Dealing with flatpacks
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (385378)
Rockingham, Australia
May 29, 2026 11:31pm CST
MyLotter, Marie Coyle, wrote about assembling flatpack products and how difficult it is for some people. I was reminded of the time my siblings and I purchased an outdoor setting for my parents 60th wedding anniversary. The four chairs and table came in flatpacks.
We started on a chair and had a great deal of trouble assembling it. In the end we put it aside and started on another which went together very easily, as did the next two. Eventually we worked out that the first chair had two left arms instead of a left and a right. As it was the first one we started on, we thought we were at fault but it wasn’t us at all.
The photo shows our bedroom wardrobes half-completed. They came as Ikea flatpacks.
23 people like this
20 responses
@Orson_Kart (8480)
• United Kingdom
30 May
Sounds like you have a lot of books. I’d have taken the opportunity to dump most of them when you moved. Are they precious to you?
4 people like this
@LadyDuck (505517)
• Italy
30 May
@Orson_Kart - wee damped most of our books when we moved, we use the bookshelves also to store our documents. We had more than 10,000 books, we only have less than 600 now.
3 people like this
@MarieCoyle (60754)
•
30 May
I honestly think most people could put these together but they are scared to try it for fear they will mess it up.
I would love a closet with more shelves and cubby spaces, but my closets are not very large.
5 people like this
@Orson_Kart (8480)
• United Kingdom
30 May
You often need more floor space than you actually have to unpack everything before you can start to assemble. That’s my main gripe. And also checking that you have all the correct pieces, including little tiny screws and other bits and bobs.
2 people like this
@MarieCoyle (60754)
•
31 May
@Orson_Kart
Very true, it does often take a larger area to assemble whatever the item is, than you think it's going to. To add to the checklist of being sure a person has what all they need for the project, it also helps when the person doesn't toss the instructions, like my ex always did.
2 people like this
@Fishmomma (11658)
• United States
31 May
I have a few items that had to be built and have a lot of extra items from past projects. The only time it required a call is when I had two arms that were the same. I no longer have the chair that was a big problem.
2 people like this
@Fishmomma (11658)
• United States
1 Jun
@JudyEv The person on the phone made it sound like I was the only person having trouble. My neighbor came over to help me put them together and told him a picture can be sent to see what is wrong. I ended up getting a refund was glad my neighbors were understanding, as 1 of them brought several chairs, so prepared and nobody had to sit on the ground.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (385378)
• Rockingham, Australia
1 Jun
@Fishmomma Some firms aren't keen on taking responsibility for their mistakes. I'm glad your neighbour helped out.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (60754)
•
30 May
I am sure there are things you are good at that are hard for her. Usually that’s how it works with siblings.
I’ve got a good sibling joke for you, @AmbiePam. I learned to sew at a young age from one of my grandmothers. My sister tried sewing but she had no patience for it. I tried to help her, made her some items and some clothes for her Barbie doll. That gave her an idea—she cut out doll clothes patterns and glued them directly on the doll!!
2 people like this
@MarieCoyle (60754)
•
31 May
@AmbiePam
She just hated to sew anything. We never let her forget that she glued the clothes on her Barbie doll, it was just hilarious!
2 people like this
@pitsipeahie (5759)
•
30 May
Sometimes flat-pack furniture can be a pain to assemble, while other times it's surprisingly easy. Most of the furniture you order online comes flat-packed, so you have to put it together yourself. The real fun starts when you discover you're missing a screw somewhere, lol. 
Thankfully, they usually come with assembly instructions, but there are times when you still have to stare at the manual for a while trying to figure out what goes where. 
Thankfully, they usually come with assembly instructions, but there are times when you still have to stare at the manual for a while trying to figure out what goes where. 2 people like this
@GardenGerty (170229)
• United States
31 May
I may have to look into getting some of those. I bet I could do it. Your story about the chairs is wild though. It would just be your luck to get the bad one first.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (385378)
• Rockingham, Australia
31 May
It never crossed our mind that there might be something missing or wrong. We just assumed we were doing something wrong. 
@changjiangzhibin89 (17283)
• China
31 May
I bought a stainless steel flat-pack online not long before.Assembling it really took some doing ,even according to the instructions.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (99386)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
30 May
You're doing a good job putting it all together.
1 person likes this
@BACONSTRIPSXXX (18562)
• Torrington, Connecticut
1 Jun
I need something like that for my room, my wife has more clothe than she knows what to do with
1 person likes this
@valherma00 (4725)
• Zagreb, Croatia (Hrvatska)
3 Jun
i like their sound of sliding. ah, ikea; somehow i'm not surprised. ikea makes everything harder
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (385378)
• Rockingham, Australia
31 May
They were really lovely at the finish. I loved them.
@JudyEv (385378)
• Rockingham, Australia
31 May
Thanks. These were in the previous house. The ones in this house weren't quite so complicated.
@wolfgirl569 (138066)
• Marion, Ohio
30 May
That would make it hard. Those look nice
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (223811)
• United States
30 May
Any assembly that I need done now is done by cousin #3 or her husband. I can't to it anymore.
1 person likes this
