IKEA Furniture

We love IKEA! As far as the assembly, it really depends on what it is. There are simple ones (side tables, chairs etc.) but there are some harder ones (which I asked for help) such as buffet tables, bed frames, etc. I don't think they are that hard honestly but it takes patience!

Have fun!!

Love the story from Catherine! My 9 year-old daughter is better at putting stuff together than I am!

I have several things from IKEA because I needed to furnish my apartment from scratch four years ago after my divorce, and couldn't spend a lot. Between IKEA and Target, I like my place! What I like best are the rugs and wall hangings that I got at IKEA. I love the bright colors, and the rugs have held up well considering the amount of use they get.

I didn't buy couches there, they are not comfortable, in my opinion.

Not too hard, really. We have a house full of IKEA furniture, and it was easier then a lot of kids toys!! The really important thing, is to not rush. You will definitely miss something, if you rush. Take you time and double check each step...it should be pretty easy! Oh, and good luck not wanted to spend all your money ;)

It depends on the item and how patient you are in putting things together. Look through all the directions first and sort out the little pieces and then the larger so you are not searching. One thing that I make sure i do is use wood glue for anything like drawer bottoms. This keeps them in place and no slipping out. I have a dresser for my daughter that we have had for about 5 years now and no problems. My son's dresser was bought via craigslist and is about 10 years old. The bottom of 2 drawers have come out but once I glue them back, I am sure this will last a long time.

Catherine's 8 year old is exceptional. Let's not call it "hard" to put together Ikea furniture, let's just call it "challenging." But worth it. Just don't buy a sofa.

My 8 year old put together our IKEA bookcase while I was on the phone. I went upstairs, and she had the whole thing put together! So, not that hard! (Granted, she is pretty detail-oriented and is handy with the cordless drill ;)

It depends on how good you are at following directions. My husband puts things together from there with no problem, but I... not so great. One recommendation that I have though... if you are buying things like dressers etc... use wood glue when putting them together. You can really have a sturdy piece of furniture if you put it together and glue it. If not, things tend to loosen up and not remain together all that well. The of course it's a pain in the tush to do it again...

not at all hard, but can be time consuming if it is something like a dresser or desk. Shelves, tables, chairs & most beds are easy enough for me to do solo. Most of my IKEA furniture is about 10 yrs old now and still in great condition.

I've been shopping at IKEA for about ten years, LOVE it!
Best quality stuff is desks, tables, desk/dining chairs, dressers, storage, mirrors and bookcases. Everything is fairly easy to put together but anything with moving parts (like drawers) will be more time consuming.
I do NOT like the upholstered stuff (couches, chairs) the fabric is cheap and the filling/stuffing is even cheaper, it does NOT hold up well.
Oh, and they don't recommend using a power screwdriver but just do it on the lowest power and go slow...
Have fun, it is addictive, and you and your kids will love all the kid's room goodies!!!
Oh and let me add, I am not a "tool" girl but it is easy to figure out the directions on my own, it gives me quite the ego boost not to have to ask my husband for help :)

Read the instructions first.. Make sure all of the pieces and parts are there.. Keep all of the pieces together I place them in a plastic container..

It is easy if you follow the directions and do not get distracted and take your time..

We have never had a problem. But I am a person that follows the directions and takes my time..

Most things are not too bad... I've bought mostly bigger things and needed my husband to do it or help me. Most directions are pictures, not in words.

I love their book shelf/cube storage units. DH assembled the 16 cube book shelf & he said it was easy. This is coming from an ex-furniture assembler/installer, though :-) I suck at following instructions, so I'd probably have a hard time.

I am not a huge fan of their large furniture (beds, couches, etc), but I'm sure it's a good option if you're on a budget.

Like others said - it depends on the item. It also depends on how sturdy you want it to be and how particular you are about the finish and sturdiness (my DH jokes that he could start a web site on "retrofitting IKEA furniture" - the "IVAR" shelving units we bought were easy to assemble but a bit on the wobbly side until DH got going with some metal angle brackets - he also bolted it to the wall - it's much sturdier now! He also felt that the 'finished' wood products we've bought could use a couple extra coats of polyurethane wood varnish .

YAY! IKEA is AWESOME! I just wish it was a little closer to me :( Oh well, trying not to complain to much.
I've hadn't had to hard of time putting their bookcases together. One time I got one where the back cardboard was just an 16th of an inch to short so I couldn't put it on properly, but that was it. Nothing huge.
Oh I soooo neeeeed to get my son the new elephant stuffed animal. He is now obsessed with them.

I'm not a big fan but I know a lot of people are and furnish their entire homes with IKEA furnishings. My mom had bought a few things and they just looked cheap and not very sturdy. She ended up replacing them with solid wood pieces. I hope you find some things you will enjoy! Good luck!