The Short Answer
On our estimates, an assembler charges about £20 to £35 an hour. A single piece usually costs £40 to £80 once the minimum charge is in; a two-door wardrobe on its own is about £30 to £60 of labour and takes 1 to 2 hours.
Big sliding-door wardrobes take longest. The way to save is to have everything built in one visit, because the minimum charge only gets paid once.
Assembly prices by item
| Item | Labour | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Bedside cabinet | £10 to £20 | 15 to 30 minutes |
| Chest of drawers | £20 to £55 | 45 minutes to 1.5 hours |
| Two-door wardrobe | £30 to £60 | 1 to 2 hours |
| Wardrobe with sliding doors | £60 to £120 | 3 to 4 hours |
| Bed frame | £20 to £50 | 45 minutes to an hour |
| TV unit | £20 to £90 | 1 to 3 hours |
| Desk | £20 to £45 | 1 to 1.5 hours |
| Bookcase | £10 to £30 | 30 minutes to an hour |
| Trampoline or garden play set | £20 to £60 | 1 to 2 hours |
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Assembler, per hour | £20 to £35 |
| One item, including the minimum charge | £40 to £80 |
| Taking away old furniture, per item | £25 to £65 |
How assemblers price it
Most assemblers charge by the hour, per person. Take a double bed: one person for two hours costs the same as two people for one hour, because you're paying for the labour either way.
For example, 3 pieces at 2 hours each and £25 an hour, which comes to £150. That's a sensible way to sanity-check any quote: add up the hours in the table, multiply by the hourly rate, and see if the total is in the same place.
Prices go up for urgent bookings, complicated pieces, and in London and the South East. Check the minimum charge too: a handyman's minimum is often £40 to £80, so one small bedside table on its own is poor value.
Assembly from the shop
Some retailers sell assembly at checkout. IKEA's is run by TaskRabbit and started from £33 when we checked in October 2026, priced by the products you buy. IKEA says the assemblers follow its instructions, bring their own tools and fix items to the wall at no extra cost. The service doesn't cover electrical or plumbing work, and kitchen and bathroom installation are separate services. You can add it after you've bought.
I'd compare that against a local handyman when you're buying several pieces, or when you also want old furniture taken away.
Fix tall furniture to the wall
The government's product safety advice says heavy furniture should be attached to the wall to stop it tipping over, and to read and follow the instructions that come with it. If the piece came with a wall fixing, ask the assembler to fit it. I'd tell them what the wall is made of before they come, so they bring suitable fixings.
Getting rid of the old furniture
Taking away the old wardrobe or bed adds about £25 to £65 a piece, on our estimates. Whoever takes it must be allowed to: see rubbish removal for the checks, or house clearance if it's a whole room.
Other jobs while they're there
If you're furnishing a room, the same visit can cover shelves, pictures and curtain poles. See handyman rates and curtain and blind fitting. For built-in storage instead of flat-pack, see fitted wardrobes.
Get flat-pack assembly quotes
Assembly is priced by the pieces and how big they are.
Free, no obligation. We're paid by MyJobQuote when a tradesperson buys your job, never by you.
Frequently asked questions
How much does flat-pack assembly cost?
On our estimates, about £20 to £35 an hour, or £40 to £80 for a single item once the minimum charge is included.
How much to assemble a wardrobe?
About £30 to £60 of labour for a two-door wardrobe (1 to 2 hours), and £60 to £120 for one with sliding doors (3 to 4 hours).
How long does flat-pack furniture take to build?
Most single pieces take one to three hours. Small items like bedside tables take under half an hour; big sliding-door wardrobes take three to four.
Does IKEA assemble furniture?
Yes, through TaskRabbit, from £33 when we checked. It doesn't cover electrical or plumbing work, or kitchens and bathrooms.
Should flat-pack furniture be fixed to the wall?
Heavy furniture should be, according to the government's product safety advice, to stop it tipping over.
How we priced thisView sources (2, 1 official)
Rules come from the legislation and official guidance, read at source. Prices are our estimates: we check them against trade price data, retailer shelf prices and specialists' price lists, then build them up from their parts so the totals add up. Below are the sources behind the page; the trade price guides we only compare against aren’t listed. Where sources disagreed, we've said so. More on our method.
- IndustryDoes IKEA offer assembly services and what is the cost?, IKEA UK. Checked 16 Oct 2026.
- OfficialConsumer products: staying safe (updated 29 July 2024), GOV.UK (Office for Product Safety and Standards). Checked 16 Oct 2026.
