DIY GUIDE · HOME REPAIRS & HANDYMAN · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to assemble flat-pack furniture yourself
An hour for a bedside unit, most of a day for a wardrobe. £10–£45 in tools and wall fixings.
Sort, read, build loose, square, lock, then anchor anything tall — the order that makes flat-pack stand straight.
- Every step, start to finish
- Checked October 2026 — sources at the end
- Honest about when to call a pro
FIRST, THE HONEST ANSWER
Do it yourself, or get a handymen?
Do it yourself if…
- The pieces are a size two people can lift and turn in the room where the unit will stand
- You have a clear floor the size of the largest panel, plus a margin
- You will read the instructions through once before starting
- You can fix tall units to the wall, or have someone who can
Get a pro if…
- A wardrobe or tall unit that needs two people to stand up and you are on your own
- Fitted or sliding-door wardrobes that need scribing to walls and floors that are not square
- A wall you cannot find a fixing in for the anti-tip strap, such as plasterboard with no stud nearby
- Many units at once in a tight move-in deadline
Safety first
- Anchor every tall unit and every chest of drawers to the wall. The makers' own instructions warn that children have died from furniture tipping over.
- Lift the large pieces with a second person, close to the body. HSE's lifting filter puts the guide figure for a close lift at 25 kg for men and 16 kg for women, and a wardrobe side panel is awkward long before that.
- Find cables and pipes before drilling for the anti-tip strap, and keep out of the bands above and beside sockets and switches.
- Do not stand on the flat-pack or the box to reach anything; use a step-ladder.
- Keep small fittings away from young children; cam locks and dowels are a choking size.
| MATERIAL | COVERAGE | FOR THIS JOB |
|---|---|---|
| Wall fixings for the anti-tip strap | Plugs and screws for masonry, wood screws into a stud, or cavity fixings for plasterboard | Two per strap |
| Wood glue | Only where the instructions show it, usually on dowels | A small bottle |
| Felt pads | Under the feet on hard floors | One set |
Is it square?
Measure the carcase corner to corner both ways across the back. If the two diagonals are equal, it is square. A wardrobe back measuring 2,105 mm one way and 2,095 mm the other is 10 mm out of square: push the long diagonal's corners towards each other until both read 2,100 mm, then fix the back panel.
Square the carcase before the back panel goes on; the back panel then holds it square for good.
Cam locks and the small screws into chipboard want a hand screwdriver, or a powered driver on its lowest clutch setting. Chipboard threads strip in an instant under a full-power drill, and a stripped hole never holds as well again. A small cordless screwdriver with a torque setting is the right power tool; a combi drill is not.
The booklet is drawings only, and the drawing for step twelve often explains why a panel in step three faces the way it does. Read it end to end, note where it shows two people, and note any step that needs the unit lying on its back or its front. Check the parts list against what is in the box before you touch a screw.
Wooden dowels locate the panels and take the shear; the round cam lock pulls a bolt into the next panel and holds it tight. They only pull square if the panels are already square. Build the carcase with dowels and cam bolts in place but the cams loose, square it with the back panel or a tape, then turn the cams.
Most tall units and chests come with a strap or bracket for the wall but no wall fixing, because the right fixing depends on the wall. One maker's instructions say to always install the anti-tip device, never to put a TV on a chest of drawers, and never to let children climb on drawers or shelves. The government's product safety advice also says tall, heavy pieces belong fixed to a wall.
Solid masonry takes a plug and screw. Timber studs take a wood screw into the stud centre. Plasterboard between studs takes a metal cavity fixing or a spring toggle; one maker gives 100 mm as the minimum distance between toggles and from an edge. Use a detector before drilling, and keep clear of the bands above and beside sockets and switches.
THE PART THAT DECIDES THE FINISH
Before you start — the kit and the space
Set the room up first. These are the starting conditions to check; the build is the quick part once they are right.
A clear, protected floor
You need room for the biggest panel lying flat and space to walk round it.
