What a Good Furniture Assembly Job Actually Looks Like
Not all furniture assembly produces the same result. Here's what separates a well-built piece from one that's going to wobble, strip, or need to be redone.
- Cam locks should be fully seated — partial engagement is the most common assembly mistake
- Back panels that aren't fully pressed into their grooves create racking over time
- Drawer glides need adjustment after installation — they're rarely perfect straight out of the box
- A good assembly leaves zero leftover hardware
Cam Locks
Cam locks (the round fasteners that turn to lock two panels together) are the primary structural connection in most flat-pack furniture. They need to be fully rotated to the locked position — a quarter-turn short leaves the connection loose, which leads to racking over time.
You can test this yourself after assembly: push the top of a bookcase sideways. It should feel solid, with no give at the joint. If there's movement, one or more cam locks isn't fully engaged.
Back Panels
The back panel of a dresser, wardrobe, or bookcase is what keeps the piece square. It needs to be fully seated in its groove (or fully secured to the back of the frame if it's a nail-in style). A back panel that's partially in its groove, or that has a bow in the middle, won't hold the piece square over time.
For nail-in back panels, the nails should be driven flush — a raised nail head means the panel isn't fully seated. For groove-in panels, press the full perimeter before tightening the top. Gravity will push the back panel out of square on tall pieces if it's not secured before the piece is stood upright.
Drawer Glides
Drawer slides rarely come pre-adjusted perfectly. After installation, each drawer should open and close smoothly, close flush with the front panel, and sit level when open. Adjustment screws on the glide allow front-to-back and side-to-side movement.
Soft-close drawers need to engage the soft-close mechanism throughout their full travel — if they slam instead of gliding to close in the last inch, the adjustment is off. This is a 2-minute fix per drawer but often skipped.
No Leftover Hardware
Manufacturers include a small number of extra hardware pieces (usually 1–2 extra screws of each type) but not full extras of every cam lock or bolt. Leftover hardware at the end of an assembly indicates a missed step.
Before calling an assembly job complete, lay out any remaining hardware and confirm it matches the "spare parts" notation in the instructions. If hardware remains that isn't listed as spare, find where it goes before finishing.
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