for your DIY projects. Here are some examples: When the price is right. IKEA isn't always the cheapest option, but if you can make the item you want using affordable IKEA parts as opposed to spending more on the raw materials, IKEA is a good option. This only really works when you're building simple things though, like shelves, tablets, desks, or organizational household items—things that IKEA already does well, just tweaked to fit your needs.When what you want to make can be made from flexible components. Some IKEA products are used more often than others in those DIY projects. The LACK series of tables and shelves and the EXPEDIT storage system are two prime examples of affordable, customizable products that can be used as blank slates, affordable raw materials to build something greater than the designers intended, or a series of products that can be mixed and matched to create new and interesting furniture.
We've seen an awesome bar made from EXPEDIT components, an EXPEDIT reception counter and storage wall, even an EXPEDIT breakfast bar/desk, all from essentially the same parts. Some of IKEA's components are more flexible in that regard than others, and a combination of a LACK table and adjustable VIKA KAJ legs means you can build just about any flat surface you need, like these speaker stands, for example. When you don't have special tools or space to do a ton of DIY work. Apartment dwellers, college students, roommates, and people who live in small or constrained spaces (or people who don't have or don't know how to use power tools) gravitate to Ikea hacking because, well, you can use the tools that come with the stuff you buy, and it all just works well together. After all, if you don't have space for drilling and sawing and painting, it makes sense to find something that approximates what you need and can be tweaked to fit your needs.When someone else has already made what you want.
The beauty of the Ikea hacks we've featured and things you'll see at Ikea Hackers is that if someone else has made what you want and you really like it, you can just duplicate what they've done without needing plans and measurements. You can just go buy the products, assemble them the way they did, and be done with it. It's simple, but admittedly not terribly customizable.When you don't care about long-term durability. Let's face it, IKEA isn't exactly built to be handed down to your kids. Sure, if you take good care of your things, they'll last a long time, and IKEA furniture is no exception to the rule, but most of it is particleboard, aluminum screws, and wooden dowels. Full IKEA setups like kitchens and organizational systems are a different story, but bookshelves, desks, and beds? If you know you're moving soon, don't have the budget for hardwood or something more expensive that might last longer, or you want to save a few bucks but still get something that works well, heading to IKEA is a great option.
If you don't find something that works outright, you can find something that can be made to work.There are likely some other examples of when IKEA is a good option too, like when what you want is essentially already an IKEA product, it just needs a little work to fit where you want it to go, or do what you want it to do. IKEA Is also a great option is you're just getting into DIY, and, as we mentioned, you're not comfortable with,have access to, or space to use nailguns, table saws, or a few gallons of paint. When You Should Just Go to The Hardware StoreNow that we've established when IKEA is a good idea, let's discuss when it really isn't. There are plenty of examples, too—not necessarily IKEA projects gone wrong, but times when you could have made the same thing (sometimes for less) with better materials, raw materials, or more time and effort. When you know how to use proper tools. Or better put, you're in a better position to know when IKEA is a good or bad option for your DIY project when you know how to use proper tools.
If you can look at an EXPEDIT-hacked bar and think to yourself "I could make that on my own with better wood, probably bigger, and put in some racks for wine glasses in an afternoon or two," then you're qualified to skip IKEA and head to Home Depot. You probably already know it.When you have access to better (or more functional) tools. You don't have to have a garage full of woodworking tools and tons of space to spread out to make your own desks, tables, nightstands, or other furniture. Reader zakany001 recently told me about the Kreg Jig, and once you have one and learn to use it, you can make just about anything IKEA can sell you on your own—he has the finished projects to prove it. You'll have to get your own wood, paint your own stuff, and measure/cut it yourself, but you'll end up with a better product. If you have access to real home improvement tools, you probably don't need to fiddle with allen wrenches and mismatched screws.When personalization and customization are key. IKEA is great for a lot of things, but fitting a specific space isn't one of them.
I can't tell you how many times I've measured a space where I want something and gone to IKEA to find out that similar objects to the one I want just don't come in that size or shape. Ultimately, if you need something specific to your home or your needs, you might be better off making it yourself, unless, like we mentioned, it's easily built from something else—even then, you may be spending more to hack something IKEA made than you'd spend building your own. Which brings us to the next point. When IKEA's prices don't match up with material costs. IKEA is known for great prices, and they say that's because you put everything together yourself, but there are some IKEA products that are very obviously more expensive than the value of the materials you get in the box. Some of IKEA's desks, kitchen storage systems, and other office furniture are prime examples of this. Take a look at this door stop monitor stand. At IKEA, it'll set you back $20. Now look at this shelf at Home Depot for $8.
You could get the same shelf—in different colors so it matches your desk—for less than half the price of the Ikea hacked version, and it comes with the benefit of not having to actually go to IKEA. It'll cost you less, use stronger materials, and be a perfect fit. Watch out for where IKEA marks up its items just because they can.When it needs to last, or you need to use a non-standard wood, metal, or other special material. Some materials you just won't find at IKEA. Solid or hard wood, heavy tempered glass, or stronger metals just aren't available. Part of it is because those materials are expensive, but part of it is because there's no reason for IKEA to make solid wood desks when they can make ten particle board desks for the same price and sell them to people who don't really care. If you have demanding tastes or needs, you might want to pick up a hammer (or find someone else who can help you).Some of the trouble with IKEA products isn't that they're overpriced or underwhelming as raw materials, but just that they're not practical for the application they're being used in.
For example, if you need a case for your Raspberry Pi, an IKEA PRUTA works, but is it really the best option? If that's what you want though, couldn't you use any tupperware container? Other examples are clearly great for the person who made the item, and we definitely applaud their creativity, but they still leave us scratching our heads as to why someone would do it in the first place.In any event, a good IKEA hack can turn a cheap, pre-made piece of furniture into something perfect for your needs, and save you the time and energy needed to build something. At the same time, doing so strips you of the ability to create something unique, control the materials, and really learn the ins and outs of DIY. Before you assume IKEA is a furniture hacker's haven, you should make sure it's the best place to make your specific idea come to life. Sometimes it's a windfall, but other times you should head to the hardware store, talk to an expert, and start from scratch.Photos by Timothy Krause, Robert, Christian Delbert.