Flat-pack furniture: what actually goes wrong

Flat-pack furniture is engineered to be assembled once, correctly, in a specific order. Every problem people run into comes from breaking that assumption.

The most common failure is overtightening cam locks. Particleboard has a narrow window between snug and stripped, and once a cam spins free the panel never pulls tight again. Snug, then stop. If a joint feels loose after that, the dowel is probably not fully seated.

The second is assembling on carpet. A soft floor lets the frame rack out of square while you build it, and you do not find out until the last drawer refuses to close. Build on a hard, flat surface and check diagonals before the back panel goes on.

That back panel is the third one. Those thin hardboard sheets are not decoration, they are the shear bracing that keeps a bookcase from leaning. Nailing it on while the case is out of square permanently locks in the lean.

Anything tall gets anchored to the wall. Dressers and bookcases tip, and the anti-tip strap in the bag exists because of it. It goes into a stud, not into drywall.

We build on the floor it will live on, square everything before the back goes on, and anchor tall pieces before we leave. It takes a little longer and the piece stays tight for years.