Flat Pack Furniture Assembly Cost

Want to know how much flat pack assembly will cost?

If you need a flat pack wardrobe, table or bed assembling, or any other piece of flat pack furniture, you can find the average assembly prices in this complete guide.

On average, you can expect to pay anywhere between £50 and £100 to complete tasks such as this.

Are you in need of a quote?

Then look no further! We have a wide range of local flat pack assemblers ready to offer you a free quote!

Check out the guide below for all the flat pack furniture assembly cost details!

How Much Does Flat Pack Furniture Assembly Cost?

As always, the price you can expect to pay is dependent on the work involved and how long it will take. For example, the assembly of a small bookcase is likely to be a lot cheaper than a fully constructed wardrobe with built-in shelves and drawers.

• Generally speaking, most tradespeople will charge around £20 per hour, and this typically is per person.
• A double bed may take one person two hours to build, totalling £40 for the work, whereas two people could do it within the hour, each getting £20 - also bringing the total to £40.
• London and South East area can be much higher with an initial 30 minutes costing £50.
• After the first hour, most companies charge every 15 minutes, or sometimes for a fixed price per item.

With much smaller items such as a bedside cabinet, a dining chair or basic storage unit, the average charge is likely to be £10 per 30 minutes. Still, a lot of tradespeople will charge for the first hour to make it worth their while - £25 as the initial cost tends to be the average.

Larger items such as a TV stand, floor-to-ceiling wall unit or dining set will need an additional person and will take much longer.

Flat Pack Furniture Assembly Prices

Additional Costs

Assembly specialists will have an idea on how long it will take to complete a job, with the odd exception when it may go over the allotted time, as mentioned earlier.

There can be other costs involved that aren't included in the price. Anything from parking fees to congestion charges costs if located in London, a tradesperson should be able to advise of any additional costs. Still, it is your responsibility to inform them whether they may need to pay for parking or whether you expect them to dismantle and dispose of existing furnishings.

Other costs to factor in could be additional materials not supplied with the flat pack furniture. For example, when the flat pack furniture provider does not include the fixings to mount a bookcase to the wall such as raw plugs or anchor bolts.

Any additional screws or raw plugs may be included as part of the cost, but with some anchor bolts, these may cost up to £12 for a pack of five - sufficient for the bookcase example.

Supply Costs Only

Flat pack furniture is synonymous with Ikea as the brand offers affordable designs that look good in any home. The practicality of picking up an item and carrying it home in your vehicle cuts down delivery costs, and the time you may have to wait for it to arrive.

If you have an Ikea store nearby, there are many items you can take home with you the same day, though larger items will need to go in a suitable size vehicle or arranged with their in-store delivery service.

With Ikea flat pack furniture you are offered fixed pricing that depends on your location (usually if it is within 20 miles of a store) and the size/weight on an item. There isn't a set size or weight but as a rule of thumb:

• Items that can be handled by a single driver and fit in a standard delivery van cost £3.95.
• All bulkier items such as beds, bookcases and simple tabletops (due to the size and weight) cost between £29 - £39, depending on if you are within a certain radius of the store.
• For same day/next day delivery, which includes picking from stock, expect to pay £43 - £53, again, depending on how far you are from the store.

While Ikea has the upper hand on flexibility and lower prices, many other stores offer the same flat pack furniture service. High street names include Argos, Homebase and The Range to name a few, plus independent dealers and online auction sites that calculate their items based on size and weight, similar to Ikea.

They all mainly use the same delivery providers as well, so prices tend to be the same.

Taking into account these well-known brands, what can you expect to pay for the furnishings mentioned earlier?

Depending on where you purchase, the prices can differ based on the brand, quality of material and the store's buying power and whether they can offer consumers further discounts, but below is a table on the average price for each one.

