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What’s everyone’s opinions on IKEA cabinetry?

reddit.com › r › DIY › comments › 16ejerv › whats_everyones_opinions_on_ikea_cabinetry

I'm a pro cabinetmaker. It pains me. Really, really pains me to say this. But I will, because I believe in honesty (and you're not getting a quote from me...) IKEA cabinets are decent, with caveats. As for build quality, unless you're going either high end or custom spec, they're on par with the majority of other things put there that cost a lot more. IKEA has been in the engineered board game for a very long time and it shows. Their business model is one of efficient manufacturing by limiting variances. Limited colours and finishes, limited layouts and options mean they can focus on making a better product, rather than a huge range. They go with what works and stick with it. The hardware is really, really good for the price point. I'll even admit that I've used IKEA hardware in some of my builds (not a full kitchen, but some furniture) when my supplier didn't have what I needed. They also supply parts, often for free. Keep the manual and if you blow a hinge or drawer slide, customer service can likely give you a replacement on the spot. My supplier will put me through hell for warranty, IKEA has thrown me a bag of parts and said "There's probably triple what you need, but hang on to them if you need them". Probably the biggest endorsement I can give is to say that if I was doing my own kitchen and didn't want to make my stuff, it would be my first choice. The quality has improved greatly over the last couple of decades, to the point that I think it has surpassed most of the other "ready built" manufacturers. Most of the people will compare it to either full wood or custom spec cabinets ($$$$$), where that isn't their market. They make stuff for the average person who wants nice on a budget. There are a lot of overseas "wholesale outlets" out there selling solid wood for cheap...but the wood is iffy quality and prone to warping and shifting when transported, the hardware is awful and the finishes are horribly toxic. I would never, ever buy something like that from an overseas seller. Too many risks and not nearly enough quality control. Answer from Zenmedic on reddit.com

reddit.com › r/diy › what’s everyone’s opinions on ikea cabinetry?

r/DIY on Reddit: What’s everyone’s opinions on IKEA cabinetry?

September 9, 2023 -

I’ve seen several posts on here of people replacing kitchen and closet cabinets with IKEA stuff and it always seems like the first few comments are “IKEA stuff is junk that will break right away” and “IKEA is great for the money and mine has lasted a long time”. What has your experience been?

I'm a pro cabinetmaker. It pains me. Really, really pains me to say this. But I will, because I believe in honesty (and you're not getting a quote from me...) IKEA cabinets are decent, with caveats. As for build quality, unless you're going either high end or custom spec, they're on par with the majority of other things put there that cost a lot more. IKEA has been in the engineered board game for a very long time and it shows. Their business model is one of efficient manufacturing by limiting variances. Limited colours and finishes, limited layouts and options mean they can focus on making a better product, rather than a huge range. They go with what works and stick with it. The hardware is really, really good for the price point. I'll even admit that I've used IKEA hardware in some of my builds (not a full kitchen, but some furniture) when my supplier didn't have what I needed. They also supply parts, often for free. Keep the manual and if you blow a hinge or drawer slide, customer service can likely give you a replacement on the spot. My supplier will put me through hell for warranty, IKEA has thrown me a bag of parts and said "There's probably triple what you need, but hang on to them if you need them". Probably the biggest endorsement I can give is to say that if I was doing my own kitchen and didn't want to make my stuff, it would be my first choice. The quality has improved greatly over the last couple of decades, to the point that I think it has surpassed most of the other "ready built" manufacturers. Most of the people will compare it to either full wood or custom spec cabinets ($$$$$), where that isn't their market. They make stuff for the average person who wants nice on a budget. There are a lot of overseas "wholesale outlets" out there selling solid wood for cheap...but the wood is iffy quality and prone to warping and shifting when transported, the hardware is awful and the finishes are horribly toxic. I would never, ever buy something like that from an overseas seller. Too many risks and not nearly enough quality control.

Sorry for harsh lighting - but I LOVE my IKEA cabinets. Six years old and going strong. We get tons of compliments and “that’s IKEA?!?” Comments.

reddit.com › r/ausrenovation › ikea kitchen - tips, regrets and reccomdations

r/AusRenovation on Reddit: Ikea kitchen - tips, regrets and reccomdations

November 12, 2022 -

Hello everyone

I am renovating for the first time. I have a 70s unit with a U shaped kitchen. The cupboard are chipboard and the whole thing is a rip out job.

I am going to go with Ikea for replacement because their style is nice and the cost is low. I am still at initial planning phase.

I would appreciate everyone's two cents on rookie errors, any regrets you've had with Ikea kitchens and reccomdations of specific products when it comes to the design, fit out of appliances/interior of cupboard and choice of surfaces ( laminate vs wood) etc.

