I am currently in the process of helping a friend renovate her kitchen. She is leaning towards IKEA cabinets. As a contractor dealing mostly in carpentry I instinctively shutter a little when I hear this because I know the product she likes is made up of a particleboard case and laminate doors. Maybe I’m a traditionalist. I have tried to steer here toward the allwood Armstrong cabinets I sell (for only a few more hundred dollars). But she is standing firm because IKEA has the style she likes and comes standard with “soft-close” drawer and door upgrades which are a pricey upgrade on my cabinets.
So basically I wanted to see if anyone out there had heard anything about the performance of IKEA cabinets or better yet has them in there own home.
How’s the install? – This will be my job
Do they hold up over time or are they more of a disposal/starter product?
ETC…
Any info would be greatly appreciated. I just don’t want to see a good client spend money on an inferior product.
Thanks
Replies
The biggest issue with Ikea cabinets in my opinion is the assembly and the poor method of securing backs. Also, many customers/contractors forget the time involved in putting all of them together and then disposing of the mountain of cardboard and trash it will generate , a lot of the savings from Ikea versus a traditional assembled cabinet can be lost at this stage. If you use glue while installing and properly staple the backs or use another method of attaching them then I think they are a reasonably attractive and solid choice.
If the homeowner is assembling them I think you could be in for a bit of trouble on your install and would caution her to reconsider, also don't underestimate your own time putting the them together.
So basically, I've seen some great looking kitchens that I've put together where I used the Ikea boxes and used different doors or combined them with other materials and site made fillers and they both looked and performed great. However, the assembly time needs to be properly accounted for and one needs to make sure one takes some extra steps for stability on assembly. Also, if you are using their track system to hang wall cabinets the issue of the gap to the wall needs to be addressed and thought of, whether a molding or the like is desired to compensate.
I am right now installing a Ikea kitchen.
1, Whole kitchen fits in the van. 2, Easy to get into the house. 3 hinges and slides made by Blum and work great. 4, very fast assembly after the first cabinet. 5, 25 year warranty. 6, Wall cabinets hang from a rail making easy install. you still need to find the studs to install this rail. They have matching ends to cover this gap.
Things to know. A wide flat crown staple gun will speed up installing the backs. Open with care to avoid damage from sharp edges. Toe kicks clip on, but you could build a toe kick and install the cabinets on top of that. The cabinet comes with legs to level with.
All in all no problems so far and we are nearly ready for counter tops (3 bases left to install). I feel great value for the money. If you can stand the assembly process, real easy!! Like I said the first takes a while to learn the process.
As far as time allow a day and a half to fetch and build. Ikeas delivery service worked out to be very high priced. In my case I ordered on saturday and picked up on sunday, it was quick and easy.
I just put an Ikea kitchen island and vanity in a house before Christmas. They look great, but the island came with a built in sag I could not correct and as a consequence I had to plane the drawer fronts. I think the quality is comparable to low end kitchens you might buy at HD or lumberyard, they just look better.
I have a storage unit with two pallets worth waiting to go in.
The reason we got them was the style and the plainness of them. My wife hates our current cabs full of curves and ogees to hard to clean she says. Since buying them I have seen the same Ikea door style, with the same ikea handles, in the same ikea stain color, we purchased, in several trade mags by other manufactures,
I plan to do a little gluing and stapling to reinforce them.
I don't know how much they stay on top of things at their showrooms but I have never come across a non working door or drawer and on one Sat their stores get more people in them opening and closing things then I can do in one year,
But like said there is added assembly cost.
Wallyo
Edited 1/7/2009 8:05 pm ET by wallyo
cwc09
Be aware that the cabinets are a different dimension from most. A base unit is 24 1/4" from the back to the front of the cabinet with an additional 3/4" for the overlay doors and drawer fronts.
A normal post-formed laminate top doesn't fit on there comfortably.
I've been living with them for two years now and I think they do the job just fine. I do wish I had glued and stapled the backs as suggested above.
I have found two flaws in use:
heat from the oven has caused the hot-glued laminate strip to peel from the front edges of cabinets on both sides of the stove.
and, the smallest amount of water in the bottom of a cabinet will damage the surface. You might think about clear-coating the inside of the sink cabinet. Or being more careful than I was in hiring a plumber. Or both.