- Build in the room where the unit will stand, so you never carry the finished piece through a door
- Lay the flattened box or a blanket down as a work surface
- Clear an area the size of the largest panel plus a margin on every side
- Keep a tray for the fittings so nothing rolls under the bed
The parts, counted
Every panel and every bag of fittings against the parts list.
- Unpack everything and lay the panels out by their part letter or number
- Empty each bag of fittings into its own compartment or cup and label it
- Count every fitting against the list; a missing cam bolt is easier to find now
- Put the packaging aside, flattened, for recycling at the end
The instructions, read through
The whole booklet, before the first screw.
- Read every step, noting where two people are shown
- Mark any step where the unit is laid on its front or back
- Look for the step where drawer runners or hinges go on; they often go on before the carcase is closed
- Note the fittings that look alike — short and long screws, two lengths of cam bolt
Which way a panel faces
Chipboard panels have a finished edge, a raw edge and a pattern of holes.
- Match each panel to the drawing by its pre-drilled holes, not its shape
- Find the finished edge; it faces out or to the front in almost every unit
- Check which face has the cam recesses before you fit dowels
- Mark the front of each panel with a strip of masking tape
The wall for the anti-tip strap
Tall units and chests of drawers are fixed to the wall at the end.
- Knock on the wall: solid masonry, plasterboard on studs, or plasterboard on dabs
- Find the studs, cables and pipes with a detector where the strap will meet the wall
- Buy fixings for that wall; the kit does not include them
- Check skirting depth so the unit can sit square against the wall
Two people for the tall ones
Wardrobes, bookcases and tall cabinets.
- Measure the room height and the unit's diagonal before standing it up; a tall unit can hit the ceiling as it tips upright
- Arrange a helper for the lift and the turn
- Plan where it stands up and where it then slides to
- Keep children and pets out of the room until it is fixed
THE JOB
How to assemble flat-pack furniture, in order
Set up the room and unpack
20 minClear and protect the floor, and unpack every panel onto the blanket or the flattened box, laying them out by part number. Empty the fitting bags into labelled cups or a tray. Read the starting checks above. Do not throw any packaging away until the unit is built, in case a small bag of fittings is taped inside a sheet of cardboard.
- Work in the room the unit is for, with the door clear
- Keep a strong light on the work; part letters are small
- Stack the panels you will use last at the back
Mistake to avoid: Building on a hard floor without protection. The first panel slid across the tiles is the one with the scratch.
Count the fittings and read the booklet
20 minCount every fitting against the parts list and check you have the panels shown. Then read the instructions through, end to end. Mark the steps that need two people and any step where the unit lies on its front. Notice which lookalike screws and cam bolts go where. If anything is missing or damaged, stop and get the part before you begin.
- Lay one of each fitting on the parts-list page to identify them
- Put the long and short screws in separate cups
- Note the step where the back panel goes on; everything before it is built loose
Mistake to avoid: Starting at step one with the fittings in a heap. Half an hour later a long screw is in a short screw's hole and has come out through the face of the panel.
Fit the dowels, cam bolts and runners
30 minPush the wooden dowels into their holes by hand and tap them home with the mallet; a drop of glue only if the instructions show it. Screw the cam bolts into their holes by hand until their shoulders sit at the depth shown, not tight against the panel. Fit drawer runners, hinge plates and shelf-pin sockets now, while the panels are flat, if the drawings show them going on before assembly.
- Cam bolts screwed in too far will not reach the cam; too little and they wobble
- Check each runner is the right way round; left and right runners look alike
- Screw into chipboard by hand at the end, stopping as soon as the screw is snug
Mistake to avoid: Driving cam bolts or screws into chipboard with a full-power drill. The thread strips the hole, and the fitting never grips again.
Assemble the carcase loosely
30 minJoin the panels as the drawings show — usually the base and top to one side, then the second side. Seat each dowel and cam bolt in its hole, push the cams in with their arrows pointing to the bolt, and turn each one only far enough to catch. Keep everything a little loose so the panels can shift. Lay the carcase on its front or back on the blanket if the drawings show it.
