How much does a furniture assembly service cost?

People hire pros to help assemble beds, desks, tables, chairs, bookshelves, entertainment centers, coffee tables, outdoor furniture, and playground sets. Most professionals can get the job done regardless of the type of furniture piece and whether the instructions are available or not. Many furniture assemblers also offer pickup and delivery of furniture and disassembly services.

Assembling furniture is a pain, so why not hire a professional to do it for you? Before you hire someone, there are a few things you should know — let’s break it down (pun definitely intended).

Some furniture assemblers charge by the piece, with a flat rate for each item. This type of pricing is especially common with Ikea furniture and other commonly assembled items that the pro can confidently approximate the time needed.

Many handymen and furniture assemblers charge hourly rates for their services. Therefore, the more time an assembly project takes, the higher the cost.

Some companies charge for a minimum number of hours, so it pays to plan ahead and have multiple furniture assembly jobs done at one time.

Here are some examples of hourly rates:

• 123Assembly in Chicago, Illinois: $75 per hour and the company will negotiate an agreed-upon bulk fee for larger assembly projects
• Creative Magnificence in Milpitas, California: $70 – $90 for the first hour, depending on how complex the project is, and $9 – $11 for each additional increment of 15 minutes

In addition to the hourly rate and per-piece pricing structure, several factors can affect the overall cost of furniture assembly services. These factors include minimum fees, your geographic location and travel fees.

Minimum fees.

Furniture assembly pros may charge a minimum fee for their services. For example, a professional may typically charge $30 to assemble a nightstand but will charge a higher minimum rate even if there are no other items to be assembled. The minimum fee helps the pros cover operating costs such as time, gas, transportation and so on.

Travel fees.

Travel is generally included in most furniture assemblers’ flat rates or hourly pricing. However, some may charge an additional fee if a customer’s home or office is outside the professional’s standard service range. For example, Handy G Flat Package Furniture Assembly charges a $15 travel fee for extra far distances.

This additional cost helps cover the assembler’s time and transportation expenses traveling to and from the job site. 

Location.

Depending on where you live, the average price for furniture assembly will fluctuate. This is mostly because labor costs vary from city to city.

Ikea designs and packs furniture for easy installation. With the tools and instructions provided, you can easily install a piece of Ikea furniture with little prior experience.

However, when you’re assembling more than one piece, or a complex item like a sofa or bed, installation hours can add up and you’re left frustrated and tired. The majority of furniture assembly professionals are familiar with Ikea’s products and can assemble your boxed items with ease.

There are a few steps you can take to ensure you hire furniture assembly professionals who are right for the job. For example:

• Determine your budget. Figure out how much you have to spend on professional furniture assembly services. Knowing your budget will help determine what pieces you can afford to have assembled.
• Check out multiple companies. Not all furniture assembly services are created equally. Some companies may specialize in larger pieces or office furniture, while others may provide home services in your own living room. Figure out your needs and shop around.
• Get personalized cost estimates. Always seek price quotes from several pros before hiring someone. Give the pro details about your furniture or even send them a photo so they can give you an accurate quote before they arrive.
• Read reviews. Read their online customer reviews to make sure you're choosing the right furniture assembler or handyman for the job. Even if they're less expensive, you don’t want to entrust your new piece of furniture to a company known for doing shoddy work. You'll thank yourself in the long run.

For more tips on smart hiring, see Thumbtack's safety page.

Hiring a professional furniture assembly service is relatively low-cost, but there are still ways you can save money.

• Ask if there are discounts. Some furniture assemblers offer seasonal specials and year-round price reductions for groups such as military members, seniors, and students. It never hurts to ask.
• DIY it: If the piece doesn’t look particularly difficult or complicated to put together, consider trying to put it together yourself to save some cash.
• Plan to have multiple items assembled. To avoid getting slapped with a minimum fee charge for assembling only one item, plan to have the furniture assembly professional put together multiple pieces in one trip. You'll get more bang for your buck.

Assembling furniture is time-consuming, difficult and overall a total pain. From frustrating and complicated instruction manuals to lifting awkward, heavy boxes, it’s enough to make you not want to buy new furniture at all. That’s why it’s a smart move to hire a professional furniture assembler or handyman to do the heavy lifting for you (literally).

When you hire a professional, you can relax while your new furniture is being assembled and installed with the utmost care — and even focus your valuable time back onto other things.

To furniture assembly professionals, even the most complicated pieces come easily to them. Professionals also have comprehensive toolboxes, containing that wrench or screw that mysteriously went missing from the box. 

Not only will hiring a pro save you time — it will preserve your sanity, too.