Please remember that you must decide whether you are going to use our Hints & Tips as we will not be held responsible for anything that goes wrong or does not work out because of them – they are merely our experiences and humble opinions from the last 16 years of retail and we don’t want any angry emails or phone calls saying something’s gone wrong because we told them to do something!!

• Think about what you are buying? Solid Pine, MDF, Rubber wood, Veneered, Chipboard? Remember you get what you pay for-9 times out of 10, the better quality the furniture, the easier the build, the longer it will last etc.
• Despite the instructions telling us to build by hand, we always use a cordless drill, we estimate it saves us at least half the time, however, only use one if you are really comfortable doing so, there’s nothing worse than slipping and damaging the furniture with the drill!
• Give yourself plenty of room - if you're building a wardrobe in the bedroom and it's a bit squashed for example, clear the room out, it’ll be worth it the end.
• Get all your tools together before you start, there’s nothing worse than construction being interrupted because you’ve got to back out to the shed to get a Philips!
• Read the instructions, twice! Sounds daft, but it’s amazing how many people look at the main picture and think yeah no problem!
• Empty all the fixtures and fittings out and separate them all into their own little piles – it’ll make things easier when you need a foot screw as opposed to a handle screw.
• As above, separate the components of the carcass from the drawers (if it has them) and build logically, don’t do half a drawer then put some runners on a side and go back to the drawer!
• With wardrobes, do not glue the carcass-it’s solid enough without. If it’s glued, it won’t come apart easily if you need to dismantle it to get it down the stairs, say if you’re moving house.
• Same goes for the backs on the wardrobes-don’t use the pins provided, use small wood screws, so you’ll be able to dismantle easily if required.
• With drawers, ensure the holes on the back of the drawer face are nice and clear and not full of saw dust.
• When fitting T&G to the back of a bookcase for example-get it all in place and evenly spaced before securing. Widen the gaps between each piece by wedging apart with a flat head srewdriver.
• We put 2 pins each end of every piece of T&G to really secure it.
• Put a line of glue in the slot where the drawer base sits in the back of the drawer front.
• Use a rubber mallet if you have one, if you are knocking dowels etc in and you slip or miss-you won't damage the goods like a normal hammer would.
• Don't close the drawers fully after you've just made them, the glue may be still wet and stick themselves to the runners.
• Use a damp cloth to wipe away excess glue.
• Be careful when opening the box, I've used a stanley knife before now and scratched the top on a chest of drawers!
• Double check the box before throwing it away-nothing worse than a missing hanging rail or drawer runner because it's been thrown out by mistake.
• Give yourself plenty of time, don't rush yourself because Eastenders is on in a minute, mistakes will happen and you'll be back to square one before you know it!
• When doweling up drawer sides, get the sides into a pile so the slots are all facing the same way, then turn half of them round so the slots are facing each other. This should make it easier and save time when gluing the holes and knocking the dowels in. See pic below