Thanks in advance!

Pay someone else to come put a stone top on, it will make any cheap kitchen look 100 times better. Get a local kitchen guy (not a huge company) to come give you a design and quote. Sometimes it's about the same cost or maybe only a grand over, if so I'd go with the custom build (a couple of grand extra on a kitchen may hurt your wallet a little now, but the trade off is worth it) Just my experience and what I've heard from heaps of customers (So many regret not spending that little bit extra right at the start)

This is our IKEA kitchen island and kit/dining run with custom YDL stone & custom drawer pulls installed. Recommend reinforcing some cabinet backs with 3mm ply, especially if moving the centre bracing shelf (we did this for 1.5oven install & for a couple of tall cabinets). We used IKEA cabinets, IKEA drawers (they have German BLUM hardware) & door fronts. We installed IKEA Metod in the Kitchen, Laundry, Dining, Entry & Home Office. About $100k of custom cabinetry (like for like) for $26k.

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reddit.com › r/ikea › ikea kitchen - tell me what you learned?

r/IKEA on Reddit: Ikea kitchen - tell me what you learned?

January 12, 2021 -

I’m planning to replace our existing kitchen and am 95% sure the new cabinetry will come from Ikea. I used it a few year ago in our laundry room and am overall happy with it and am familiar with the build installation process but a kitchen is a much bigger job.

People of Reddit who installed an Ikea kitchen please tell me what you learned? What would you repeat? What would you do differently? What nightmare do I want to avoid?

(I’m looking for advice on any of the steps from design, planning, DYI install etc etc)

Follow instructions that comes with each cabinet, drawer, fronts. There are slight differences between each pieces. Except the plastic legs: put 4 legs on each cabinet bottom and screw them in. It will make your life easier. Tolerances: I have above the fridge cabinet that is 36" wide. I thought refrigerators that are typically a bit (.25") than 36" in width would fit underneath the cabinet at 36" wide. Well.. some refrigerators apparently are fatter than they state. So make sure whatever you measured is wide enough for things like appliances to actually fit into. We had the same issue with drawers in the island and the waterfall countertop-sides :-( I hope you live close to Ikea.. for missing pieces, missing order, additional panels, etc, etc. Youtube- someone else already mentioned Laser levels- like someone else mentioned Make sure you're good with a drill/driver. You need one. You'll ruin your wrist if you only use a screw driver. If you see yourself using a hammer when the instructions does not tell you to use it. Stop. you're doing something wrong. Walls, floors and ceilings will be out of square, tilted, warped, curved. That means cabinet frames will twist, things (drawers, fronts) don't lineup and trims leave gaps. Make sure to carefully measure AND see what is out of alignment before you fix things together. Check whether you're doing too many (I ended up doing too many.. like 50) drawers. They are more expensive (drawers cost more, and you need more handles too) and time consuming. If you're doing an island, you'll need to make sure they are sufficiently reinforced and anchored to the floor. Think about whether you'll install your floors before or after cabinets. You'll need to adjust leg height accordingly. Make sure your coutertop people know what they're doing. Any mistakes there can be costly, and permanent. You'll need to do some custom wood work for filler pieces. You'll need a table saw (best) or you need to be good with circular saw. Wear gloves when opening the boxes. All (almost all) of the boxes are glued shut, and it's easy to get paper cuts from the box edges. They're sharp. This is all I can think of for now. Hope this helps.

I hate the plastic legs and the amount of labour involved in ~properly~ doing it. One mistake and you got to re-do ALL OF THEM - pain... pain.... pain in the butt. A much easier solution, a quicker solution, a ‘you-see-what-you-get-immediately-so-you-can-spot that mistake’ solution is to build a plywood base for the boxes. This thing gets fabricated to proper size, gets installed and levelled as the ~first thing~. You can throw all your pre-assembled boxes including monster pantries on in right away [as it is load bearing] and verify right away - IS THIS MY FINAL SOLUTION? or maybe it’s better to shift it over a 3/4 of an inch....’ - fabricating your own base allows you for quick efficient builds. *edit: I find most practical drawers are 24” and 30”wide. People love the 36” monsters but they invite themselves to be overloaded and then the momentum to open or close them carries you with them....

reddit.com › r/diyuk › [deleted by user]

IKEA Kitchens? : r/DIYUK

May 27, 2024 - For the price IKEA is hard to beat. DIY Kitchens gets great reviews and I looked into them briefly but ikea happened to have a kitchen that was exactly the style I was after so just went with them for ease. Quality is fine.

reddit.com › r/kitchenremodel › did you regret ikea kitchen?

r/kitchenremodel on Reddit: did you regret ikea kitchen?