Labour Costs and Timescales

As most jobs can be completed either by one or two people in a short space of time, labour costs are typically charged per hour rather than a day rate. Some tradespeople may offer a discount if assembling multiple items and that will depend on the company. Assemblers will be able to complete the job in the set time, but charge per 15 minutes if they go over time.

• Average booking cost is £25.
• The average hourly rate is £20 an hour.
• Most tradespeople can complete the job within the allotted time, but additional time costs around £10-£15 per 15 minutes on average.

Most flat pack furniture takes 1-3 hours on average to assemble. However, for larger items such as a large TV unit, wardrobe with sliding doors or even a trampoline, an additional person is required to assist with heavy lifting, supporting a component while the other assembles, or simply to speed up the build time and potentially reduce the overall cost.

Using a wardrobe with sliding doors as an example, the frame can be built reasonably quickly; often, the doors are much more cumbersome than standard doors and impractical for an individual to do on their own. Also, sliding doors need to be affixed correctly with one supporting while the other lines them up.

• Though most flat pack designs are simple, they often come in multiple packages, i.e. the fixings and support may be separate to the doors or inner components.
• Outdoor furniture can be affected by the weather. While they can't manipulate the wind and rain, a second tradesperson can ensure parts are stable in assembly as well as protected from the elements.
• A second person can speed up the process; sometimes this can save money, other times just the duration as most jobs are paid by the hour, per person.

Find Tradespeople, compare up to 3 quotes!

It's FREE and there are no obligations

Get started

Cost Factors of Assembling Flat Pack Furniture

Minimum Fee

The costs you can expect to pay are apparent when it comes to the hourly rate. While a tradesperson could build a bedside cabinet in less than 30 minutes and the average cost is £10 for that time, you shouldn't expect the overall cost for the service be £10.

For smaller companies or individuals, they may charge a set fee for 30 minutes, and that's all-inclusive, though it might not cost £10 - that's just the average. Some independent firms will charge £20, but the majority will have a booking fee unless the work is a guaranteed amount such as a wardrobe build that take 2 hours plus.

• £25 appears to be the standard booking fee across the UK.
• In some London areas, some companies will charge £60 for the same amount of time.
• Not all booking fees are inclusive of VAT, so check with the tradesperson.

Charges for Excess Mileage

This is entirely down to location and how far the contractor has to travel, but if they are assembling flat pack furniture on-site at your home, why would there be excess mileage?

• You are out of their catchment area.
• Your property is located in a rural area that is difficult to get to.
• You have instructed the tradesperson to purchase the furniture on your behalf as you do not have the means to collect or arrange delivery.
• If based in London, they may include the Congestion Charge (currently £11.50 per day) as part of their mileage expenses.
• Any parking costs in a residential area, or if the store they obtain the furniture has a parking charge.

Size of Flat Pack

This should only matter if the tradesperson is collecting the goods on your behalf as they may need to hire a larger vehicle.

• The average cost of for van hire is £50-£60, which should include two movers.
• You will need to include money for parking charges at the store if applicable, and whether the van can offload outside your home without incurring any fees.

Alternatively, if the size of the flat pack has already been delivered but is too large or heavy for one person, you may need to hire a second person, as indicated below.

Type of Furniture

The type of furniture is as touched upon earlier and relates more to the size and weight of the flat pack furniture.

Children's equipment for outdoors such as a swing or slide will need a second person to support the structure as this furniture tends to be higher than conventional furnishings found indoors.

There aren't any hazardous materials that the assemblers need to work with other than perhaps outdoor furniture such as a barbeque if equipped with gas.

Mostly flat pack material will be built from wood, plastics and soft furnishings and should not pose any additional charges other than labour costs as a second person will be required for larger items.

How Many Tradespeople Are Needed to Assemble the Furniture?

For most jobs, one person is enough to build indoor flat pack furniture. They should be capable of making anything from a bedside cabinet, baby cot or even a simple wardrobe with enough skill and efficiency.