- Tap panels together with the mallet on a scrap of wood, never on the finished face
- If two panels will not meet, look for a dowel in the wrong hole before you push harder
- Fit any fixed shelves that hold the sides together at this stage
Mistake to avoid: Tightening each cam fully as you go. The first corners pull tight out of square, and the last panel will not line up.
Square it, then lock the cams
15 minWith the carcase on its front, measure the two diagonals across the back, corner to corner. If they differ, push the corners of the longer diagonal towards each other until they match. Then turn each cam firmly clockwise until it pulls tight — about a half turn after it starts to bite. Check the diagonals again.
- Turn the cams until firm, not until the plastic cracks
- Check the front edges are flush at each corner as you tighten
- Lock the cams in the order the drawings show, if they give one
Mistake to avoid: Locking the cams before measuring the diagonals. The unit is then permanently out of square and the doors will never line up.
Fit the back panel
20 minWith the carcase square, lay the thin back panel into its rebate or onto the back edges, finished face inwards. Fix it with the small nails or screws at the spacing shown, starting at one corner and working along one side, then across, checking the diagonals as you go. A back panel fixed to a square carcase is what keeps the unit square for its whole life.
- Nail straight, not at an angle, or the nail comes out through the side panel
- On a two-piece back, fit the joining strip the drawings show
- Measure the diagonals once more before the last side is fixed
Mistake to avoid: Nailing the back panel on a carcase that is out of square. The back then locks the lean in for good.
Stand it up — with help — and position it
15 minWith a helper, lift the unit upright, taking care at the top: a tall unit's diagonal is longer than its height, and it can catch the ceiling as it swings up. Walk it to its place without dragging it on its feet. Check it with a level and pack under a foot if the floor slopes. If it will sit against a skirting, check it still sits square to the wall.
- Lift with the unit close to your body, legs bent, back straight
- Stand a tall unit up in the middle of the room, where its top clears the ceiling, then move it
- Fit felt pads under the feet on hard floors
Mistake to avoid: Tipping a wardrobe upright against the wall where it will stand. Its top corner meets the ceiling before it is vertical and a panel cracks.
Fix the anti-tip strap to the wall
20 minMark where the strap or bracket meets the wall. Run the detector over that spot and keep out of the cable bands above and beside sockets and switches. Drill and fix with the fixing your wall needs: plug and screw in masonry, a wood screw into a stud, or a metal cavity fixing in plasterboard. Fix the other end to the top of the unit as the drawings show, then pull the unit forward gently to check the strap holds it.
- Fit the strap before you put anything in the unit
- Use both straps where two are supplied
- If you cannot find a fixing in the wall, do not use the unit in a child's room until it is anchored
Mistake to avoid: Leaving a chest of drawers free-standing because it feels heavy enough. With the drawers pulled out, it tips with a child's weight.
Doors, drawers and adjustment
30 minHang the doors on their hinge plates and fit the drawers onto their runners. Adjust each hinge with its screws — usually one for side-to-side and one for in-and-out — until the gaps between doors are even and the doors close flush. Check the drawers run smoothly and the interlock, where there is one, stops two opening at once. Then load the unit, heaviest items in the lowest drawers and shelves.
- Adjust hinges a quarter turn at a time
- Do not remove a drawer interlock; one maker calls it an important stability and safety system
- Never put a TV on a chest of drawers
Mistake to avoid: Filling the top drawers first. Weight high up is exactly what tips a chest over when a drawer is pulled.