May 18, 2025 -

The price is amazing, but when I tried the drawers in the showroom they feel flimsy. Is an Ikea kitchen worth it or will it fall apart in a few years? Can I switch the drawers with wooden ones?

IKEA showrooms are more than a stress test. Some people seem to go there for the pleasure of breaking things; they appear to be on a mission to demonstrate that IKEA products are no good. Despite that, stuff in the IKEA showrooms holds up incredibly well for the beating they get. Additionally, not everything at IKEA is of the same quality. They have a low-price range and a higher-price range. If you buy upper-tier stuff, the quality is amazing. Sektion cabinets are not to be confused with Knoxhult cabinets! However, the final quality of an IKEA item greatly depends on its assembly. If the assembly is poor, you’ll end up with something that won’t last.

You could have a 50k custom kitchen and still scratch the doors, overload the drawers and fail to clean-up spills as you slam items in and out. If you take care of them, IKEA kitchens are a great value.

reddit.com › r/homebuilding › ikea: good, bad or alright ?

IKEA: good, bad or alright ? : r/Homebuilding

April 11, 2024 - We did our Ikea kitchen just over 10 years ago. Everything still looks brand new. We are not easy on them by any stretch. I regularly kick drawers and doors closed. My kids are far from gentle or coordinated, etc. The Ikea appliances have all been replaced in that time, but the cabinets are solid.

reddit.com › r/ikea › ikea kitchen

Ikea Kitchen : r/IKEA

March 5, 2025 - We had to move cross country and ended up building a new house and I absolutely HATE the cabinets the builder used. The quality is horrible compared to the 2 ikea kitchens I had and we paid for upgraded cabinets. I can not wait until I can redo it with ikea again.

reddit.com › r/homeowners › is buying kitchen cabinets from ikea most cost efficient?

r/homeowners on Reddit: is buying kitchen cabinets from IKEA most cost efficient?

January 10, 2025 -

i just dont need fancy cabinets.

we just need to redo the whole kitchen cabinets since they are like 50+ years old.

looking for just average quality with average cost of labor to install.

is IKEA a good choice or local shops are better? or big box stores?

I’ve done four IKEA kitchens now. I can’t believe that’s true, but here we are… I love the boxes and the inserts and the flexibility of the pieces. That being said, a few caveats: I would recommend getting white doors only, as we have very visible white gaps behind our blue doors and we’re now trying to prime and paint the boxes to match the doors (eye roll). The first three kitchens had white doors. In our third kitchen, we got custom (white) doors from Scherr’s, which was a great choice and elevated the look. That was a good call. We also had a situation where the whole kitchen was built, but one door was on a mysterious back order so it was about three months without one corner cabinet door. Islands can be tricky - just keep that in mind if it’s relevant to you. Also, would highly recommend building your kitchen with one planner then reviewing with a different one to get two sets of eyes on it.

I just did a kitchen with Home Depot cabinets. They have people on staff who will design the kitchen, and tell you what you need to buy. It’s turned out beautifully, but that may be fairly dependent on how good the designer is? I also paid someone $50 an hour to install the cabinets, so I’m not sure how much they might charge for installation.

Find elsewhere

Google Bing Mojeek

reddit.com › r/housinguk › ikea kitchen renovation - cost and review?

r/HousingUK on Reddit: IKEA kitchen renovation - cost and review?

July 21, 2024 -

To anyone that has their kitchen renovation done recently by IKEA, how much did you pay for and was the quality good?

Our kitchen is 2.92x2.41m so it’s not big at all. Wondering how much it costs you guys, their process and service.

TIA

We did ours 2021, very happy with it. Do educate yourself on the installation process as our hired trader actual did ours wrong to the point it was unsafe (high cupboards coming off the wall). You can do it yourself too if you want, I would if we could go back. We bought a separate solid oak worktop from a different place. I think ours was about £2k all in with appliances.

2.5k with oven. Fitted myself. 2.5 x 3m Tip Dont have high level wall cabinets in a small kitchen. The room will feel and look a lot bigger without them.

reddit.com › r/kitchenremodel › ikea cabinets the good, bad, and the ugly

r/kitchenremodel on Reddit: IKEA cabinets the good, bad, and the ugly

April 13, 2025 -

Can I have some feed back on ikea cabinets? They are very much in my price range but I don’t want to be making a mistake. I have two young kids and that’s one reason I am going more towards “cheaper” cabinets as I think it’s like furniture - don’t buy the GOOD stuff until the kids are out of the house.