However, the task will be completed faster with an additional person, and this does not necessarily cost more as most jobs invoice by the hour.

For more complex wardrobes such as Ikea's PAX system, many contractors individually list it in terms of duration as these tend to take longer to do due to sliding doors and inner compartments.

Other than the safety factor of having a partner being able to hold the doors or frames in place while they are assembled, one person can work on the structure, while the other builds the drawers.

• The average hourly rate per person is £20.

As touched upon before, the hourly rate remains the same per person on average. While you won't necessarily save money (depending on whether the company charge per 30 minutes, hourly rate or a set fee per item), the job is usually completed a lot swifter, plus there's a second eye on the craftmanship.

Assembly Time Frames

On average, a typical flat pack furniture assembly will take within the region of 1-3 hours, where the shortest jobs such as building a chair can take as little as 15 minutes, though likely to have a minimum booking fee that charges more than that.

Most assemblers will list complicated wardrobes as the furniture that usually takes the longest. This can be defined by the sheer weight and size of the units as they are often a two-person job and additional time is required to install runners and ensure that the doors slide safely and efficiently when in place.

With everyday wardrobes, depending on the material and the size, i.e. a large oak wardrobe with door width may not be too great, but possibly too cumbersome for one person to complete.

A wardrobe of this type would still take on average about an hour to assemble, but due to the weight, the second pair of hands could half the time of the build. Again, anything shy of the set fees may incur a minimum booking/installation fee, so it's worth checking with the tradesperson beforehand.

Number of Flat Packs

Another factor that shouldn't affect the price, other than whether a further person is needed or not. There are several reasons why there could be multiple flat packs.

It could be due to the weight of all parts not being realistic for an individual to carry, so they are split or separating components to protect specific parts. For example, a TV unit may be relatively small when assembled but packaged into three separate boxes: one for the mainframe, the second for doors or a glass top, and the third for legs, fixings and screws.

Below is an example on Ikea's prices for flat packs:

• Standard items that can be carried by an individual and small enough to fit in a standard van cost £3.95.
• Larger, heavier items are priced as a unit and not per pack £29 - £39 is the standard cost for this service.

Some parts may be too heavy to display on the shop floor, and places like Ikea will advise that the flat pack might not be suitable for your vehicle. In this case, you may incur the cost to have this delivered separately. The price is based on the size and weight of the overall package, not the number of flat packs.

Preparation for Flat Pack Furniture Assembling

One of the first steps in preparing for your flat pack furniture assembly is ensuring there is an area where the contractor can work safely and efficiently. They will need to work in the same room as where the furniture is being installed.

Still, if that's not an option, you will need to provide a space where they can work and successfully assemble your furniture and ensure there are no interruptions from people walking past such as children or even pets.

If for example, they have to build the furniture on a different floor, think about whether they have sufficient space to be able to carry the equipment to the next location.

Additionally, while the furniture might have been straightforward for them to take on their own, covering a flight of stairs may incur additional costs - do you need to hire a second person?

• The cost of a second person? You'll be looking at an average of £20 per hour.

There aren't any special tools required for most jobs, but you may need to consider whether the walls are safe to mount furniture such as a tall standing bookcase, without it toppling down.

The assembler can advise on this but discuss this option beforehand as while they may be experienced in building furniture, assessing your walls might be out of their comfort zone.

If they do assess it as safe you may want to wallpaper your wall before the mounting goes up as it adds a nice feature wall behind your furniture and it would be easier than decorating after the installation.

Another thing to consider as preparation for your new furniture would be to paint your bedroom before you put your new furniture in. This would mean you wouldn't need to decorate at a later date and risk damaging your new furniture.

Things to look out for:

• Do you need additional fittings to affix the furniture to the wall? Expect to pay anything from £2 - £12 for raw plugs to anchor bolts.
• If drilling is required, are the points free from wires and pipes? Specialist tools can cost upward of £80 for a universal wall detector, so it's recommended to ask if the contractor can check for this.

