Best tips to assemble IKEA furniture without stress

Written by
Meesha A
Published on
November 20, 2025
Introduction
IKEA flat pack furniture is well known for being affordable and stylish. It can also be really tricky to put together. I am sure you have been in a situation where you have a lot of bags of screws, dowels, and parts with names. You are definitely not the one who has been there. Some IKEA furniture pieces are easy to assemble. Do not take much time, while others can be really frustrating and test your patience and willpower.
Here are the best tips for assembling IKEA furniture like MALM drawers or a complete PAX wardrobe setup that will make the process easy. Stress-free, for you.
Before you even open the box, make sure you have these things:
* Phillips head screw driver
* flat-head screwdriver
* Rubber mallet for tapping dowels and doing some light tapping
* Spirit Level
* Allen wrenches. You might already have these. It is really helpful to have a multi-bit ratchet tool to make the job easier for you with the Allen wrenches and other parts of the Phillips head screw driver and small flat-head screwdriver.
You should make a space to work in. It is better to do this on a surface like a rug or a blanket. This will be your working space for the Phillips head screw driver, small flat-head screwdriver, and other tools.
Pro Tip: Before you start putting things together, you should get all your tools and pieces out and match them with what the instruction book says about the Phillips head screw driver, small flat-head screwdriver, and other parts.
You probably want to get started away, but the IKEA instruction manual with no words can be tricky if you rush into it.
You should look at every page so you understand how to put everything together in the right order.
Some of the parts look really similar, so remember what each of the IKEA parts looks like. The IKEA parts can be easy to mix up.
Take a look at how the IKEA dowels, the IKEA cams, and the IKEA screws are used. You do not want to make mistakes with the IKEA dowels, the IKEA cams, or the IKEA screws.
Be careful, with one thing: IKEA usually does not give you any pieces. If you make one mistake with the IKEA parts, you will have to start over again with the IKEA instruction manual.
Published: November 24, 2025
Updated: June 25, 2026