So hit me with all the feedback please!

IMO, they are great value for the cost. They use German Blum hardware, and have a 25-year warranty. You can swap out door and drawer fronts if you get tired of the color or style you start with (or if kids damage a door...), and several companies make aftermarket solid wood doors if you want something higher-end. Because the cost is reasonable, you can likely afford more drawers in the base cabinets, which will make your kitchen more functional. We've had an IKEA kitchen for 13 years without a single complaint. They hold an amazing amount of stuff, including a 10-person place setting of glass dishes in lower drawers. IKEA kitchens are TOUGH. I'd use them again if we moved. 100% recommended.

Honestly I have no complaints about my ikea cabinets. If you’re doing them yourself it can be a bit finicky to figure out some of the mounting, but YouTube has some great tutorials. Also try to get them to fit perfectly flush against each other in the final design, since they don’t have great options for spacers.

reddit.com › r/homeimprovement › ikea kitchen installed quote is far less than other estimates. should this be a red flag?

r/HomeImprovement on Reddit: IKEA kitchen installed quote is far less than other estimates. Should this be a red flag?

July 1, 2018 -

We are updating our 1970s kitchen and we got 3 quotes. Custom kitchen was $70k, Lowe’s was $50k, but IKEA was $20k. All quotes included demo, labor and installation. The IKEA kitchen sale is coming up soon and it’s 15% off cabinets so I got to make a decision soon.

Is IKEA really that subpar? I’ve read many positive reviews from them and their local installer. They offer the best warranty, 5 years on labor and 20 years on cabinets if I recall correctly.

Any input would be helpful.

Other factors that allow IKEA to have lower costs include a) they flat pack (box home improvement stores come pre-assembled and that costs significantly more to ship plus you are paying for the assembly labor), and b) fewer options for the frames (both in sizes, styles, and finishes). Quality I'm pro-IKEA; I've built 2 kitchens and 2 kitchenettes out of their stuff. I don't think the quality of the frames is subpar compared to box home improvement stores and the hardware is excellent (made by Blum for IKEA). The quality won't be able to match your $70K custom kitchen. Just last night I stood on top of the peninsula in my IKEA kitchen to change the lightbulb in my ceiling. Having said that there are lots of tips for improving certain aspects of the IKEA kitchens which you can research (or feel free to ask, honestly I don't mind). Installation As you mentioned, the people who install your kitchen probably won't be master carpenters. I highly recommend that you choose someone who has experience with IKEA cabinets and plenty of reviews - do your research, nothing else is as important as hiring someone who has the right expertise. You don't really say what you budget is, but something else for you to consider: because IKEA is a global brand and so accessible a niche market has popped up for custom doors/drawers. Try searching "IKEA kitchen customization" to find companies like SemiHandmade, Kokeena, Superfront, and Plykea. By saving money using IKEA frames you can invest more of your budget into buying some really beautiful face pieces and end up with a kitchen that looks like you paid $70K for.

I asked an Ikea sales person why their kitchens were so cheap and he said it’s a combination of a few things... mass productions... ownership of the mechanisms used in hinges, screws etc But he said it’s mostly because their prices are just off the shelf prices. Where as, competitors price according the max profit they can get. Fair play to them. With regards to cheap installation/labour costs, he said the people who fit it will likely be particularly good at installing Ikea kitchens, but probably aren’t expert carpenters or whatever. Where as most other fitters are carpenters who fit kitchens. Being an expert carpenter comes with increased costs. Fair play, again. For what it’s worth, I installed my own Ikea kitchen. I only paid for someone to cut the worktop, (copper) plumbing and electrics. I fit the washing machine, dishwasher and sink. It took like... 3 weeks of on and off work. But as long as everything was level, it was hard to make a mistake.

reddit.com › r/homeimprovement › how good are ikea kitchen cabinets?

r/HomeImprovement on Reddit: How good are ikea kitchen cabinets?

January 25, 2022 -

Moving into an older house with original cabinets from the 60s which have been painted over way to many times to salvage. The kitchen is quite large and currently doesn’t even have any drawers only cabinets…I’m interested in just doing a full ikea kitchen since it is on the low cost side but the reviews seem to vary a ton. Does anybody recommend them and how have they held up?

Can’t recommend them enough. Most competitors also use the same materials for the frames until you get into the much higher end stuff. I would suggest looking into 3rd party fronts and side panels thought, from someone like semihandmade. Then you could get basically any style/color you want and they seem to be a bit more durable. Also, finding cabinets at any ikea is hit or miss right now, they are waaaaay back ordered on their kitchen and closet components. If you can put off the reno for a year, it would definitely be less stressful. Finally, I’ve read elsewhere that cabinet makers are not nearly as expensive as you would expect, and in many cases rival the cost of big box pre made stuff, once you factor installation in. I haven’t researched it too much because I’ve always done my own installs.

