How long does it take to build an IKEA PAX wardrobe?
A single PAX frame with hinged doors often takes a couple of hours. A wide run with sliding doors, drawers and internal fittings can take most of a day. The time depends far more on what goes inside and on the front than on the frames themselves.
PAX frames are built lying on the floor and then tilted up, so ceiling height and floor space matter. The tallest frames need enough room to stand up without catching the ceiling, so measure before you order. Each frame must also be fixed to the wall, and sliding doors need careful adjusting so they run smoothly and meet evenly.
Whatever the size, you get one fixed price for the whole wardrobe, agreed before we start. Send the IKEA order list or product links, and a photo of the wall it's going against.
- Frames
- Width and height of each frame, and how many.
- Doors
- Hinged doors are quicker; sliding doors take longer to adjust.
- Interior fittings
- Drawers, shelves, rails and pull-out trays all add time.
- Wall fixing
- Every frame is fixed to the wall.
What furniture can you assemble?
Most flat-pack furniture for homes and small offices. That includes pieces from IKEA, such as PAX, MALM, HEMNES and KALLAX, as well as Wayfair, Argos, Dunelm, Amazon and similar retailers. We are not connected with any of these brands; we just build what they sell.
If it came in a box with instructions, we can usually build it. Large or heavy pieces, such as tall wardrobes and solid wood beds, may need a second pair of hands to lift safely, and we'll tell you in the quote if so. Send the product link if you're unsure.
- Wardrobes
- Hinged and sliding door, including PAX systems.
- Beds
- Divans, ottoman beds with gas lifts, bunk beds and cabin beds.
- Chests of drawers and bedside tables
- Desks and office chairs
- For home offices and small businesses.
- Bookcases and shelving units
- Including KALLAX and tall bookcases.
- Cots and children's furniture
- Garden furniture
- Tables, chairs, benches and storage boxes.
Does tall furniture need to be fixed to the wall?
Yes. Wardrobes, tall chests of drawers and bookcases should be fixed to the wall with anti-tip fittings, especially in homes with young children. A child climbing open drawers can pull an unfixed unit over.
Most flat-pack furniture comes with an anti-tip strap or bracket, but the wall plugs in the box are often not right for every wall. Brick, plasterboard and dot-and-dab walls each need different fixings. We check the wall type and look for hidden cables and pipes with a detector before drilling. Then we use fixings that suit the wall and the weight.
We fix tall items as standard. If you'd rather a piece wasn't fixed, for example in a rented home without permission to drill, we'll talk it through with you first.
How much does flat-pack assembly cost?
You get one fixed price for the whole job, agreed before we start, whatever is on the list.
Send photos of the box labels or product links and we'll price every item together. If you add other jobs, such as a TV mount or shelves, they go into the same price and the same visit.
- Number of items
- One bed or a whole house of furniture.
- Size and complexity
- PAX with interior fittings and sliding doors takes longer.
- Dismantling or moving
- Taking apart or moving old furniture first.
- Packaging
- We'll tell you in the price whether packaging is taken away.
- Wall fixing
- Anti-tip fixing on tricky walls such as dot-and-dab.
What should I do before the furniture is built?
Check that all the boxes have arrived, and clear space in the room where the furniture is going. That's most of it.
If you can, open the boxes and check the parts against the list in the instructions. This matters most for second-hand furniture, where screws, cam locks and shelf pins often go missing. A missing part can stop a build halfway, so it's better to know early.
- Check the parts
- Especially for second-hand or previously built furniture.
- Clear the space
- Room to lay out panels, plus the final spot.
- Boxes in the right room
- Heavy boxes are easier built where they'll stay.
- Know where it goes
- Including which wall tall items fix to.
Can you furnish a rental property between tenancies?
Yes. Landlords and letting agents use us to build beds, wardrobes, drawers and desks in rental properties, often in the gap between one tenancy and the next. We can work from a list and product links, and arrange access with you or the agent.
Tall furniture in rentals should be fixed to the wall like anywhere else. While we're there, we can also do other jobs on your list, such as small repairs, curtain poles or a TV bracket, in the same visit.
Can you take furniture apart and rebuild it after a move?
Usually, yes. We can dismantle wardrobes, beds and desks before a move and rebuild them in the new home.
Flat-pack is designed to be built once, so chipboard can weaken when it's taken apart. Cam locks and screw holes sometimes need new fittings or a slightly different fixing. We check pieces before taking them apart and tell you if something is unlikely to survive the move. Label the bags of fixings, and keep them with the panels they belong to.