How an assembly visit works
- Send the list. Product names and quantities, links, or the article numbers printed on your IKEA receipt. A photo of the stacked boxes helps too.
- Get a written quote. One flat rate for the whole list, in writing, before we start.
- Have the boxes inside. Put each box in the room where the piece will live, with clear floor about the size of the finished piece plus room to work around it. Tell us which pieces should be anchored and where they will stand.
- On the day. Each piece is built square and level, drawers and doors are adjusted until they run straight, tall pieces are anchored, and the cardboard is broken down.
Per item, per hour, or one flat rate
Assembly is usually sold one of two ways. A per-item price suits a known list; an hourly rate suits a job nobody can size in advance. We quote one flat rate for your whole list, worked out from the pieces you send, so you know the price before anyone opens a box. If the list changes on the day, the change is priced in writing before the extra work starts.
Condo deliveries in Toronto
Big deliveries to a condo usually need the service elevator, which most buildings let residents book in set time slots. Check what your delivery includes: some services carry the boxes to your unit, others leave them in the lobby or at the loading dock. If the boxes will be downstairs, say so when you ask for a quote, since bringing them up is part of the job.
Book assembly for after the delivery has cleared the elevator, not during it. Anchoring needs a drill, so in a building with quiet hours we schedule that part inside them and leave the quieter assembly for later in the day.
Anchoring against tip-overs
Health Canada warns that children climb dressers, bookshelves and TVs, and that a tip-over can cause serious injury or death. It recommends anti-tip devices such as angle braces or safety straps, fixed into a wall stud or into heavy-duty drywall anchors made for the job. IKEA’s own instruction is just as direct: furniture must be securely attached to the wall, using the restraint supplied with the product and the right hardware for your wall.
The hardware depends on what the wall is made of:
- Wood studs, found in most houses: a screw driven straight into the stud.
- Steel studs or plain drywall, found in most condo partitions: toggle-style anchors rated for the pull.
- Concrete or brick: a hole drilled with a masonry bit, then a plug or a concrete screw.
If you rent, ask your landlord before anything is anchored. The holes are small and easy to fill when you move out.
Tall pieces and low ceilings
IKEA’s PAX wardrobe frames come 201 cm and 236 cm tall. A frame is normally built lying on the floor and then tipped up, and IKEA says a 236 cm frame that is 58 cm deep needs a ceiling of at least 244 cm for that; a 201 cm frame needs 210 cm. In a lower room, such as many basements and some older houses, the frame is built upright against the wall instead, which takes longer. Measure your ceiling before you book and include the number with your list.
Secondhand and Marketplace pieces
Furniture bought used often arrives in pieces, with the hardware in a bag and the instructions long gone. Send the brand and model name if you know it: IKEA, for one, publishes assembly instructions for its products on its website, searchable by product name. Add a photo of the parts and the hardware, so the quote reflects what is there. Missing screws and cam locks can usually be matched; a missing panel cannot, so check the pieces before you pay the seller.
Fitness equipment and office furniture
Treadmills, ellipticals and home gyms arrive in heavy boxes, so tell us the model and the floor it is going on. Motorized standing desks are built with their control cables routed under the top, and they plug into an ordinary outlet. Office chairs, filing cabinets and desks for a home office can go on the same list as the rest of the furniture.