They are excellent. You will not find a better quality-price tradeoff. Especially now since they’re selling painted MDF fronts and not just thermafoil. They’re easy to install so you can do it DIY if you want. I highly recommend getting the 2 hour $40 ikea kitchen consultation. They’ll design a kitchen for you and price it out, with counter tops. It will be 50% the price of a custom kitchen (mine was). they also give a great deal on Caesarstone quartz and will arrange installers if you want to pay for it. Definitely consider it. The downsides are that you have to choose cabinets from what they have. You are limited to their features and colours. All of this might be totally fine btw. You will also need a little bit more trim around the kitchen to fill the gaps as you reach the end of the space. Not a problem. One concern is availability during COVID. Might take a few trips to different ikeas to get everything.

reddit.com › r/portmoody › anyone has experience with ikea kitchens?

r/Portmoody on Reddit: Anyone has experience with IKEA Kitchens?

November 24, 2023 -

I have paid to have Ikea come in and measure my kitchen. I believe this is done by a local 3rd party, but I am not sure. Does anyone have any experience with this service and renovating their kitchen with Ikea? Any tips etc. you could share?

I have already chosen the Ikea finishes and know that I want an undermount sink. However, I plan to get the sink and faucet from home depot instead of Ikea. I will also be getting a 3rd party counter vs. ikea counters.

TIA.

I did a full kitchen renovation in Ikea everything. Did everything myself. Brought all the measurements to an ikea kitchen planner in store, so she made sure I had all the spacers, kick plates, island/wall mounts, gables, molding etc. Purchased everything during the kitchen event, so with the gift cards we got in savings on the kitchen, we bought everything to remodel our primary bath. Installation was smooth and easy, and I'm very happy with the results!

Doing an Ikea kitchen install is definitely doable for a person with some basic skills with tools. I installed one several years ago. I took my measurements ( I was working with an empty room) to the kitchen planner as well. Dom't forget to do a diagram showing precise distances of where the windows and range hood exhaust are in relation to doors and windows and corners. It is also a good idea to verify that corners are square (use large carpenters square to verify 90 degrees.

reddit.com › r/diy › is ikea worth it?

r/DIY on Reddit: Is ikea worth it?

July 12, 2024 -

I’m going to remodel my kitchen and I’m shopping around. I got a quote from IKEA and other local cabinet companies and every local company cringes when I mention ikea cabinets. Are they really that bad?

EDIT: The cabinets in question are 21st century. So I’m asking ikea vs 21st century.

If you're comparing them to custom-built, they're definitely not as good. If you're comparing them to other assemble yourself cabinets, they're just as good if not better. I know people who have used them in kitchens without worry. We have some in our laundry room, living room, and dining room and they're holding out very well.

I'm a builder and I've installed IKEA cabinets in probably six dozen homes. I love them because it's a company I know is going to be there long enough to actually support the warranty, whereas most other cabinet builders are either wildly overpriced or are not long-lived companies. The IKEA flat packed cabinetry, although made from melamine covered particle wood, rests 4 inches above your kitchen floor on plastic legs. If you have a flood in your kitchen that would ruin most base cabinets, the IKEA cabinets will not even get their feet wet. Even plywood cabinetry usually has side panels that go all the way to the floor, which risks wicking up water. Everything is CNC cut and drilled so there's perfect accuracy whereas some cabinet makers are a little more slipshod. Go open the door on a kraftmaid ( highly rated brand) cabinet and wiggle it back and forth and then do the same thing to an IKEA. You'll feel the difference with IKEA. All the hardware is Austrian made from blum. You're only limitations are the door selections they've got, often I'll combine like black or white with some wood color to make a two-tone kitchen. IKEA also has some great ideas in the store kitchens about different ways to combine them and get unique installations. Also notice you can fully customize them with different pullouts and baskets and dividers and so on. Everyone I've installed has never had any failure that was the fault of the cabinetry.

reddit.com › r/homeowners › experience with ikea cabinets?

r/homeowners on Reddit: Experience with IKEA Cabinets?

March 6, 2022 -

I'm closing on a house in a few weeks (🎉) and I'm making a short list of things that must be done. Sitting lower on that list is replacing the kitchen cabinets. At first glance they look good, but they're that first gen particle board-real wood hybrid and whomever installed them in the mid-2000s DIYed it, installing two perpendicular narrow bottoms in the corner instead of a one piece lazy Susan (so you can't access 80% of either cabinet). I can get a remnant, so the counter is just a matter of cost and availability. My question is cabinetry.

