An IKEA instruction sheet is a masterpiece of visual reduction — no language, just images, understandable worldwide. But it's also incomplete: many tricks an experienced installer knows aren't in there. Here are the tips we've picked up in 15 years — useful not just for IKEA but for most common wardrobe brands.

Before assembly: check completeness

Sounds obvious, but it's the step where most people lose time later. Before you turn a single screw: open all packages, lay all parts on a wool blanket (to protect the floor), and tick off the parts list piece by piece. IKEA always has a fittings bag — count it. A missing cam fitting destabilises the whole wardrobe.

If something's missing: don't start anyway. IKEA usually delivers missing parts free within 1-2 working days. A half-built wardrobe left standing for a week often goes out of true — tensions in the carcass make the end result worse.

The right order — really matters

For wardrobes with more than two carcass parts, the order is critical. The instructions usually recommend: first connect bottom and side panels loosely, then slide in the back panel, then place the top, then tighten all screws. People who tighten immediately build tension into the carcass.

Special case PAX wardrobes: with the IKEA PAX it's critical to assemble flat and only stand it up after the back panel is in. Building it standing rips out fittings — and the wardrobe never sits perfectly plumb.

Fittings: cams, dowels, screws

Most chipboard wardrobes have three connection types: wooden dowels (go into a pre-drilled hole without a screw — give the carcass its shape), cam fittings (a metal barrel that pulls two parts together with a half turn), and standard chipboard screws. Important:

  • Wooden dowels must never be hammered in — they break. Press in with the thumb, done.
  • Cams get only a half-turn, never more. The barrel has an internal cam that's fully engaged at 180° — anything beyond destroys the mechanism.
  • Chipboard screws never with full power-driver speed — friction heat melts the screw plastic and it loses grip.

Hanging doors — the hinge trick

Modern furniture hinges (Blum, Hettich) have three screws: one for height, one for lateral position, one for depth. Most DIYers turn all three at random until "it kind of fits". The right order is:

  1. First set the height — both doors must be at the same point at the top.
  2. Then the lateral position — both doors should have exactly 2 mm gap to each other.
  3. Last the depth — if the door stands proud at the front when closing, dial slightly in; if it sits back at the rear, dial slightly out.

The order matters because each adjustment affects the next. If you start with depth, you'll end up redoing everything three times.

Check stability before fixing to the wall

Before screwing the wardrobe to the wall (mandatory for tall wardrobes — anti-tip safety), check stability: stand it up, push gently on a corner in the diagonal. Does the carcass wobble? Then the back panel is wrong or the corner joints aren't tight. Solve it now — afterwards it's 10x more work.

Tip: a level laid across the top of the carcass shows immediately whether the wardrobe is twisted. On a properly built wardrobe the bubble is dead centre. If not: shim a foot (with the included height adjuster) or nudge the carcass diagonally into position.

Three pro tips

  1. Skeleton before finish: on the PAX always install all drawer runners BEFORE you fit the back panel. Otherwise you can't reach the rear screws anymore.
  2. Drawer-front alignment: install all drawers first, then adjust the fronts simultaneously — never one by one. Otherwise each front looks fine alone but the lines between them are crooked.
  3. Felt glides: on wood floors, always stick felt glides under the wardrobe feet. CHF 3 from any supermarket — protects the floor and lets you slide the wardrobe later (e.g. for cleaning) without scratches.

If you'd rather skip the hours

A typical 200 cm PAX takes a DIYer 3-5 hours with all the gotchas. We build it in 1.5-2 hours — including drawer alignment and wall fixing. Hourly rate CHF 60, or fixed price by photo. Just write us what you want assembled — we'll quote time and price before the visit.