On the other hand, I saved $3000 compared to the next best bet. Last fall, I installed a kitchen from the NBB and it was unspeakably bad.
Ron
I put them in my own kitchen coming on 5 years and they are holding up fine. I also used the kitchen base cabinets in my bathrooms with pine doors (Fagerland) and wood counters, they look really nice
Mike
Small wheel turn by the fire and rod, big wheel turn by the grace of god.
Another opinion
I pronounce ikea as icky.
Maybe they have improved, but NOBODY, not Bill or the swede dude that owns icky becomes the richest person on earth by providing quality AND value, but do got good pr.
have not even considered any icky item since first looked at their cr@p 15 years ago, have never been in one of the stores since.
BTW, IMNSHO, friend and customer are an oxymoron, if someone is my friend i DO the work gratis with sure knowledge the favor will be returned when or if needed.
edit ps:Made all our own cabinets, if i did not have the skills, would try to find someone in area like Blodgett that makes them, better quality,better value, probalby lower cost even.
Would love to see Jim respond to this thread - if I were disabled and would need to hire a friend to do something ( with the knowledge that I would pay good in cash vs. future receprocation due to disability) and they 'let' me install icky cr@p, probably would be the end of any friendship when the icky fell apart.
PPS can you tell i think icky is ccrapp with !!!!!!!
Edited 1/7/2009 10:05 pm ET by junkhound
Man you are cheating yourself of those good Swedish meatballs. ; ^ ) Mike
Small wheel turn by the fire and rod, big wheel turn by the grace of god.
Junkhound when you hold a grudge you hold a grudge (as I do) what happened on that first visit to so turn you off? Did you buy anything? I just finished my glass of red wine from my ikea glass under 5 bucks for 6, when one breaks I don't shed a tear just pull out another from the lower cabinet and more on . They break just as easy as 25 dollar glass does.My office has five ikea book cases, though not solid wood they are actual wood veneers on p board. at less they 90 per I could not make something for that material cost alone. We transported them from CA to ID while on a trip. Every bookcase locally in that price range was photo paper on p board.Don't get me wrong you have every right not to like them, but you seem not to have had a bad experience with them. I had a turn off to a local toyota dealer years ago, started talking to him on a real price, told him I had it down to a toyota and another brand. He said when you are ready to buy a toyota only, come in and talk other wise leave. I left brought the other car, now would I buy a toyota yes, from that dealer no to this day I would go else where and that was 15 years ago/ So to have a grudge what is the reason?Wallyo
we put an Ikea kitchen in or house 2 years ago and love it i have a full cabinet shop but could not build the boxes let alone the drawers and doors for what the whole kitchen cost us i also put one in for a client on that kitchen we built risers for the toe kick which i felt were gonna result in less call backs just my 2 cents
noah
We don't have Ikea k-cabinets but we bought a book case w/mulitple cubby holes that we put fabric "crates" full of toys in each hole for our kids playroom.I was impressed with the quality for the money. yes, it's particle board, but the veneers they used were sturdy and very quality looking. It assembled easy and had a very slick feature... an "anti-tip" bracket that was easy to install... the thing was bomber heavy in the first place but I have zero worry that one of my little monkeys will get flattened when they figure out they can scale the thing to get the "good toys" up top.I've read several good things about ikea cabinets... but what I think rings true is that the finished product depends highly on the skill level of the person installing it.And isn't that true of all cabinets?
OK, lets try this again - this time with punctuation and capital letters!
What you had to say was great, the way you typed it would have resulted in alot of red in from my daughters 2nd grade teacher!
;)
Tu stultus esRebuilding my home in Cypress, CAAlso a CRX fanatic!
Look, just send me to my drawer. This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.
sorry i didnt live up to your expectations
noah
At least you use spaces between your words. I have to catch myself, asIenduptypingsentaceslikethisallthetime!
Tu stultus esRebuilding my home in Cypress, CAAlso a CRX fanatic!
Look, just send me to my drawer. This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.
