Assembly—and patience—required

It probably won't surprise you, but when they assemble Ikea bookshelves, cabinets, bedroom furniture, and the like, men tend to plunge headlong into the project and end up having more problems putting together the Swedish retailer's products than women do, according to a company official.

"Men never look at the directions and have the most problems with construction because they always think they can do that," said Petra Hesser, the head of Ikea's German unit, in a December 8 report from news agency DPA. Hesser added that women are also more likely to carefully sort the parts and read the directions.

Our past reviews of ready-to-assemble (RTA) home furnishings have found
them generally to be easy to assemble and durable. Ease of assembly, instructions and fit and finish are key to our evaluations of RTA furniture and similar products like kitchen-cabinet and closet and garage organizers.

I spent most of the evening this past Sunday assembling an Ikea table and two chairs. Perhaps because my wife and our 4-year-old-daughter were involved, I read all the instructions—pictorial diagrams intended to be universally decipherable—but the process was still not as easy as it looked. After you read my story, post a comment below detailing your experiences, good or bad, putting together RTA products.

I've had mixed results with RTA from different companies. One time, a cabinet included shelf fasteners with burrs of metal sticking out from the edges. I had to file them smooth before reinserting them into their slots. (Note that my recent Ikea experience does not reflect Consumer Reports' testing or analysis.)

• The instructions (shown above) indicated that we needed two screwdrivers and an adjustable wrench.  My adjustable wrench could not fit in the table's tight corners, so I had to get my box-end wrench set. While I was gone, my daughter was able to tighten the nuts nearly all the way since her fingers are so small. Tools like box-end wrenches or deep sockets can make the assembly process easier in some cases.

• The front and rear legs of the chair had to be fastened with a hex-head bolt. The directions didn't indicate if the crosspieces had to be installed facing in any particular direction (shown right), and the predrilled holes on them didn't line up with the holes in the chair seat. I lost a few minutes taking apart the chair legs and reinstalling them so the holes lined up.

I'll admit that male stubbornness could "en-gender" mistakes or delays, but unclear instructions can also make the simplest jobs a challenge for anyone.

My daughter loves her new table and chairs, and they cost less than assembled furniture. Still, RTA-furniture makers should try to simplify assembly wherever possible.—Gian Trotta

Essential information: Read "Tools: 10 Essentials for Every Household" so you've got all the gear you need to assemble holiday gifts. Also check out our coverage of household glues and cordless drills, tool kits, and screwdrivers.

Comments

[Sylvain Lemire]

I personally love assembling Ikea's furniture. My wife has no interest in it at all.
I take all parts and put them neatly on the floor; I put all screws and other small parts in bowls. And I use a cordless drill every time I can. Also, even when not mandated, I use carpenter's glue to solidify everything. The pleasure I get from this must come from the years I spent helping my father build things in his workshop.

[MissMarnie]

I am definitely more likely to read the instructions fully, than my husband is. However, I find that both of us do better than either one of us alone. Some steps are easier or only possible with a second set of hands.

I also find that should something be slightly off (for instance, the pieces you mentioned, with the burrs) I am less likely to be comfortable trying to modify the pre-made pieces into submission whereas he'll sand, drill, replace or rig things in a way that would simply not have occurred to me.

[Jan Price]

I grew up helping my father, who was a carpenter, and I too love to put together new desks, new tables, and new office chairs. I even like the smell of fresh sawdust after a project is completed.
Thanks for the friendly article Gian.

[Govindan]

RTA or DIY is ideal for folks who have keen interest. I tried a stint with kitchen countertop and then had to ultimately seek professional help.

[Shazia]

great posting: thanks for sharing entry of Assembly.

[Bedroom Furniture]

assembling ikea furnitures is more like fun.. and to read the instruction is my part, according to my mom. its always kind of an enjoyment after i complete the set up of the furniture, especially bedroom furniture

[Umendra Singh]

Home improvements are basically adding or renovating things in your home.Sometimes there comes a time in every homeowner's life when they sit back and wonder just what could be done to improve the look and value of their home.you can make all your money back and hopefully a little more.