How Much Does Furniture Assembly Cost?

Mariel Loveland
Written by Mariel Loveland
Updated January 20, 2022
Mid century furniture in pastel colors
Photo: imaginima / E+ / Getty Images

Highlights

  • Most professional furniture assembly costs between $90 and $150.

  • It can cost as little as $40 or as much as $450 per piece.

  • Usually, contractors charge a minimum for smaller, easy-to-assemble jobs.

  • The average furniture assembly cost per hour is $35 to $90.

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Whether you’re building a basement bar or decorating a bedroom with Feng Shui,  the reality of designing your dream room often comes with the hassle of pouring over directions and fitting screws into finicky pre-drilled holes. In your college days, putting together flat-pack furniture was a right of passage—but it doesn’t have to be a prerequisite. Professional furniture assembly is affordable, costing homeowners an average of $110 per piece according to HomeAdvisor. Though complicated builds could cost upwards of $450, most people pay between $90 and $150.

How Much Does Furniture Assembly Cost Per Hour?

Most contractors charge $35 to $90 per hour to assemble furniture. Furniture assembly is almost always priced by the hour, though smaller and easy-to-assemble items may be subject to a minimum fee. These prices can double if the job requires two people, which is often needed for larger furniture. 

How Much Does Furniture Assembly Cost by Size?

Larger furniture pieces are often weighty and complex. Your contractor may even need to bring on an additional worker to help with the job, which raises the overall price. The average cost to assemble furniture by size is:

Type of FurnitureCost
Extra-large furniture$150–$450
Large furniture$100–$350
Medium-sized furniture$80–$120
Small furniture$40–$100

How Much Does Furniture Assembly Cost by Type of Furniture?

A handyman assembling furniture with cordless screwdriver
Photo: Hirurg / E+ / Getty Images

Whether your furniture is trendy rattan or reclaimed wood, the more complicated the piece, the higher the assembly cost. Dressers, desks, and bed frames tend to be the most complex. For example, it takes about two hours to assemble the average bed. Chairs and end tables tend to be the least complex, and may only take a few minutes.

Dressers, Wardrobe, and Other Storage

  • Wardrobe or Armoire: $150–$450

  • Dresser: $100–$350

  • Media Center: $100–$350

  • Bookcase or stand-alone shelving: $80–$120

Seating 

  • Chairs: $40–$100

  • Stools: $40–$100

  • Chaise lounge: $80–$120

  • Bench: $80–$120

  • Sofa: $80–$160 

Tables and Islands

  • Coffee tables: $40–$100

  • End tables: $40–$100

  • Kitchen island: $100–$350

  • Dining room table: $150–$450

Office Furniture

  • Cubicles: $100–$1,000

  • Standard desk: $100

  • Desk with drawers: $120

  • Corner or L-shaped desk: $170

  • Desk chairs: $40 or less (or minimum fee)

Bed Frames

A professional furniture assembly service will charge anywhere from $70 to $160 to assemble the average bed. The more complex the furniture, the higher the cost. For example, a canopy bed can cost $90 to $160 to put together, while a bunk bed may cost more than $160.

How Much Does It Cost to Assemble Furniture Yourself?

Furniture assembly can be as simple as screwing legs onto your brand new couch, which is why many homeowners and renters opt to do it themselves. As long as you have a basic toolkit, it won’t cost you anything. Really, the main draw of hiring a local furniture assembly service is convenience and safety. It may not be worth it unless you have difficult pieces, large pieces, or multiple pieces to assemble.

For example, falling furniture is a real hazard that’s caused tens of thousands of injuries in recent years, particularly among children. To prevent accidents, some types of dressers and wardrobes need to be attached to the wall. If you’re not experienced with anchoring furniture, professional furniture assembly is probably your safest bet. Even without safety risks, you may just want to avoid the hassle.

Furniture Assembly Cost Breakdown

Costs for 3 types of furniture assembly, including seating, tables, and dressers

Because you’ve already purchased your furniture, you’re only paying for labor. Usually, this is charged hourly, though some simple jobs will have a minimum charge. The cost breakdown also includes a tip. You should tip your furniture assembly service anywhere from $10 to $20 per person. If it’s a difficult job or they provided excellent service, shoot for the high end of that range.

Factors that Influence The Cost to Assemble Furniture

The cost to assemble furniture hinges on the complexity of the job. It may only take a few minutes to put together a single desk chair. It can take a lot longer to assemble multiple large furniture pieces with drawers, shelving, complicated structural parts, decorative features, and safety features. The main factors that influence the cost to assemble furniture are:

  • Number of furniture pieces

  • Size of furniture

  • Complexity of assembly 

  • Number of workers required

FAQs About Furniture Assembly

How long does it take to assemble furniture?

Most pieces take between one to four hours to assemble—but it depends on the complexity and your experience level. What might take you an afternoon may take a professional two hours. 

How hard is it to assemble IKEA furniture by yourself?

IKEA tries to make their flat-pack furniture as easy as possible to assemble. If you like assembling furniture, you can probably do it yourself (as long as it’s not a piece that needs to be anchored to the wall). If you’re not great at following diagrams and pictures, you may want to hire a professional.

How much does it cost to assemble furniture from Ikea and Wayfair?

Ikea and Wayfair are two of the most popular furniture retailers that always have some assembly required. IKEA actually has a furniture assembly service that costs as little as $36, but it only applies to some of their products. Most people pay  $110 per piece for professional assembly

Wayfair has a larger range of prices since they carry different brands. Wayfair furniture assembly can cost anywhere between $40 to $450.

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