I've put in a few ikea kitchens now, and for the cost, I think they can be a reasonable choice. Once all the cabinets are installed and ganged together, they are pretty solid, and the hardware is good.IMHO Ikea tries to be just a little to cute with their system for installing to the walls...I have yet to use their rear metal corner bolt through method. (it will only work if you have the opportunity to add full horizontal blocking behind the runs, unless you are comfortable attaching cabinets to walls using butterfly anchors or similiar.) Once the boxes are assembled, I take some preprimed poplar 1 x 4 and add a solid hang rail accross the upper back of the base cabinets. That way I can use cabinets head screws to attach them to the wall anywhere I want to. I also never use the rear legs...I hang a ledger along the wall to set the backs of the base cabinets on, and then just use the front legs. For the uppers, it's a mix...sometimes I use their rail/bolt system, sometimes I install hang rails in the cabinets.Ikea's drop moulding for hiding undercabinet lighting is also pretty cheesy, and since their cabinet bottoms and sides don't exactly flush out, it takes some work for it to be even acceptable. (think fine chisel work.)
Joe I am in the process of starting on our kitchen.part one was stacking the washer and dryer they were opposite each other.Part two is where the dryer was we are putting a pantry, I am doing that right now . It is the large 30x24x88. Usually I have no problem with Ikea assembly the pantry box went fine, my problem was the placement of the semi fix shelves, since that cabinet is used for so many configurations, the instructions did not have a sheet on where to place those shelves. Called three different stores two in a nice way said just play with it. The third store said it is either 19 or 20 peg hole from the bottom, and did not know where the third should go even if I should use it. If it was not a five hour drive I would just go to the store and look my self.I found that part frustrating, support with some one with a brain to answer a simple question,No one at the store even mention using the ledger method instead of rear legs let alone sharing legs between cabinets, I may be returning a few leg packages. How do you feel about shared legs?Also when you install a rail on the bases how do you fasten it nails screws through the cabinet side etc?
Edited 2/4/2009 12:45 pm by wallyo
I try to cut the rails ever so slightly tight in the back, so they are held in place by friction, and then I use 1 5/8" piffin screws for fastening (pre-drilled with countersinks). 2 in each side and 4-5 accross the back. I set up 2 drills (actually 1 drill and an impact driver) and it goes very fast.The shared legs are fine...if the cabinets are sitting on a well attached ledger in the back and are strongly fastened through a hang rail high on the cabinet, the legs really shouldn't be carrying that much weight anyway. Nevertheless they seem plenty strong...the key is that the leg platform should always extend under a cabinet side.There are lots of little quirks...sometimes the hinges sag out of the predrilled holes, especially on heavy 2 piece doors in base corners. On those types of doors, even if they aren't sagging to start with, we remove the attaching screw set up that is pre-installed on the hinges with larger thread screws directly into the sides.Just try to see them for what they are on a basic level...cases, hardware, and doors/drawers. There are lots of ways to utilize/install these components into a functional kitchen. Ikea tries to design their systems so that they can be assembled by someone with more persistance than actual carpentry skills...but if ya got skills, bowstaff skills, knun-chuck skills, don't be afraid to use them.
part of the icky negatives is that the local store literally and obviously bought off the local politicians for bucks - politicians even tried to change the street name to icky way but enough backlash generated to kill the change.
Junkhound I can see the reason for your grudge, but just one thing to point out not all Ikea stores are company owned, Some of them are franchises,( I wonder what the fee is) if that is the case with your local store, like me with my local toyota dealer you may want to limit your boycott. What city are we talking of?Wallyo
Renton, WA
think a couple of swede brothers have the franchise
That one is a franchise, but it is also the only one in the area unless you go to Portland, been to both. On Saturdays that whole area at Renton is a mess traffic wise. We usually stay in Renton when we visit Seattle, much cheaper and not a bad drive to downtown.If it makes you feel any better we got our kitchen at the Portland store that is one nice store brand new building right by the airport with a light rail station.WallyoHows the rain today
Edited 1/8/2009 12:28 pm ET by wallyo
Our nearest Ikea is on "Sweden Way". Still better than our new stadium which is the "Save-on-Foods Memorial Arena"
I do like their design software. Easy and fun to use, my 11 year old daughter even helped.Wallyo
We have lived with a full kitchen of Ikea cabinets and countertops for about 24 years. They have held up very well considering the original price and all the abuse they have gotten over the years. And they were a lot nicer than the 1950's site-built junk they replaced. I agree with the guy who said they are a good value. That said, they are somewhat thinner and lighter than most "off-the-shelf" cabinets I've seen since, but that doesn't seem to affect their durability. What frosted me was that we bought them when IKEA first came to the US, thinking that we could replace the fronts when they got worn or we got tired of them. But, our early cabinets were built to European metric sizing, and, later on, IKEA over here went to (roughly) North American standard sizing, changing the shape and dims of all the doors and drawer fronts. So 24 yrs. later, same old doors. Bummer. That shouldn't affect your cabinets, though.