The mistakes that ruin flat-pack
- Tightening the cam locks before the carcase is square
- Driving screws into chipboard with a full-power drill
- Fitting the back panel to a carcase that leans
- Leaving tall units and chests of drawers unanchored
Stop here and get a flat-pack assembler
- A tall unit needs two people to stand up and you have no helper
- You cannot find a wall fixing for the anti-tip strap
- A fitted or sliding-door wardrobe needs scribing to walls and floors that are out of true
- A panel is damaged or the carcase will not square up
| WHAT YOU SEE | WHY, AND THE FIX |
|---|---|
| Flat-pack wardrobe doors not lining up | The carcase is out of square or the hinges need adjusting. Check the diagonals; if they differ, loosen the back, square it and refix. Then adjust each hinge a quarter turn at a time. |
| Cam lock spinning and not tightening | The cam bolt is too short in its hole or the cam is turned the wrong way. Wind the bolt out to the depth shown and turn the cam until it catches. |
| Screw hole stripped in chipboard | Overtightened, often with a drill. Fill the hole with a wood dowel and glue, let it set, then redrill a small pilot and screw by hand. |
| Drawer sticking or dropping | Runner fitted the wrong way round or not level. Check left and right runners and that they sit on the line of holes shown. |
| Unit wobbles | An uneven floor, or the carcase is twisted. Pack under a foot, then check the back panel is fixed all round. |
| Panel split at a dowel | The dowel was driven into a hole without lining up, or with too much glue. Glue and clamp a split while the glue is wet; a broken panel needs a replacement part. |
| Back panel bowing out | Nails missed the edge of the carcase. Pull them, refix along the edge line, and check the carcase is square. |
| Unit tilts forward when a drawer opens | It is not anchored. Fix the anti-tip strap to the wall before using it, and keep heavy items low. |
WHAT YOU SAVE
What it costs to do it yourself
| Screwdriver set | £14–£22 |
|---|---|
| Hex key set | £4–£8 |
| Rubber mallet | £6–£8 |
| Wall fixings for the anti-tip strap | £2–£13 |
| Total, tools and fixings | £10–£45 |
| DIY total | £10–£45 |
Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.
Once you own the tools, each further unit costs nothing but the wall fixings. An assembler's price is for speed, the lift and the anchoring.
RATHER NOT?
Flat-pack assemblers near you, with prices shown
The ones who cover your area, nearest first, with one score from every review. No account needed to look.
Or post the job free and let them come to you.
Cam locks ease as the chipboard settles. Give each one a gentle extra turn and check the hinges and the strap.
Tape them in a bag inside the unit. You will want them when you move it.
Flatten the cardboard for your council recycling collection. Polystyrene and large amounts go to the household waste recycling centre.
Put the hex keys and spare fittings in one labelled box with the screwdriver set.
Assembling flat-pack furniture: questions people ask
About an hour for a small bedside unit and most of a day for a large wardrobe, with a third of that spent unpacking, sorting and reading.
Yes, for tall units and chests of drawers. The makers warn that children have died from furniture tipping over, and the government's product safety advice says tall, heavy pieces belong fixed to a wall.
Usually the carcase is out of square. Check the diagonals across the back; square it, refix the back panel, then adjust the hinges.
A low-power screwdriver on its lowest clutch setting, yes. A full-power drill strips the threads in chipboard.
Ones that suit your wall: plug and screw in masonry, a wood screw into a stud, a metal cavity fixing in plasterboard. The kit does not include them.
On the Locufy UK price guide flat-pack assembly costs £40–£120 per item, typically £70. Wardrobes sit at the top.
MORE GUIDES
More DIY guides
Sources — checked October 2026
- IKEA — chest of drawers assembly instructions: tip-over warning, anti-tip device, drawer interlock
- Rawlplug — SPO spring toggle for plasterboard, product data (100 mm spacing and edge distance)
- HSE — manual handling at work, a brief guide (INDG143): the lifting risk filter
- GOV.UK — consumer products: staying safe (heavy furniture attached to the wall)
- GOV.UK — recycling collections from your council
- GOV.UK — dispose of household waste
- Wickes — screwdriver sets, price check October 2026
- Wickes — hex key sets, price check October 2026
- Wickes — rubber mallets, price check October 2026
- Wickes — plasterboard fixings, price check October 2026