10 Furniture Assembly Mistakes That Ruin the Piece

The Mistakes That Break Furniture

After thousands of assemblies, these are the ten mistakes that turn a $400 dresser into a wobbly, drawer-sticking, premature failure. Avoid all ten.

1. Mixing cam screw lengths. Sort by length first.
2. Forgetting a dowel. Count dowels at every joint.
3. Over-tightening cams. Stop at the click.
4. Building on carpet. Build on a hard floor.
5. Skipping the back panel. Nail every nail — it's structural.
6. Not checking square. Measure diagonals before tightening.
7. Installing a drawer runner crooked. Measure the height of both sides.
8. Forcing a joint. If it won't go, a dowel is misaligned — back it out.
9. Using a power driver on cams. Hand-tighten; a driver strips cams.
10. Not anchoring. Anchor any piece over 30 inches tall.

The One That Matters Most

#7 — the drawer runner — is the mistake you'll notice every day. A drawer that sticks is from a runner installed a fraction off. Measure both runner heights before screwing them in.

The One That's Dangerous

#10 — not anchoring — is the one that hurts. A tipped dresser is a documented fatality risk for children. Anchor every tall piece, even without kids in the home.

Book assembly that avoids all ten.