Assembling Items By Yourself.

Remy

Remy

Well-known Member
Location
California, USA
I like this folding bookcase. But it doesn't just come folded. It has to be assembled. I could really use some more book storage.
Winsome Wood Mission 3-Section Foldable Shelf, Natural Finish - Walmart.com

I bought something similar to this a couple of years ago and put it on top of a console. This is not the exact item. I can't find the one I got but I know it was from Target. Mine has an open back. I was almost in tears assembling it, but I got it done.
Emma And Oliver Wooden School Classroom Storage Cabinet For Commercial Or Home Use : Target

I'm not sure I want to go through tears again. There are some that are fully assembled and fold, but not as nice as this one. Anyone else hate the assembly process, especially on your own?
 

Absolutely I do... My husband always assembled everything... and he 'd do it with better things than those which come with the package. Better glue, better screws, better joints.. etc..
Now I'm on my own, I look at furniture I want to buy and could scream when even very expensive pieces need self assembly.. I'm just not up to doing it... and then of course you have to lift it into the place you need it..like assembling a chest of drawer downstairs, or a book case, then you have to struggle to lift the thing to get it upstairs.. another impossibility..

There's a very few items which are already assembled, but the prices are much higher, and really there's little choice in styles etc.
 
It's the truth @hollydolly If I ever move, I'd be open to getting a new bookcase delivered from the store. Not here. And I have a spot that will hold that bookcase. I'm still thinking about it before it sells out. Or a corner or smaller or less nice assembled folding one.
 

My son bought a wardrobe from Ikea. He took all the measurements with him and picked the one he wanted. The saleswoman took all his details down and said for him to go to the warehouse to pick it up. He struggled with the size of it and eventually drove home. He proceeded to assemble it in the bedroom. As he lifted it up, he discovered that it was too tall. He read the dimensions on the box only to discover they gave him the wrong order. He was fuming as he had to take it apart and take it back to get another one. Typical of Ikea because other items I have bought there is always something missing usually screws, always an odd number.
 
Oh no @oscash That's so upsetting. There are actually running jokes about Ikea assembly. I've been to one once, in the San Francisco bay area. I didn't buy anything. Assembly is scary.
 
I have assembled several things since retirement. It's not one of my favorite jobs but I can ususally deal with it OK. However, today I tried adding a speaker to my TV and ended up totally frustrated. I had to put that away and will try another day.
 
Recently, I assembled my computer table and the computer chair I ordered online. Honestly, tearing down the boxes they came in were more trouble than the instructions. I like the satisfaction of being able to complete a project I've not tackled before.
 
A few IKEA jokes I found floating around:

They don’t have Ikea stores in the USSR. They have OURkea.

What are the stores called that sell fake Ikea replicas? LIKEA.

The Ikea owner died, and his funeral was delayed. They couldn’t figure out how to put his casket together.

What does a person obsessed with Ikea suffer from? Stock-home syndrome.

Don't ask me why your Ikea furniture isn’t holding up. You only have your shelf to blame.

Going into a teenager’s room is the same as going to Ikea. You go in just to see what’s new and come out with 10 plates, three cups, and a pair of socks.

There is a mysterious crime spree going on at our local Ikea. The cops are having a hard time putting the pieces together.

Anyone wants to hear me make an Ikea joke? Sorry, you’ll have to make it yourself.

I bought a shelf at Ikea. Took me all day to put the Fjälkinge thing together.

Apparently one out of every 10 Europeans were conceived on an Ikea bed. Which is crazy when you consider how well lit those places are.

I went to one of those escape rooms and got out in three hours. It’s called Ikea.

In Sweden, the CEO of Ikea was just elected president. He should have his cabinet together by the end of the month.

I heard you can get lawyers at Ikea now. They’re very affordable, but you have to build your own case.
 
oscash said:
My son bought a wardrobe from Ikea. He took all the measurements with him and picked the one he wanted. The saleswoman took all his details down and said for him to go to the warehouse to pick it up. He struggled with the size of it and eventually drove home. He proceeded to assemble it in the bedroom. As he lifted it up, he discovered that it was too tall. He read the dimensions on the box only to discover they gave him the wrong order. He was fuming as he had to take it apart and take it back to get another one. Typical of Ikea because other items I have bought there is always something missing usually screws, always an odd number.
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Saw a joke on the internet about Ikea. The Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad dies at 91. His funeral has been postponed until his family get the screw that wasn't included with his Koffin Product.
 
