Why Flat-Pack Furniture Falls Apart, and How to Stop It
Three quarters of the wardrobes we are called out to fix failed for the same two reasons.
Flat-pack has a poor reputation it only half deserves. Assembled properly on a level floor and fixed to the wall, most of it outlives the room it was bought for.
The Back Panel Is Structural
Those thin hardboard panels that get nailed on last are what stop the whole carcass racking into a parallelogram. Fitted loosely, or left off because the unit “seemed fine”, and every door misaligns within a year. Nail them at every marked point, not at four corners.
Floors Are Never Level
A wardrobe assembled flat on an uneven floor is built with a twist in it, and the doors will never sit right afterwards. Level the base first with packers, then build. This is the single most common cause of the doors-do-not-close complaint.
Cam Locks Are Not Screws
Over-tighten a cam lock and it chews the chipboard, at which point the joint is permanently loose. They want firm and then stop. If a joint spins freely, the fix is a slightly larger dowel or a repair — not more force.
Fix It to the Wall
Not optional on anything tall. The bracket in the box is there for tipping, and it takes ten minutes. Anything over about a metre and a half in a house with children should be fixed to a stud, not to plasterboard alone.
