It is official – building flatpack furniture is bad for your health. Well, maybe this is taking it a bit too far, but a 2010 Office for National Statistics (ONS) study by Dr Miles Richardson of Derby University reveals some interesting truths. A whopping 23-24 million UK adults (that’s over half of us!) attempted to assemble a piece of flatpack furniture in the two years preceding the survey seemingly leading to much misery, anger and resentment.
More than 40% of people who attempted to assemble flat-pack furniture lost their temper before they finished the job, a survey revealed today.
With the dominance of furniture giants such as Ikea, and the advent of the internet, half the nation owns at least one item of furniture they have put together themselves.
But, as researchers found, the experience of constructing it can make the blood boil. The survey, led by Dr Miles Richardson of the University of Derby, questioned 1,295 people who had attempted to build anything from shelving units to coffee tables.
The results showed that 67% admitted getting into difficulty, 33% misread or misunderstood the instructions and 13% managed to damage the item before they finished constructing it.
Even more alarming is the fact that 8% of those questioned had injured themselves and a proportion required medical attention following their attempt to assemble furniture.
Dr Richardson estimates that this equates to hundreds of people every year seeking medical help for injuries caused by flat-pack furniture.
“This is the most comprehensive study ever carried out in this area and it makes interesting reading,” Dr Richardson said.
“Although there has been plenty of anecdotal evidence that people can find assembling self-assembly products difficult, the level of errors and accidents has been unknown until now.”
Despite the problems – and apparent danger – associated with flat-packs, they remain popular and are often cheaper than pre-built alternatives.
Some 49% of people even said they found it satisfying to finish the final product and 35% claimed to have enjoyed the experience once it was over
Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2006/11/21/flatpack-rage-is-scientific-fact-399720/#ixzz3b8bQBehZ
One minute you could be ordering a chest of drawers, which looked perfectly constructed in the online photo; next minute your bedroom floor is littered with wood, screws and instructions which appear to be written in a strange and sinister hybrid language which resembles Chinese.
But fear not… If you want your weekend back and your sanity, why not let me Tameside Handyman – John Sweet do the flatpack tango for you.
I cannot promise I won’t get frustrated with the incredible Chinese plan that comes with some of these packs but hey let me deal with that 🙂
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Kitchen Tap 11 – Specification | |
---|---|
Aerator | Replaceable Aerator |
Brand | Essentials |
Colour | Chrome |
Connection Type | Compression |
Control Type | Double Lever Control |
Gravity Fed Systems | Suitable for Gravity-Fed Systems |
Height To Spout | 216 mm |
Hose Bore Size | 6 mm |
Hose Diameter | 10 mm |
Hose Length | 360 mm |
Hose Supplied | Supplied with Flexible Tap Connector |
Manufacturer Guarantee | 10 Year Manufacturer’s Guarantee (T&Cs Apply) |
Maximum Bar Pressure | 5 bar |
Minimum Bar Pressure | 0.1 bar |
Model No | 33A |
Mount Type | Deck-Mounted |
Pack Size | 1 |
Parent Colour | Chrome |
Pieces in Pack/Case | 1 |
Pressure Suitability | Suitable for High & Low Pressure Systems |
Product Depth | 229 mm |
Product Height | 327 mm |
Product Type | Dual-Lever Mono Mixer Kitchen Tap |
Product Width | 140 mm |
Spout Reach | 193 mm |
Spout Type | Swivel Spout |
Tap Handle Type (Kitchens) | Dual Lever |
Tap Style | Mono Mixer |
Valve Type | 1/4 Turn |