After building hundreds of flat pack items, I've seen some disasters. These are real situations (names changed) where I've been called in to fix DIY attempts that went sideways.
The Upside-Down Wardrobe
The Call: "I've built my PAX wardrobe but something's not right."
What I Found: The entire back panel - which provides all the structural rigidity - was fitted upside down. The pre-drilled holes for the shelf pins were now in completely wrong positions.
How It Happened: The back panel has a specific orientation. It's marked, but subtly. They assumed it didn't matter.
The Fix: Complete disassembly, reorient the back, reassemble. Two hours to fix a 90-minute build.
The Lesson: Those little orientation marks matter. Every time.
The Bed That Couldn't Bed
The Call: "The mattress doesn't fit in my new bed."
What I Found: A MALM bed frame with the side rails installed inside out. This narrowed the bed by about 30mm each side - not enough for the mattress.
How It Happened: The rails can physically go either way. They just shouldn't.
The Fix: Unscrew the rails, flip them, refasten. 20 minutes.
The Lesson: If something doesn't fit, don't force it. Check orientation.
The Wardrobe of Glue
The Call: "Can you take apart a wardrobe I glued together?"
What I Found: A PAX wardrobe where someone had applied wood glue to EVERY joint. Including all the cam locks. Including where the doors attach.
Why They Did It: "I wanted it to be really sturdy."
The Problem: PAX wardrobes use cam locks specifically so they can be disassembled and moved. Now it couldn't.
The Fix: I couldn't save it. The cam locks were glued solid and couldn't be turned. Boards split when trying to separate them.
The Lesson: Don't add glue unless the instructions say to. There's a reason the design is what it is.
The Half-Built BRIMNES
The Call: "I've been building this daybed for eight hours and I give up."
What I Found: A BRIMNES daybed (notoriously complex) half-assembled. Parts were in wrong places, screws stripped, and the owner was nearly in tears.
What Went Wrong: They'd tried to skip ahead in the instructions and assembled sections in the wrong order.
The Fix: Carefully disassemble what was wrong, inspect for damage, rebuild correctly. Some holes were stripped - filled with toothpicks and glue, let dry, re-drove screws.
Time: 3 hours to rescue, including waiting for glue to dry.
The Lesson: Follow the instructions in order. IKEA instructions aren't random - the sequence matters.
The Cabinet of Many Holes
The Call: "I put the hinges on the wrong side of my kitchen cabinet."
What I Found: A base cabinet with hinge mounting holes drilled on both sides. They'd realised the error and drilled new ones, but now the original wrong holes were visible when the door opened.
The Fix: Filled the wrong holes with dowels and wood filler, sanded smooth, touched up with matching paint.
The Lesson: Measure twice, drill once. Or better yet, check which side the hinges go BEFORE drilling.
The Bed That Wouldn't Stay Up
The Call: "My bed keeps collapsing."
What I Found: A bed frame where the cam locks had been turned the wrong way. Instead of tightening, they'd been loosened.
How It Happened: Cam locks are confusing. Turn them the right way and they pull the joint tight. Wrong way and they do nothing.
The Fix: Quarter turn each cam lock the other direction. Ten minutes.
The Lesson: A cam lock should feel like it's pulling tight. If it doesn't, you're turning it wrong.
The Wardrobe That Wouldn't Fit
The Call: "I built my wardrobe but it's too tall for my ceiling."
What I Found: A 236cm PAX wardrobe in a room with 230cm ceilings. The customer had measured the height but not allowed for assembly clearance.
The Reality: You need space above to tip the wardrobe up and slot the top on. Even a floor-to-ceiling wardrobe needs some clearance during assembly.
The Fix: In this case, couldn't be fixed in that room. Had to partially disassemble and reassemble in a different room with higher ceilings.
The Lesson: Measure the room AND allow clearance for assembly. Check IKEA's recommended clearance for tall items.
Common Themes
What causes most fails:
- Skipping ahead in instructions - They're sequential for a reason
- Ignoring orientation marks - "It looks the same" usually means it isn't
- Forcing things that don't fit - Something's wrong; stop and check
- Not reading at all - "I'll figure it out" rarely works
- Missing parts - Check the hardware before starting
- Wrong tools - The correct screwdriver bit makes a huge difference
How to Avoid Needing Rescue
- Read instructions fully before starting - Know what's coming
- Lay out all parts - Check nothing's missing
- Check piece orientations - Before driving any screws
- Follow the sequence - Trust the process
- Don't force anything - If it doesn't fit, check why
- Take breaks - Frustration causes mistakes
- Know when to stop - Better to pause than to damage things further
When to Call for Help
Call early if:
- You're stuck and getting frustrated
- Something doesn't look right
- Parts are damaged
- You've got it wrong and aren't sure how to undo it
The sooner you call, the easier it is to fix. A half-built wrong thing is easier to rescue than a fully-built wrong thing.
Got a flat pack disaster? I've rescued worse than yours, I promise. Call 01392 964094 or get a quote.
Sam Hembury
Sam is the founder of Hembury Contracting, providing professional handyman services across Exeter and Devon. With years of experience in property maintenance, he shares practical tips to help homeowners tackle common tasks.