Dismantling Ikea/Flat Packed furniture?

gimpymoo

Is it better to just buy new ones once weve moved?

I just have a feeling that if I take it apart, it wont be the same once its put back together.

lynzpower

why would you take it apart? We have some ikea bits but we wont be taking them apart for moving they'll just go into the back of the van with everything else

HugoSP

I have dismantled flat pack furniture for transport before.

If you try to dismantle it as it was put together you should be OK. The main problems you'll have are pins and glued joints.

Pins are best removed by gently tapping the hardboard/plywood that they hold in until they are slightly loosened and then finish removing them with a pair of pliers.

Glued joints are best dealt with as follows. Undo all mechanical joints supplementing them and then gently tap the panels apart. If necessary yuse pieces of 2 x 1 timber as drifters. The PVA will give, but watch what you're doing as its possible that the PVA bond may be stronger than the wood around it. You really don't want to remove chunks of wood around the holes.

silvercar

If you don't plan on dismantling, check that what you have fitted together will actually fit out through the door. We had a wardrobe, assembled in the room, that wouldn't make it round the stair corner.

real1314

some self assembly item will not stand up too well to being moved whilst built- I'd be espcially carefull with wardrobes where the distance between corners/shelves can be up to 6 foot and therefore there's a risk that twisting will affect the fixings.

Tables are a lot easier to move if the legs come off easily.

Anything with glued joints would probably be best left built though - bearing in mind that I wouldn't expect anything above the size of a 3 drwr chest to be built this way.

Alan_M_2

I had three Ikea wardrobes that wouldn't go around the stairs corner, dismantled them, made sure it was all bagged up and taped to each relevant bit and they went back together like new.

I know Ikea isn't exactly chippendale, but the basic furniture is such good value for money you can't knock it.

gimpymoo

silvercar wrote:

If you don't plan on dismantling, check that what you have fitted together will actually fit out through the door. We had a wardrobe, assembled in the room, that wouldn't make it round the stair corner.

Thats the reason ive had to dismatle it. Narrow stairs with a corner at the bottom.

Have took them apart OK.

Will see if they go tohether.

silvercar

gimpymoo wrote:

Thats the reason ive had to dismatle it. Narrow stairs with a corner at the bottom.

Have took them apart OK.

Will see if they go tohether.

At least your ahead of the game, we realised it wouldn't turn the stair corner when it got stuck!

jobbingmusician

Good luck for tomorrow, gimpymoo!

Doozergirl

Having moved three times this year I can categorically state that Ikea furniture will manage one house move quite happily but will fall to pieces on the second time. :wall:

Alan_M_2

Three times in a year, damn, you're a glutton for punishment:)