Buying flat-pack furniture seems like a good idea at the time, but assembling it is a source of stress for lots of people.
Watch: How to upcycle a wardrobe door mirror
Fully aware of how stressful flat-packs can be to assemble, Hotukdeals, a popular deal-sharing website, created the Flat-Pack Stress Index.
Are IKEA flat-packs hard to put together?
The Flat-Pack Stress Index is a study to determine which IKEA flat-pack items are the most stressful and complicated to put together.
The study involved 100 people who were asked to assemble 20 popular flat-pack items from IKEA while fitted with a heart rate monitor.
The stress levels were measured using two main factors: heart rate and heart rate variance.
The completion rate was also factored in as a measure of how challenging the item was. The stress scores were then calculated based on the physiological data collected and the completion rates for each piece of furniture.
What is the most difficult IKEA furniture to build?
The PAX wardrobe was the most stressful IKEA item to assemble, with an overall stress score of 100, a heart rate increase of 20% heart rate variance dropping by 25%.
The BRIMNES storage bed and HEMNES day bed were found to be the next most stressful items to assemble.
What is the easiest IKEA item to assemble?
On the other hand, the KALLAX storage system was the easiest to put together, with a 100% completion rate and a stress score of only 9.
Consumer expert at hotukdeals Vix Leyton says, “Flat-pack furniture is renowned for trying every element of your patience and, if you’re working as a team, it is a unique test of how much you really like each other, but there is no satisfaction quite like putting in that final piece.”
But don’t let these results put you off flat-pack furniture.
A 2011 study found that assembling difficult IKEA furniture can increase happiness and satisfaction. Dubbing it the ‘IKEA effect’, the results show people value an item more when putting it together.
So even though the PAX wardrobe will be challenging, it will be worth it!
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