Do-it-yourself:
Assemble Furniture

Many of us might shy away if asked to assemble furniture ourselves. I for one, had never assembled furniture in my home country. Furniture was either bought pre-assembled, or was assembled by the installers.

But America does have a strong 'Do-It-Yourself' (DIY) culture. It is not uncommon for retail stores to keep and sell unassembled furniture, decorations, even window blinds. It is expected you would install them on your own. This keeps everyone's costs low - not just by saving on the service but by enabling the furniture to be packed in smaller, regular-shaped boxes for easier transportation.

Here are some pointers on that front:

• Do not shy away from buying unassembled furniture, unless its absolutely not your cup of tea. You always have the option of getting the store to assemble things for you at your home, but the charges are extra, and usually high. It is often not worth it (a $200 chair might cost you an extra $100 for installation.)


• All unassembled furniture comes with simple-to-understand instructions. You are never left to do things on your own. If, by any chance, you lose the instruction sheet, instructions are typically available on the store's website as well.


• Most of the furniture is modular and pre-cut. The so-called 'assembly' is usually no more than snapping things into place or turning a few screws. You never really need to do 'hard labor'. Sometimes drilling is required, but nothing more advanced than that.


• Its a good idea to buy and keep some basic tools at home. These are easily available at DIY stores like Lowe's or Home Depot. A hammer, drill, screwdriver, wrench are usually all you would ever need. In fact, you even get bundled tool kits, which have most common tools included. I would also recommend you buy a small ladder.

Still don't think you can do it? Well, I had never,ever done any kind of heavy tooling work in my home country. And have yet managed to assemble most of the furniture in my home. Trust me, if I can do it, you can too!

Return from Assemble Furniture to the Small Things main page