What USAnigel said about stapling backs. It's worth buying a nice 18 guage stapler just for that alone.
I've seen Ikea kitchens that look great, and other that look absolutely terrible. The biggest factor between the two is usually stuff that is common sense to people here at BT. Stuff needs to be fastened properly, plumb, square, and level. It's amazing how these simple concepts escape a lot of DIYers.
We went with Ikea because
1) I could do the work.
2) I could pick it up with two pickup truck loads.
3) The cost was less than 1/3 of a locally made custom kitchen.
Scott.
PS... I like to add glue to the dowel joints.
Particle board and MDF, as we all know, work well for making moldings, cabinet parts, and such. They can be painted very nicely, or veneered to look like real wood.
They are also very good at absorbing water, and when they do, there is no effective method of repair.
I', now "on hold" at a remodeling job in which the HO insisted on MDF trim, laminate floors, and particle board cabinets. Then one of the supply tubes on a sink let loose on a weekend when no one was around.
Almost $10,000 in damages, all to particle/MDF items.
You say supply tubes so I take it these were not braided supply hoses. The one thing not to go cheap on. Just to note a good majority of cabinets sold are p board, unless you upgrade to ply. I have been in million dollar house with particle board shelves in closets and cabinets in kitchens.wallyo
>>"You say supply tubes so I take it these were not braided....."True. And just for the record, I'm not the 'pipes' on this project. The hack that has been doing the plumbing seems to have no idea of how things should really be done. Best I can tell, he looks around his own home (manufactured, and about 25 years old) to determine how to outfit this remodel. And the remodel is in a townhouse, in a fairly "tony" part of town.He had used those cheap gray plastic supply tubes, and he had installed the shutoff valves so that the tubes had to bend 90 degrees. My wife, who works in the field of parenting education and child discipline, said that she would call the leak a "natural consequence" -- something that most reasonable people should expect.And she was correct.
Politics is the antithesis of problem solving.
I certainly hope the "plumber" is insured.
Btw, I've seen extensive water damage with 100 year old oak hardwood flooring and ceiling plaster when a second floor plumbing line broke, causing water to cascade down through an ornate plaster ceiling and all over a livingroom and diningroom. Fortunately the homeowners were there when it happened, and were able to shut off the water at the meter. It could have been MUCH worse.
"Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words." - St. Francis of Assisi
Interesting thing about IKEA is their use of Blumotion drawer slides. I think they have their own spec that results in them being able to offer Blumotion slides at such a low price. Normally, it can cost over $40 per drawer. But IKEA can offer a four drawer base cab with Blumotion for $116.
Interesting thing about IKEA is their use of Blumotion drawer slides. I think they have their own spec that results in them being able to offer Blumotion slides at such a low price. Normally, it can cost over $40 per drawer. But IKEA can offer a four drawer base cab with Blumotion for $116.
Maybe we need to buy our drawer hardware from Ikea. Just remove the slides and throw away the rest.
Funny I was thinking the same tthing.
Now all I have to do is find a store!
Are you guys talking about this http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40107080That is the drawer, damper and mounts. 30.00 for 24 inch wide.When you buy a cabinet from them it starts as a basic box. Then you get each added piece.Example I 24" wide 1 drawer 1 door cabinet you get1 box pack
1 drawer pack
1 shelf pack
1 leg pack
1 drawer front pack
1 door pack
1 hinge packthen order toe kick based on the run of cabinet.One kitchen has maybe 100 packages.So all the pieces that make a cabinet can be ordered seperate some like above you might be able to order on line. So if in the future you what to change the above to a 3 drawer no door you just order the correct drawers and fronts.Wallyo
I've been very happy with mine.
