We've all been there - tearing our hair out over flatpack furniture.
It looks great in the shop but when it arrives it's in 75 pieces and you're left with the job of somehow putting it together. Now there's a company who will do it for you.
A whole business has sprung up around flatpack frustrations to help you put that Ikea wardrobe together without losing your mind.
They're at the Ideal Homes show exhibition this weekend and here Claire Heaslip from Creative Fittings gives you the top tips for fuss-free flatpack assembly.
What are your top tips before purchasing some flatpack furniture for your home?
Measure twice. If you’re not confident, find somebody who is handy with a measuring tape.
If you’re going to go to a store to look at something have photographs of your area, so you can show a store assistant and get their point of view.
Show them your space and what you want to achieve.
Incorrect measurements is the first issue we’d find on site. Like the ceiling isn’t tall enough for everything - or there isn’t clearance space for doors to open.
What do you do once you purchase your flatpack furniture and want to assemble it yourself?
Go slow, follow the manual and when in doubt look at everything. If something feels like it needs to be forced. Take a step back, you’re quite possibly looking at it wrong.
Regardless of which brand it is, there will be lots of pieces that look quite similar but there will be unique aspects to it.
If you’re looking at your piece and it only has four holes and there’s five on the image - you have the wrong piece.
Don’t force anything. With some things, there needs to be a bit of pushing but if you’re pushing too hard and it’s not working, you quite possibly have the wrong piece.
Just take your time. It can be enjoyable once you get into the rhythm of it. You will have a sense of accomplishment once it’s done.
A lot of it is perspective. They’re large 3D puzzles and jigsaws. They’re designed for the average person to put it together.
It’s a bit like driving. When you consider millions and millions of people can drive. Who are smart enough to get a license. There is no license needed to go out and build your furniture.
If it feels overwhelming, take a break. Have a cup of tea. Look it up on YouTube. It’s definitely doable.
Why book with Creative Fittings?
A service like ours gives you the reassurance that your furniture has been put together properly. It gives you your time back, it removes the stress of “Have I done this correctly?”
Often, we’d have couples who would joke with us saying we nearly murdered each other.
There was nearly a divorce on the cards after we put together this one set of shelves. Because they’re trying to figure it out and they have the worry of what if I get it wrong.
Well, most of the time it can typically be undone and put to right. But just remember, most of the time it can typically be undone and put to right.
Who are your main customers?
We have a lot of people who don’t realise this is a service.
We have a lot of people who book in with us who don’t have the time or have an injury or can’t figure it out.
We have a lot of families, people who are moving or people who are time poor who would happily do it themselves but don't have the time to get around to it.
We’d have families - typically two parents and a kid who have a busy life and they don’t have the time."
Creative Fittings are at the Ideal Homes Show this weekend in Dublin's RDS, which runs from today (FRI) through to Sunday.
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