What type of preparation will someone need to do before a trader turns up or before DIY? Explain if any wall drilling is expected, to check if it’s safe to do so (check for water pipes, electrical wires). Make sure there’s enough space in the assembling area. Try to keep pets and children out the way for safety

Ask a Trade

Got a question that only a tradesperson can answer? We have thousands of trades ready to answer any question you may have.

Ask your question

What's Involved in Assembling Flat Pack Furniture?

Assuming you have picked out the furniture, had it delivered or made your arrangements, once you have cleared the space ready for assembly and have your appointment booked, these are the steps for the most common furniture.

Wardrobes

Wardrobes are fundamentally the same in terms of design: you have an outer frame, depending on the quality a hard or soft backing and doors that open out or slide along.

• The frame of the wardrobe is built first; the base, top, plus the sides.
• Depending on the size, inner shelves are inserted and secured along with the rail for hanging clothes, offering further rigidity.
• Once the frame and inner components are installed, the structure is laid on its front, and the back is firmly secured either through pins or screwed in place.
• Finally, doors are attached via the hinges and hung into place, or if sliding doors, the runners are installed top and bottom for the doors to be pushed into place.

Chest of Drawers

Similar to the wardrobe, but the doors fixed to the outer shell, and drawers are built individually and installed on runners.

• The frame is built first, consisting of the top, bottom and sides, with the runners for the drawers installed inside, usually by screws.
• Again, the back is affixed when the structure is on its front, either with nails or screws.
• The drawers are assembled by securing the sides to the front panel, the bottom of the draw slid into the cutaways, then the back panel secures the remainder of the drawer.
• All drawers are then slid into place with a locking mechanism on the back to stop the drawers from being overextended and falling out.

Beds (Single, Double, King-Sized, Bunk-Bed)

Each bed as the same structure; two end panels, one side panel and a base that can be made up of removable slats or a solid base that supports the mattress. Divans come pre-assembled, so aren’t covered here.

• The headboard is placed, the side panels are next, followed by the end piece.
• A support rod or similar will cover the length of the bed to prevent any sort of bowing, and this is usually screwed in down the centre.
• Slats are placed horizontally, or one or two sheets will cover the area of the bed and secured into place – sometimes screwed, other times they may balance on an inner ledge.
• The mattress is then laid over the top.

Bunk beds may be flat packed as wood or metal setups, but they generally have the same structure as a regular bed; only the top section is built first like a table, the lower supporting rods added afterwards to offer solidity and safety.

Flat pack beds are great options for children as there are so many varieties but if you want something extra special you could opt for a bespoke child's bed.

Nursery cot

Another typical structure, a nursery cot is comprised of similar elements to the bunk bed, though predominantly solid wood and with an adjustable shelf that changed as the baby grows.

• The sides of the cot are always pre-assembled with the bars in place. These are screwed into place and connected to the headboard and end piece. However, only one side is fixed; the other is left until the end.
• Next is installed the platform that supports the mattress and the available locations will be ready at the time of the assembly - no drilling is required.
• Finally, before the mattress goes into place, the last remaining side often is connected on a sliding mechanism. Again, this is pre-built into the design, so it's a case of the assembler lining up then locking into position.

Bedside Cabinet

Similar to the chest of drawers and wardrobe, this will be dependent on the design - whether it has a functioning door and or separate drawer.

• The shell is constructed of the top, bottom and sides.
• The rear panel will then be pinned or screwed into place.
• If a set of drawers, the same principle of attaching the sides to the front drawer panel followed by the back to secure all in place.
• If part of the design, a door can be installed on the front of the shell but installing the appropriate hinges.

Dining Table

Table designs can differ - some have built-in draws, pull out sections and other additional features. For a standard design, though, assembly is pretty straightforward which all tradespeople will be able to complete.