------------------
"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."
One other issue came to my mind.
We have the Adel Birch doors with clear lacquer. It's obvious that Ikea has applied the most microscopic thickness of lacquer in order to keep costs down. While we are happy with the doors at the time being, I'm quite sure that the finish will eventually start to wear through, especially around the handle areas where fingers make contact.
I can live with this, as the cost savings that we realized were massive compared with other options in our area (the boonies). A year or ten from now I'm willing to strip, sand, and buy a nice HVLP setup to do them properly. (Besides, it's nice to have a good excuse for an HVLP setup, no?)
Best wishes,
Scott.
Do not know how far you got with your friend's project but the two of you may want to look over here, I never realized there was a site full of devotees. Help with planing, design, modifications, installs, myths, and inside info.
And yes they verify Ikea's hardware is made by Blum.
http://www.ikeafans.com
Wallyo
I have used both Millcrap from HD and Ikea cabinets for rental properties and customers in the past.
Understand you get what you pay for, they will never compare to a good quality manufactured cabinet (Kraftmaid, etc.) or custom cabinets.
However there is one line called Varde which is a freestanding system, with solid birch legs and birch ply drawers with the blum slides.
Just to reiterate what some have mentioned:
Glue all dowels
Staple backs and consider using masonite instead of the backing pieces provided (some larger cabinets tend to have 2 pieces for the back so they fit into the flat pack box)
Seal all exposed particle board edges with poly (or shellac if you live in Minn.)
Get the proper hex drive for a screw gun, speeds up assembly
I've installed Ikea, custom and factory. In my dreams I would go with the obvious, but for my next house flip project, I'll go with Ikea.I like the post modern style - clean, clear lines speak volumes for the x gen crowd (and that's who's renoing / buying around here). Add in a few sneaky tricks like the ones that have been suggested here (glue/staples) and you're looking at great looks, great function for a fraction of the cost. Really is a kitchen meant to last longer that 25 years? Floors, appliances, countertops, windows are pretty much used up by then. The Ikea drawer systems are superior to the last factory kitchen I put in by a long shot. Fillers - that's the challenge - make sure you've accounted for fillers and buy the appropriate materials when you buy the cabs. Also don't an ikea sink, they suck.Have fun and remember the three Rsssss.
Kraftmade is not that great a cabinet in its self. I have installed plenty of there stuff, and yes there are various levels of it. Basic kraftmade starts with P B sides which I am not sure but if my memory is correct is not even 3/4 inch thick. I would rather start with an unbuilt box I can beef up a bit then an entry Kraftmade that costs more.Wallyo
I used Ikea cabinets for the kitchen in our new home. I did all of the work on our home and naturally we were concerned about the budget. The trade off for my time to assemble vs. pre-assembled or custom built was worth it in our case. For the money expended, I don't believe we could have done any better. We went with the white finish and the beaded look doors and drawers. Some brushed nickel finish pulls from Lowe's dressed them up some. The cabinets were assembled using Titebond@ on all of the dowels, joints and backs. The backs were attached with an 18 gauge finish nailer. The kitchen has been in service for about 18 months and the cabinets look as good as the day we installed them. A damp sponge to wipe them down and they look as good as new. I used deep drawer bases and really like the way they stay organized vs. base cabinets. The adjustable legs on the base cabinets made leveling the cabinets a snap. I also really liked the adjustability of the drawer faces. The upper cabinets rail mounting system is nice for hanging. The hanging rail does make for some trim issues, but they are easily taken care of. The hinges are excellent and make adjusting the doors for perfect gaps a breeze. If you take the time to assemble and install them, I think you'll be happy with the result.
Custom doors for Ikea Cabinets
We weren't wild about the door options for Ikea but most of the custom builders we looked at used Melamine boxes and blum hardware anyway so the quality is about the same. We did use custom doors we went with link removed Walnut, and couldn't be happier, but they do have other options and they guys there were pretty nice. Everything was already predrilled and they even made a custom door for our microwave.
You made the identical post twice here and once at http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/aftermarket-resources-for-customizing-ikea-furniture-165751 . I'm guessing you used other wording the other places you spammed, or they aren't being actively indexed by Google.