Has anyone had issues with IKEA cabinets? Specifically GRIMSLÖV. They're really affordable and beautiful, but the contractor side of me says there's no way you can get quality cabinets for $2k. Am I being paranoid?

I've installed two full Ikea kitchens and I would definitely do it again. Ikea cabinets are very well designed and solid, and have none of the "disposable furniture" feel that Ikea is known for. They also come with a 20 year warranty. But my favorite part is how easy they are to install compared to traditional cabinets. You just install the main rail and all the cabinets hang off of it. The only reason someone should not choose Ikea would be purely aesthetics. Even their most "traditional" style still is pretty modern for a lot of people. But other than that, I think they're a superior choice.

We bought a house that had IKEA kitchen cabinets installed when they remodeled 12 years ago. We thought we'd need to get them replaced sooner rather than later but honestly, they've been pretty solid. They have soft close doors and drawers and they still look modern. Replacing them has moved way to the bottom of our list and we might even consider using IKEA again to update them one day.

reddit.com › r/homeimprovement › your thoughts: ikea kitchen cabinets

r/HomeImprovement on Reddit: Your thoughts: IKEA kitchen cabinets

February 4, 2022 -

Hi fellow reno-redditers! I am going to be renovating my kitchen in the next few months (complete gut and knocking down a wall). None of the cabinetry can be kept, so I'm looking for a solid budget cabinet option - most have told me to check out IKEA kitchen cabinets. What are your thoughts?

In reference to the actual boxes/cabinets…As a professional cabinet maker I recommend them all of the time. I cannot make better for cheaper. Period. Contrary to popular belief, plywood is not better than fiberboard. No professional cabinetmaker uses plywood and for several reasons…cost, warping, and moisture wicking. Plywood is less dimensionally stable and wicks moisture deeper into the material than pressboards due to orientation of the grain. That being said; not all fiberboards are created equal. IKEA uses cabinet grade, 3/4”, coated on all sides, and properly support panels = as good as you can expect. Their mounting and support systems are made so that the actual cabinet does not make contact with the walls or floor, preventing water damage and mold growth as much as possible. They do everything they can to make a solid, lasting system. I haven’t looked at them for a couple of years but the craftsmanship of the Home Depot/lowes/Menards stock cabinets (in my experience) leaves something to be desired. Lower density boards with exposed edges, thinner than 3/4”, unsealed edges that sit directly on the floor, etc. etc. Now, the doors. Doors are the faces you put forward. Doors get used/abused and most importantly…seen. Mdf doors are stable, and beautiful, but are not that durable and cannot be easily repaired/repaired at all. Now, IKEA has fairly stable product lines. If you chip an IKEA door, you just go get a replacement. No real option to repair. As a professional, I build solid hardwood doors. They can be repaired and refinished, but not easily replaced. If you call me to replace a door that got damaged it’s minimum $200. I don’t have door parts laying around. I don’t and won’t build a door that you can get at IKEA because you can get them for cheaper. I build true custom cabinets. Any size, not a range of sizes. Most “custom” cabinet places install production cabinet lines, in custom configurations and use fillers for the difference. You pick the configuration that works best for your space… whereas, in contrast, (as a true custom builder)I build cabinets in your space. I am very expensive. But every space is optimized and every gap between doors is exactly the same.. The boxes I build, however, do not differ from the boxes IKEA offers in any notable way.