• For the most uncomplicated design, the tabletop is placed surface down, and legs are installed underneath.
• Depending on the design, there are a few strengthening options such as additional rods that can be screwed into the centre of the tabletop that runs the width, plus there may be scope for other supports that screw into the bottom of the legs to add further stability.
• The table is simply turned over and good to go.

Dining Chair

These vary in design as some come pre-assembled with built-in cushioning and only require the legs screwed in. In this example, it is for the standard Ikea flatpack style design.

• There will be two sides shaped like a lower case 'h' that are joined together by smaller lengths at the back of the chair. These run from the top, middle and bottom sections, which is also repeated at the front of the chair where the person sits and where the legs connect.
• Turning the chair upside down, screws are inserted through the bottom of the frame, and the seat is screwed into place. Designs vary, but this is the basic model that most chairs are based on.

Coffee Table

The same process as the dining table, though most coffee tables have an additional shelf underneath. There are several ways to add the bottom shelf, but the most common design for flat pack options is similar to the bookcase design.

Pins are inserted in pre-drilled holes in the table legs, and the shelf sits on top of these, gaining structural support from the legs.

TV Stand

There are a wide variety of TV stands available, and though more and more homes install their TV on a wall mount, the basic design remains the same and often has the same appearance of a chest of drawers or bedside cabinet.

The process is the same, though some higher-end options might feature tempered glass on the top. Installation is simple and clear adhesive pads are stuck to the bottom of the glass and once lined up, remain in place.

Due to the accuracy and weight of the glass, this is almost certainly a two-person task.

Bookcase

The bookcase is the most straightforward design and one of the easiest jobs to complete.

• The base, top and sides are screwed into place.
• Turning the bookcase on the front, the backing is often a thin material and pinned or screwed into place. The material is usually lightweight as the backing isn't a supporting feature for the structure.
• Depending on the design, there may be multiple options on where to place the inner shelves. These often have pre-existing holes and mini pegs that are inserted without any form of drilling; then the shelves are simply laid over the top.

Outdoor Furniture

The focus with flat packed furniture is that it is predominantly for items within the house, but it also applies outdoor too. Examples of outdoor equipment can be children's play material such as swings, slide and trampolines - all furniture that can be assembled by a professional with the same guidelines as before.

• A swing will take on average of 1-2 hours to assemble and install. Based on the average cost of assemblers, this is likely to cost around £40.

Pricing for outdoor furniture is the same hourly rate as it would be for items in the home; however, there is a 'the right time' to build these as the outside elements play a big part. First of all, it wouldn't be safe to install a trampoline in windy conditions, nor would anyone appreciate setting up a swing or slide when it's raining.

This isn't solely a preference as some equipment is going to need to be affixed to the ground to stop it toppling over with excess weight or windy conditions.

If the soil is wet, it doesn't provide a suitable foundation and therefore, should be left to complete in better conditions.

How Is The Flat Pack Furniture Assembly Cost Determined?

Flat pack furniture assembly is a swift task. Even with the more complicated builds such as the PAX wardrobes mentioned above, the maximum time (for assembly - not taking into account preparation, or removal of re-existing furniture) is likely to be 4 hours.

On that basis, the price structures are usually very accurate and consistent in terms of the time it takes.

• The average time to assemble flat pack furniture is 1-3 hours.

Where you live will determine some of the hourly rates, but the consensus is you will be paying an average of £20 an hour per person. From the details provided, it makes sense to utilise a second person to get the job done faster and for the same price. This also enables the tradespeople to go onto other tasks, thus not needing to charge an overall day price.

• £25 is the average booking fee, though this may be omitted if the job entails work that ends up being 3 hours or so.

The cost isn't calculated on the size or type of furniture as it's more likely down to the time it takes. As already covered, having a second person on hand ensures that they can assist with lifting heavy, or large items, so the safety factor is included.

While two people get the job done at a faster pace, there may be a booking fee applied as it's not worth their while if two people come to do a job that takes them 30 minutes.

