ᐅ How much time should be allocated for assembling the Ikea Brimnes?

Hello everyone, I am planning to assemble an Ikea Brimnes bedroom furniture set soon and am trying to estimate how much time I should realistically allocate for it. Specifically, I am interested in how long the assembly usually takes—including building the individual parts like the frame, drawers, and compartment sections—when someone has decent DIY skills but no professional experience in furniture assembly. Are there any typical time estimates or practical experiences I can refer to? Tips on which steps tend to take the most time or what to watch out for would also be very helpful. Thanks in advance!

Hello Felix62, I understand that you want a realistic estimate upfront – especially with furniture from Ikea, it’s not always easy to say, but I’ll try to help you out.

The assembly time for the Brimnes set, of course, depends a bit on whether you are working alone or with someone else. If you’re on your own and follow the instructions carefully, I would plan for at least 3 to 4 hours. The drawers and the frame, in particular, take some time.

An important tip: sort all the parts before you start and have screws and tools ready at hand. Make sure to go through the instructions step by step – this saves a lot of time and frustration in the end.

If you have two people, the time can quickly be cut in half to about 2 hours. Some tasks, especially aligning and assembling larger parts simultaneously, are more efficient with two people.

AMELIE schrieb:
If you are alone and follow the instructions carefully, I would plan for at least 3 to 4 hours.

I find this interesting because the assembly times given by Ikea are usually much more optimistic than the actual times average users need. Do you or anyone else have specific data to support this time frame?

Furthermore, I question the general assumption that a person without professional experience can assemble the furniture within a maximum of 4 hours. That seems a bit underestimated, especially if the set includes several components like drawers, back panels, etc.

Perhaps it would be useful to specify the complexity of the particular Brimnes set to define more realistic time estimates.

Genevieve schrieb:
I find this interesting because the assembly times provided by Ikea are usually much more optimistic than the actual times average users need.

Thanks for the feedback, Genevieve, that’s exactly what I mean. I’ve noticed with other furniture that the official times often don’t match up.

Regarding the Brimnes set: it’s the bedroom furniture with 4 drawers under the bed, a large wardrobe, and two nightstands. So it’s several modules that I’m putting together, not just a single piece.

Therefore, an estimate for the complete set would be helpful – from checking the individual parts, assembling the frames, installing the drawers, to securing everything to the wall.

If anyone here has assembled this whole set before, I’d appreciate any experience you can share, including how much break time or interruptions might be reasonable.

Hello Felix62, I think it’s good that you also mention the actual process itself – sorting the parts and scheduling breaks, which is often the underestimated part.

I assembled the Brimnes complete set alone a few months ago and it took me about 5 hours in total, including some minor corrections due to screws inserted incorrectly.

So I would suggest planning plenty of time and taking enough breaks, especially if you don’t want to do it under pressure. For me, the drawer system was actually the trickiest part; you need to work carefully to make sure nothing gets stuck.

I felt that if I had rushed, the assembly would have been messier and more error-prone.

semuneo schrieb:
I assembled the Brimnes complete set by myself a few months ago and it took me about 5 hours in total

Wow, that’s a good time, in my opinion! I put it together last week with my girlfriend, and we finished in about 3 hours – definitely a great team effort!

If anyone is inexperienced: make sure to allow plenty of time, pay close attention to the back sides, screws are often similar, and there are more pitfalls than you might expect 🙂

And of course, with good cooperation everything goes faster! I think that also means you shouldn’t underestimate the assembly process. Sometimes it’s better to take a little extra time and work calmly than to end up frustrated afterwards.