we went with Ikea cabinets too (installed 2017) and perfectly happy with them. note, they have various price points (we went with the middle of the line). not sure if they are running promos still, but back the, they had 2 sales/yr (around Jun/Jul and Oct/Nov...you can ask them). partial list of things we love about ikea cabinets: - affordable and durable. - easy to replace if something is damaged during shipping or gets damaged in use (they are still in business and cabinets don't change every year). - hardware (i.e. hinges/drawer sliders) is by Blum (Austria)...very very good quality. the boxes are made in the US and the door/drawer fronts are from EU. - you can make limited modifications to the cabinets to fit your needs (i.e. combining pieces from different cabinets, cutting/shaving, etc). we modified a base cabinet to accept a SS apron sink and modified the bottom to be a knee pressure activated drawer (instead of simple doors)...it's up to your imagination. you can also find a lot of ikea cabinet hack info on the web to get ideas. - exchange/returns are painless. after assembling our tall pantry cabinet and test fitting it into place, we decided it was too wide (visually). we loaded it up (partially dismantled) and brought it back and got full refund and picked up a more appropriately sized cabinet on the same visit. try doing that with other cabinet suppliers...you either will pay again and/or wait 4-8 weeks for a replacement, holding up your reno. - ikea also offers pretty good pricing on quartz countertops because they're are volume seller. just note, if you buy and install right after their sale, be prepared for possible delay in getting your counter installed...just plan (i.e. make appts) ahead and stay on top of your counter install appt. - cabinets come in a lot of standard US sizes so with careful planning, you can lay them out with minimal fill/trim pieces. - the cabinet boxes are easy to put together yourself. the first ones might take 15 min each but after you can knock them out quickly (suggest you group/assemble like cabinets). - initial installation of railings (to mount the cabinets) can be time consuming, but once installed, everything goes quickly. compared to traditional cabinet install, overall, it is easier and faster. this install method is pretty much the norm around the world except in the US/Canada (we still seem to suffer from the 'not invented here' syndrome'). - you can stay all ikea or customize/accent part of your kitchen (i.e. island or top cabinets) by purchasing door/drawer fronts from 3rd party. there are several in the US/Canada who can customize style and/or color. we went ordered fronts and panels for our island from a Canadian company and also provided them with the color we wanted (i.e. paint brand and color). tips: - lay out your kitchen using ikea's online design portal. their app is a bit of a pain to use, but using this will create your order list. spend the $100 or so (credited when you order your cabinets) to get your design reviewed by someone at ikea to make sure you used the app correctly and there are no glaring issues. - once ordered, it took about a week to get our cabinets (unassembled) via XPO Logistics. take inventory of your order and report to ikea anything missing/damaged during shipping. - use your garage to assemble and lay out the boxes. the drawers/fronts can be done indoors later - cuttings from end panels create a lot of fine dust (much smaller than saw dust). do this outdoors well away from doorways/garage and where a mask. Edit: Don't tell folks you are installing Ikea cabinets. Let them see the finished product, admire them, and then break the news.

reddit.com › r/belgium › ikea kitchen

r/belgium on Reddit: Ikea kitchen

August 8, 2023 -

Due to our renovations being much pricier than everyone calculated, we’re thinking about an Ikea kitchen. Would save us about €20k compared to Dovy for example.

Anyone here who has experience? Quality? Service? Assembly service? Let me know!

I have a METOD kitchen in my apartment, all matte black with the best Ikea appliances. Real wood countertop. Paid 7,5k for it, while my neighbours in the same complex paid anywhere from 9 to 17k for similar sized kitchens from the ‘regular’ kitchen stores, often uglier than mine but that’s personal ofcourse. People who say Ikea kitchens are trash because they’re cheap don’t know why they’re cheap. But they’re more often than not better if not the same quality than the regular kitchenboer kitchen.

Bought an Ikea kitchen (METOD) this year with SINARP/HASSLARP fronts and (ceramic) SKARARP counters. Drawers everywhere, induction stovetop, fridge, dishwasher, hood and oven + combi microwave all from IKEA. Costed me about 20.5k EUR. and that included having it installed. I'm overall very happy with it. The sinks I got (stainless steel) do scratch easily, that's the only downside I've noticed.

reddit.com › r/ausrenovation › ikea kitchens

r/AusRenovation on Reddit: Ikea kitchens

November 30, 2023 -

Anyone have any experience with installing an Ikea kitchen? Anything to know? Difficulty? Thanks in advance!

