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If you’re haunted by the memories of all the Pax dowels that have slipped through your fingertips and into oblivion, you are not alone. A new report from HouseHoldQuotes.co.uk has pulled together a thorough analysis on just how much building IKEA furniture infuriates us on a human level by looking at positive and negative tweets referencing the company. Among other calculations on how the Swedish flat-packer drives us to the edge, the survey culled some of the specific products that cause the most tension. At Domino we’ve built it all—here are a few tips that can make putting together IKEA furniture (a little) easier.
The Ektorp
Half of people tweeting about building an IKEA sofa are angry. Period. The most annoying part isn’t the bags of screws or tools needed but the sheer size of the thing; couches are big, cumbersome shapes you never want to move around once they’re settled. The process is particularly difficult for those living alone without someone to hold up the opposite end as they screw on the legs.
To keep up the other side while solo, make a homemade jack. Pull a bunch of books off a nearby shelf that are similar sizes and stack them up under that end. Now the piece will be elevated enough to easily attach the components.
The Liatorp
Coming in at an even 50 percent of negative tweets, this item is the ultimate challenge. Because constructing cabinetry like this is so tedious, with its seemingly endless hardware, screws, caps, and preset holes, the psychologist who worked on the study, Dr. Ramani Durvasula, not-so-kiddingly calls the Liatorp a “divorce maker.”
To keep those tiny pieces from rolling away, take a few bowls from the kitchen and stash each type of item separately, so you know where to turn to at every step.
The Billy
Bookshelves are an IKEA staple, and the Billy is no different. Its clean lines and minimal pieces make it seem easy to construct, but 43.6 percent of people talking about it on Twitter had bad things to say about it.
One major obstacle: On the interior walls of IKEA’s cases, dots run up and down so you can space out the shelves for any need. Most people will follow the instructions and make the gaps even between the five planks. What happens next is the silent rage when you realize your cookbooks don’t fit.
So before locking the ledges into place, tip the whole structure gently onto the ground. Take all your tallest and widest books and line them up as they would go on the shelf. Make a small pencil mark next to the corresponding hole they’d fit under. Keep the rest evenly spaced for some symmetry.
Worse comes to worse, avoid the stress of building IKEA furniture altogether and hire a TaskRabbit to do it, then open a bottle of wine instead.
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