I have hired someone from HomeAdvisor to come to my house and assemble a table I bought. When they come and do the work, am I expected to tip? How much is recommended?
In the US, don’t you tip all service providers? (we don’t, over here). If HomeAdvisor is an organisation and the person an employee, I’d tip. If HomeAdvisor is a service-finding “thing” and the person is self-employed, then I’d just pay the agreed fee. Either way, if they turn up on time, do it efficiently and don’t wreck anything, I’d be inclined to give them a few dollars out of relief. 
Anyone who has ever “Ikea-ed” knows the grief they’ve saved you.
NO! Tipping has gotten out of hand, IMO. Tradesmen do not get tips. If they are assembling furniture, it’s because that’s what they are paid to do. Would you tip a plumber to unplug your toilet?
I might if it wound up entailing him standing in 4 feet of feces in a lift station for 2 hours
You can if you want. The time involved, how long it takes him, and how much he gets paid should be the determining factors, you probably don’t know the last part but it’s a pretty good assumption that it’s not much.
What did you EAT?
Only if there were alligators, and then. . .maybe.
I always do, but it’s probably not necessary. I usually give them a $20, but I’m a sucker for such things, so take that into account. It’s just money, and maybe it makes someone’s day a little better.
If they are also the delivery guys, yes.
You can hire people to assemble flat pack furniture?
I would have never expected any consumer demand for this service.
Tip if you want. Just as well spread the easy money around.
Maybe I should look into a side line job. 
Assembling flat pack furniture is a no brainier and fun. Getting paid would be gravy.
HomeAdvisor is a “service-finding ‘thing’.” It’s possible that the person who assembled the furniture was self-employed or just doing what his employer told him to do.
But, I don’t see why that matters. There is a trend towards “gig economy” work, like with Uber or Lyft. Their drivers are all technically self-employed independent contractors but the reality is that drivers make very little money and generally, once expenses are taken into account, they likely earn less than minimum wage before tips. Tipping them seems like the decent thing to do. I’m not sure why their technical employment status should make any difference in my decision to tip. Most cab drivers are self-employed. The custom is to tip them regardless.
Huh, I’ve never even heard of a furniture assembler. It has never even occurred to me that someone might want such a service. If you’ve got enough money to hire someone to put together your table, why not just buy an actually built table? The world has become a strange place. As for tipping, I wouldn’t think so. You don’t tip a plumber or a cable repair guy or a refrigerator deliveryman. Isn’t a tip about promoting above-par service? How exactly could a table be put together both correctly and sub-par? It’s either put together correctly or it’s not, it would seem that would be part of the service agreement and no tip is really necessary. I don’t know though, I’m just taking a stab at it. If he’s self-employed, that makes it even stranger since he sets his own rates and thus isn’t part of the whole ‘shifting the wage cost onto the consumer trend’ that we seem to have all fallen for.
Assembling your first bookcase and end table is a rite of passage for college students.
It’s up there with eating ramen noodles and cramming for exams.
My wife and I first house had a lot of flat pack furniture. We assembled it, painted the rooms, and shampooed the carpets. Just like most newlyweds starting a new life.
I certainly DO tip the refrigerator deliveryman, and the people who deliver washers, dryers, and other big items. I don’t consider them to be tradespeople. They are making very low wages doing unskilled work and it makes a huge difference to me if they are pleasant, considerate, and careful. I usually tell them to have lunch (or a six-pack) on me.
Cool story, Bro! You do realize that there are people out there without the tools or ability to assemble their own furniture.
The hex key is included with flat pack furniture.
I understand the first project people assemble can be intimidating. It’s best to start with an end table or bar stool. Something one person can do.
Bigger projects take more time and a 2nd person to hold things while you start the screws.
It sounds like your experience is limited to flat pack furniture. A simple stroll through a quality furniture store might expand your mind to the possibility that other types of furniture exist, which are likely more difficult to assemble. And again, there are people out there living with a disability or maybe just age, that may not have the ability to put together their own furniture. If the OP falls into one of those categories I’m sure he/she really appreciates your condescending “no brainer” attitude.
Maybe order from places that pay their drivers a living wage. Appliance deliverymen average about 15 an hour, roughly the same as Fedex drivers (Well below UPS though. Support your local union.) Some are Teamsters, though it’s getting rarer unfortunately. If you want to tip them, by all means do so. I don’t begrudge them the extra cash. I’m just not sure it’s required.
I WOULDN’T buy quality furniture that requires assembly. It’s the factories job to assemble it. That’s why I pay a premium price.
I know some furniture is assembled at the store and then offered on the showroom. But, the consumer sees a finished piece of furniture for sell. It’s purchased and delivered to the home.
Flat pack furniture is cheaper because it’s in compact boxes and costs less to ship. They design it for the average person to assemble. IKEA has made a fortune selling this stuff. They put a lot of thought into making this stuff easy to assemble. It’s their entire business model.
This. Always this.