Particle board isn't always unfixable. To be fair, if a wooden shelf on some furniture splits, most folks aren't going to be able to fix it well either. You can

Particle board isn't always unfixable. To be fair, if a wooden shelf on some furniture splits, most folks aren't going to be able to fix it well either. You can still use putty to fix wood screw holes sometimes, though. It isn't like older furniture was always able to be dismantled. It depended on what it was. Bedframe? Sure. Take the legs off of the dining table. And I'm pretty sure you can do this to most Ikea furniture. On the other hand, you'd take the drawers out of a dress or desk. The shelves out of a bookcase. And simply move what was left. That tall, heavy display cabinet went in one piece. That huge desk was still heavy without the drawers, and taking it apart would absolutely ruin it. I'll also point out that fewer people would have furniture if it weren't for Ikea and other flat pack furniture.