I've built a few and here's a couple of things I've found to watch out for. Judging by your question, I'm assuming you're a new DIYer, so I'm going to say some things that may be blindingly obvious - so please forgive anything that seems dumb. 100% book in well in advance and speak with the Ikea kitchen specialists. They'll help a lot Everything is cut by machine and is pretty damn close to 100% square with 1mm or less accuracy. I'll bet any money that your kitchen isn't. Expect to have to make modifications and make use of filler panels, sealant, and gap strips Speak with tradies BEFORE you build. It's frustrating as all sin to take something apart you spent days building, because you put things together in the wrong order and the plumber/sparky/tiler needs something removed to get behind them. If you're putting tiles in as a splashback, speak with a tiler before you build. In some cases you put the waterproofing membrane and tiles in first to protect the walls - in other cases you may want to put them in last to cover gaps between the boxes and the walls. Get a pulmber to put in the water and drains. You can have the boxes ready to go, even installed yourself - but don't skimp on this bit. Likewise with a sparky - our Ikea induction stove needed a new power line put in due to the extra current it needed. The stove also needed its power line moved and changed as the old (1960s) electrics were not up to modern standards. That involved lots of work that I didn't expect. if you're installing one of those taps with the pull out, extension nozzle (they are great by the way) make sure that the area below that is clear of obstructions. Those taps have a weight on the end of a hose that goes up and down. If there's something for that weight to snag on, the nozzle won't fully retract and it'll look manky. When the pulmber is installing the water, make sure that you pay them to install stop cocks. It'll save you much pain for when things leak, or if you change your mind and put in different taps, or a water filter unit, or whatever. buy a couple of extra panels to use as 'padding' between the walls and the cupboards. That's almost always a better option than trying to modify the boxes, or modify your walls for when things don't quite fit - or you find that one wall is leaning this way or that. take your time making sure the cabinets boxes are square (to each other), level (horizontally), and vertical. Yes, that sounds like redundancy, but it's not. If you don't get this bang on, once you bolt the doors/drawers in, they may not close correctly - or if they do, they won't align right, and it'll annoy you for ever. So watch out for that. the benchtops are good, but susceptable to scratching, and heat damage if people put a hot pot on them The style you have will be out of stock and no longer supported when parts start to degrade due to normal wear and tear. So buy extra kickboard panels and keep them aside - I kept mine under the bench. Maybe also a couple of spare hinges and handles. before you put the benchtop/sink on, put a layer of waterproofing around the inside of the cabinet boxes beneath the sink when sizing for your fridge, make sure it's at least 15-20cm bigger thank you fridge - you need that air gap around it to prevent your fridge from over heating allow an airgap behind the fridge too that goes up and away, to let the hot air behind the fridge to go up and away if you're installing a dishwasher - leave at least a two finger gap on both sides. It'll make it much easier to pull one when something goes wrong. speaking of that, while you have the sparky there, get them to change the plugs on your dishwasher, fridge, and washing machine to the "flat" style side entry plugs and to move the power points so that the machine doesn't press on them when it's in its cubby. This may prevent electrical shorts burning your house down. this is a HUGE cause of household electrical fires - that and overloaded powerboards you have everything already ripped out - this is the best time to do it.

Great kitchen. Installed with a mate 12 years ago. Use their free design service in store. Very well designed & made. 5 stars.

reddit.com › r/handyman › ikea cabinets = garbage

r/handyman on Reddit: IKEA Cabinets = Garbage

August 5, 2024 -

So I just finished a full kitchen remodel and the customer chose ikea cabinets. First off let me say they are very affordable compared to traditionally made cabinets. Now let me tell you how they’re total garbage! In true ikea fashion they come un-assembled in about a million boxes, The bullshit fiber board wrapped in Malamin means you only get one shot. if you realize you did something wrong or backwards good luck getting the screws to go back in and hold a second time. Speaking of screws, the hardware is junk! Had a few screws break while driving them leaving no head and a gap between the cabinets. What a pain in the ass it was to fix that. Also, I don’t think there was a board in the bunch that was cut square! This made lining up the island more difficult than it should have been. As for the suspension rail I found that the easiest part, granted I did study some YouTube videos and I attribute the ease to those.

The customer saved probably 14k to 15k on the cabinets but doubled my labor costs and got an inferior product.

All in all the kitchen looks amazing but I doubt those cabinets stand the test of time. Next time a customer wants ikea cabinets I’ll try to talk them out of it or pass the job on .

Quick note: used hand tools to assemble cabinets. Customer bought ikeas topline/most expensive cabinets.

I’ve done quite a few ikea kitchens, I love em, oldest one is probably 10+ years old when they used older hinges and soft close mechanisms, the house is full of boxes and parts but once you got it down you fly through the install and it’s a 1 person job, hang the rail, build the boxes, hang em easy peasy

I just did a remodel with these. What a clusterfuck. You're dead on about all the extra work. I managed to not damage any of them though but reading the instructions is crucial and also confusing as fuck given the modularity and all the options.

reddit.com › r/homeowners › is ikea a pretty reasonable choice for kitchen cabinets?

r/homeowners on Reddit: Is IKEA a pretty reasonable choice for kitchen cabinets?

November 10, 2024 -

Moved to a new place and kitchen is original (very old) so need to buy new cabinets vanity etc.

Is IKEA a budget friendly choice?

Not needing fancy ones as long as they function.. (the ones we have are like ripped here and there and they are 40+ years old so we definitely need to get rid of them and install new ones)

Sister has had ikea cabinets for about 10 years and I’m impressed with how they’ve held up.

The price for the boxes + quality hardware can't be beat. They have a rather limited selection of fronts/colours but if you can't find something you like, you can pay extra just for that part, rather than spending twice as much on fully custom cabinets or the same amount on shitty big box store RTA cabinets.