DIY Furniture Assembly can often be deceptive - put all together, a bookcase, dresser or table looks like it may only take 20 minutes to assemble, but the reality can be very surprising.
Here are 3 “Must Haves” in order to make the furniture building process less painful, (and maybe even enjoyable!)
Patience / Meticulousness
Space
Quiet / No Distractions
Let’s expand on each point and why it is paramount to your success
Patience and Meticulousness - DIY Furniture Assembly:
If you’re like me, you want to blast off the finish line and get right into it. But, “Slow and Steady Wins the Race”. It may seem counter-intuitive, but it will save you future aggravation by being patient, methodical and meticulous. Starting with unpacking and organizing, take the time to thoroughly read the parts list and any required tools needed for assembly. Locate the hardware (fasteners, screws, dowels, washers, cam locks, nails etc. and keep them nearby. (Place a towel to lay out your hardware so they’re easily located and don’t roll away and become lost, hampering your progress)
Review each step in the assembly instructions carefully, (with the steely determination of McGyver deciding if the red wire or blue wire deactivates the bomb in the next 10 seconds). Some of the larger pieces of furniture look almost identical except for hole placement. This is very crucial as you can be an hour in assembling the piece before the sinking disappointment of having to disassemble it again. IKEA furniture is very notorious as they do not label the furniture parts and the instructions are not always clear.
Space:
Next, you will need an open space to work. Generally, six feet by six feet suffices, but if you don’t have that luxury, you can keep many of the parts in the box until needed to be more efficient in space usage.
Quiet / No Distractions:
Furniture assembly is intricately details and tedious, and sometimes the most innocuous distraction can cause you to miss a step by accident. Like drawer rails have a left side and a right side (not to mention a top and bottom as well). It is very easy to mount the wrong rails, and depending on the amount of drawers the furniture piece has, this can really set you back an hour’s worth of work. Quarantine yourself from others and set your phone to “Do Not Disturb”. Putting on some soothing background music stimulates your brain, promotes concentration, is calming and distracts from monotony. Make it an event for only yourself.
If all else fails, your friendly local handyman, Ed of GottaGuy Services, is available by phone/text at (707) 347-9596
(Serving Petaluma, Penngrove, Santa Rosa, Sonoma, San Rafael, Novato, Rohnert Park, Cotati & Healdsburg)
Wishing you success in your project!
Comments