Geezer Garage said:
Step one: throw away the directions. Not a big fan of ikea. Cheap junk as far as I can see, but the young folks seem to love it.
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It's not junk.. tbf... it really isn't. Of course it's not quality furniture , but it's well made, and stands the test of time if assembled correctly.

Many years ago... probably 40 years ago, I bought a Wall unit.. which was laminated wood..this type of thing..
il_340x270.4930429077_pbk6.jpg
..well my father took one look at it, and announced it was garbage, and made of compressed sawdust and one morning I would come downstairs and find a pile of sawdust instead of the unit. Well of course he was wrong and some of the wall units, are selling for up to £1000 on online Auction sites 40 years on... and this is precisely what people say about Ikea. The old adage about finding not enough screws, or holes in wrong places.. is just that, it's a Myth... it might have been the case when they started out decades ago, but it's not the case now.

My whole Office room is furnished with Ikea units...
Office-room-7.jpg
and behind my chair where I'm sitting right now, are also 2 large Ikea 6 drawer chest of drawers.. and they're in use every day, and have been for years and there's not a mark on them...
 
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Doesn’t IKEA have an optional, for a price, pre assembly plan.

If not, I’d look for furniture on Marketplace or similar.

An ex SIL who was a very competent carpenter ordered from Wayfair. Hours later he was still working on it.

A penny saved, isn’t always worth it.
 
Jules said:
Doesn’t IKEA have an optional, for a price, pre assembly plan.

If not, I’d look for furniture on Marketplace or similar.

An ex SIL who was a very competent carpenter ordered from Wayfair. Hours later he was still working on it.

A penny saved, isn’t always worth it.
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A friend of my Wife's younger son has a sideline business. He assembles IKEA products for people who can't read directions well. He is busy every week end. Cash only. JImB.
 
I have assembled several things like my computer chair (though Sonny had to go over it for me as I didn't get some things exactly right), the slider shelves that go between the refrigerator and cupboards, my shower chair (when I first moved here) and before I moved here I assembled the a-frame cage for Rabbit. I can usually figure it out (if the directions are right) but having the strength to do some things is whole other story (like putting the new caster wheels on my mobility chair or putting the new batteries in it).
 
jimintoronto said:
A friend of my Wife's younger son has a sideline business. He assembles IKEA products for people who can't read directions well. He is busy every week end. Cash only. JImB.
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of course 'not being able to read directions well'' is only a part of the problem. People who have disabilities.. those who have arthritis in their hands.. people who don't have the physical strength ot build a wardrobe or a chest of drawers. The pieces in Ikea furniture are substantial and heavy.

Another example is not just building the unit itself.. when my husband built the units in my office room he had to cut a piece out of the bottom of the cupboards to fit over the high skirting board so the units fit flush against the wall.. all those things are difficult for most people..

Ikea do provide an assembly service, however it costs almost as much if not as much as the item.. and.. they assemble it as someone would who have no real skills... IE..they use the supplied glue and dowels etc.. whereas my husband used much better quality fittings and fixtures
 
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In this era unlike decades ago, products from larger companies almost always have all the right parts because companies design their shipping processes to make mistakes getting parts into boxes by employees impossible.

Thus usual problems in assembly are due to people that are too impatient to carefully read directions or those that are easily confused by simple language instructions because they have poor English reading and comprehension skills. Sign of the times, that our world is full of incompetent people despite supposed school education.

Similar issues with electronic products requiring settings set up. One of my primary tasks was often writing clear instructions for other techs to carefully follow and reviewing product documentation.

What is more often a problem, especially with products produced overseas, are complex instructions written by foreigners that communicate in English much more poorly than they think they are. Even many strong tech persons that are not native English speakers, have poor skills writing clear instructions or trying to explain whatever.
 
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