Buying Flat-Pack Furniture Online

Materials, assembly, checking on delivery and what to expect

Flat-pack furniture ordered online arrives as a box of parts, and most disappointment comes from expectations rather than defects. Knowing what you are actually buying prevents it.

What the materials mean

Most affordable flat-pack uses particleboard or MDF with a printed or laminated surface. It is stable, consistent and inexpensive, and it chips at the edges and cannot be repaired or refinished.

Solid wood and thick veneer cost considerably more and can be sanded back. Look at the edge of a panel and at the back, which is where the construction shows.

Cam locks and dowels

Flat-pack is held together by cam fittings and dowels rather than by joinery. That works well and does not tolerate repeated dismantling — each assembly loosens the fit.

Plan for the piece to stay where you build it rather than moving house with it twice.

Check on delivery

Open every box and check the parts against the list before starting, and before the returns window closes. Missing fittings are the most common problem and are usually replaced free if reported quickly.

Photograph any damage before assembling anything, since a partly built item is far harder to return.

Assembly

Lay parts out, read the whole instruction sheet first, and work on carpet or a blanket to avoid scratching. Most pieces need two people despite what the box says.

Do not fully tighten anything until the whole frame is together and square. Overtightening cam locks strips the board, which cannot be undone.

Anchoring

Tall units, chests of drawers and bookcases must be fixed to the wall, particularly in a home with children. Toppling furniture causes serious injuries every year.

Where flat-pack suits

Storage, desks, shelving and anything that will stay put. It suits less well for pieces that take real load or that you expect to keep for decades.

For a dining table or a bed frame, solid construction is worth the difference.

Keeping the parts

Keep the instruction sheet, any spare fittings and the allen key in a bag taped inside a drawer. Finding the right cam bolt three years later is otherwise impossible.

Tools worth having

A cordless driver with a clutch set low, a rubber mallet and a small square. Overtightening with a drill on full torque is what strips the board, and the clutch prevents it.

A magnetic tray stops the small fittings disappearing into the carpet for good.

After a few weeks

Retighten every fitting, since a wobble is almost always loose fixings rather than a fault.

Measure the route into the room before ordering, not just the room.