You have chosen the wardrobe. Now comes the question nobody costs properly: who puts it together. There are three routes, and the cheapest on paper is rarely the cheapest once you have finished paying for it.
What a pro actually charges
HomeGuide puts furniture assembly at $50 to $80 an hour in 2026, with a typical job landing between $85 and $200. Angi runs higher, around $90 an hour, with most pieces near $150. Both put assembly at one to four hours an item.
| Item | 2026 range |
|---|---|
| End table | $40 to $100 |
| Bookcase | $80 to $150 |
| Bed frame | $70 to $160 |
| Sofa | $80 to $160 |
| Crib | $100 to $250 |
| Desk | $100 to $300 |
| Dresser | $100 to $350 |
| Bunk bed | $150 to $400 |
| Wardrobe | $150 to $450 |
| L shaped desk | $350 to $550 |
By retailer, HomeGuide has IKEA at $50 to $450, Amazon at $50 to $300 and Wayfair at $90 to $450. Angi notes IKEA assembly starts as low as $36 on the simplest items, though most people pay around $110 a piece.
Book several items together and 10 to 30 percent usually comes off the total, per Angi. That is the biggest lever here and almost nobody pulls it. Furnishing a room? Do it in one visit.
The flat pack maths nobody runs
A wardrobe takes a pro about two hours. Assume you take roughly double on a piece you have never built before. Four hours. Now put a number on your own Saturday. At $25 an hour that is $100 of your time. At $50 an hour it is $200, which is already above what some professionals would have charged.
The sums flip fast on big pieces and rarely flip on small ones. A nightstand is under an hour either way, and paying someone $60 for it is hard to justify.
What really tips the balance is not money. It is whether you finish. Half built furniture has a way of living in a room for weeks. Most platforms now quote from a photograph of the box label, so it takes about a minute to find out what a local handyman would charge before you commit the afternoon.
When pre assembled wins
Pre assembled costs more up front, and the premium varies enough between retailers that you should price the same item both ways. It earns its money when the piece is mirrored, glass fronted or veneered, where one scratch during the build is permanent. Also when you are furnishing a rental you will leave in a year, because plenty of flat pack does not survive a second build.
Flat pack wins on access. A box goes up a narrow stairwell that a built sofa never will. Measure the turn on your stairs before you order pre assembled.
What goes wrong
Warranty is the one people miss. Some manufacturers limit cover on damage traced to incorrect assembly, so read the terms before improvising with a rubber mallet.
Wall anchoring is the other. Tall storage and any chest of drawers in a house with young children should be strapped to the wall, and doing that badly is worse than not doing it. If you are unsure what sits behind the plasterboard, hand this part over.
Packaging disposal runs $5 to $50 when billed separately, per HomeGuide, and is often folded in. Ask, because cardboard fills a hallway quickly.
Which route for which piece
Small and simple, build it yourself. Large, wall mounted, or anything with a mirror in it, hire out. Everything between those two comes down to what your weekend is worth.
Weighing it up more broadly, this guide to furniture assembly services in the USA covers what is included as standard and how coverage shifts by state.
Questions worth asking
Is it cheaper to assemble furniture yourself? In cash, always. Price your own hours at anything above $25 and large pieces stop being cheaper.
How long does flat pack furniture take to build? One to four hours an item for a pro, per HomeGuide and Angi. Assume roughly double for a first build.
Does self assembly void the warranty? Not usually, though some manufacturers exclude damage caused by incorrect assembly. Read the terms on anything expensive.
How much does IKEA assembly cost? $50 to $450 depending on the item, per HomeGuide. Angi reports most people pay around $110 a piece, with the simplest starting near $36.
Can I get a discount on multiple items? Yes. Angi puts multi item discounts at 10 to 30 percent. Book the whole room in one visit.
Who should I book, and what happens if they do not turn up? Ghosting is the most common complaint in home services, so choose on reliability rather than price. InstaService is built around that You can book furniture assembly directly, across the US.
Sources: HomeGuide and Angi 2026 furniture assembly cost guides.