Can I Assemble Flat Pack Furniture Myself?

It's advised to have your flat pack furniture assembled by a professional. While it's in the scope of a DIYer to carry out the task, there may be elements you might have overlooked, other than the obvious thing that comes to mind - whether you have the time to do it?

If you want to assemble your own flat pack furniture there are 5 things you need to consider:

• Do you have the appropriate tools?
• Are you competent enough to complete the work unaided, in other words, have you built flat pack furniture before?
• How about the larger, heavier items - can you carry them on your own or safely support something such as a wardrobe door and secure it at the same time?
• What happens when you need to affix a unit to the wall? Do you have the tools or knowledge to be able to confidently drill through the wall knowing full well that it won't hit any wires or pipes?
• If that's not an issue, do you know what wall fixings you need and can you support the unit while mounting it?

Though this kind of furniture doesn't need to be professionally signed off, undergo any health and safety checks or require planning permission, there is a lot of room for error that could make matters worse - especially if you make a mistake at the detriment of your property or worse, your health.

Hiring a professional offers peace of mind, professionalism, and for the price you pay, a lot less hassle for you to take the time out of your busy lifestyle.

Cost of Dismantling Flat Pack Furniture

It is recommended to prepare the area of work before the tradespeople arrive so that they can efficiently use their time and also to keep down the costs. However, there may be times where you need a handyman or similar to dismantle your furniture as you are moving home or perhaps you are upgrading with new cosmetic features like doors or drawers.

There are some who provide this additional service, and a guideline price will be £25 - £65 per item. Prices can differ due to the size of the item and also the weight. Take, for example, the dismantling of a bookcase compared to a bunk bed, and it’s clear this would take more time as there are more fixings and bulkier parts.

When it comes to waste disposal, in good faith, most contractors will flatten out any boxes and place the packaging in your existing waste disposal area. Some will to take this away for you at no extra cost, but the removal of furniture no longer required would need to be quoted for separately, and typically, this is not included in the price.

A cheap option is to donate any salvageable material, but unless you can manually dispose of, you could be looking at £50 - £60 to hire a van and two movers to assist.

Hiring a Flat Pack Furniture Assembler Checklist

When hiring an assembler to build your flat pack furniture, you needn't be concerned with any qualifications or certification, or if they belong to any guilds at all. Something that should be paramount is experience.

As most tradespeople in this sector charge by the hour, you need to ensure that their skillset meets your standards and that they can finish the job as swiftly as quoted without cutting any corners.

What to look for when hiring a contractor:

• First and foremost, get multiple quotes and don't pay any fees upfront.
• Do they charge an hourly rate, set fee per item or a day/half day charge?
• If they are unable to complete the job in the time they say, will you incur any additional charges, and if so, what do they charge and how is it calculated, i.e. do they charge per 15 minutes, a further hourly rate rounded up or a set fee?
• In cases where the assembler has their own website, do they have a portfolio of previous work and do they specialise in any particular style - for example, some contractors state that they are capable of building anything within the current Ikea catalogue.
• Following on from this, are you able to read any testimonials from previous customers and are they independent - in other words, that the contractor hasn't just selected only the best examples?
• Do they offer any form of warranty of the build such as a 12-month policy should the item not stay up to the standard that is purely based on assembly and not the product itself?
• Always look for any hidden costs - whether VAT is inclusive, or if there are any situations where the tradesperson cannot complete the job, are you entitled to a refund, or will there be any charges? For instance, if they are unable to gain access to a location and you are not on-site, will there be a charge, or if the flat pack furniture you received is missing a part and they are unable to do the job, what are the implications?

FAQs

Sources

https://www.argos.co.uk/features/easy-assemble-furniture
https://www.ikea.com
https://www.dunelm.com
https://www.homebase.co.uk
https://www.therange.co.uk/
https://www.screwfix.com/