[kate1234]

How long does it take to assemble the first cabinet box? And, how long the last (assuming you have progressed along the learning curve)?And then when you come in later with the doors/drawers, how long should we estimate for doing those too (they go on after the boxes are hung/ganged/screwed/etc., right?)?My GC is nervous about doing anything Ikea and wants to know.

[jgsearls]

Take this for what it's worth because I haven't assembled a single one yet but Travis in the New Haven Ikea said that the first box takes about 1/2 an hour and then as you start getting good at it - 15 minutes tops. He also said that in his opinion it goes faster to have two people working on one cabinet than to have two people working on their own cabinets.

[chabuchie]

If you've already put together a lot of Ikea furniture, then there isn't much of a curve. I say ten minutes per box.

[torrus]

It really depends on the cabinet - start with the basic wall cabinets (10 min) as these are the easiest, the corner wall (15 min), base cabinets (10 - 25min), then pantries (15 - 25min). A B4D36 will take longer than a B15 if you install all the drawer runners while the cabinet is being assembled (strongly recommended), likewise a pull-out pantry takes longer to build than a shallow pantry with shelves. Corner base cabinets can be confusing the first time around - allow extra time here as well, it is critical that these are square and level so that the doors fit properly.

[gwen]

Torrus is right on - we are finding the cabinet assembly quite effortless, although the 49" Corner Cabinet did give us pause. We haven't tackled the 15" PO Pantry(HPO1588) or 30" Pantry (HDDR3088) yet but I'm certain they will take a bit longer.

Hubbie and I have a system for the construction. He mans the screwdriver and I install the cam bolts and glue in the dowels. He's also got a cute little cardboard template worked out for evenly spacing the nails on the back that he swears makes it go faster.

Tell your GC that if he has ever made any assemble yourself furniture that it really is a breeze. The picture instructions aren't that bad either - they just take a bit of getting used to.

G.

	PO definitions PO can mean Pull-Out, Previous Owner (often when stated with vengeful words), and/or Pissed Off.

[ckr]

I am putting cabinets together whenever I get some time from work or in the evening. Assembling the cab is fairly easy after the first one. But I strongly recommend you put all the drawer rails in before you assemble and for sure before you attach them all together. This will slow you down as you try to figure out where they should all go. I found this particularily true with my high pantry. I am glad I didnt try to tackle that one first.

[ourmoneypit]

gwen wrote:

...He's also got a cute little cardboard template worked out for evenly spacing the nails on the back that he swears makes it go faster...G

LOL... DS thought I was nuts because I had my own sequential division method...she just 'estimated' distances.

I'm with Gwen on the corner cabinet time frames also. These are a little more confusing, and you really have to be careful on the nail angles for the backs to not go through the melamine centre piece.

Not to be contrary, Torrus, but I don't recommend putting in drawer rails before building the boxes. Yes, it's much less awkward. But, it is easy to confuse holes and be off by one, which can make a big difference. If you do decide to do it as recommended, be sure you are counting the right holes, and count very carefully.

Martine

	DS definition DS can mean Dear Son, Dear Spouse or Dear Sister. You may need to ask for clarification, or read between the lines.

[kate1234]

Okay, lets do some math here. And at the end I suspect I might just assemble them myself since virtually every stick of furniture in my house was flat-packed and I have had no trouble (unless you count the times I let DH "help")

Here is what I have planned - the first column of numbers is the amount of time estimated for each one, then the second column is multiplied out for the total. What do you think?

8 wall cabs 10 80
1 wall deep refrigerator 15 15
1 base corner 35 35
3 base 30 deep drawer 25 75
1 base 15" 4-drawer 25 25
1 30" sink 15 15
1 15" base pullout 25 25
1 15" base with drawer 15 15
3 36" base with drawer 15 45
2 24" pantry pullout 30 60

GRAND TOTAL 390 minutes = 6.5 hours

	DH definition DH usually means Dear Husband (or, pick your own adjective starting with D).

[vmole]

Well, having waited to install a few of the rails, and having just had to remove/reinstall two rails in the 15" HPO pantry, I'd strongly recommend putting in the drawer rails before assembly. Yes, you have to be careful to pick the right holes, but I actually had more problems keeping things straight when installing on a vertical surface than a horizontal one.

As far as assembling cabinets, my 2 cents: work on a table/bench/something rather than the ground. Cover the table et.al. with a layer of cardboard or towel or something, and tape it down. I agree that two people working together on one cabinet at a time is faster than working alone.

Buy a power drill-driver. You don't need a fancy powerful one, a $60 9.6 volt will work just fine.

[Minmin]

Interesting question--I liked how you did the math. I wonder if you underestimated a little, though--I'm not sure if the previous posters calculated set-up time in their figures: that's probably about 1-5 minutes depending on the complexity of the cabinet. Also, there's the "OMG where is this going to go?" factor? By this, I don't mean "Where is this screw going to go?," but each box as it is completed. Unless you have a large dedicated workspace, you'll probably be shuffling things aside to make room for the completed cabinets. That will add time as well. You might up your estimate.