40" uppers would be okay! There's even enough room to add a skinny cornice molding piece that ikea makes to match the doors. I have also seen 30" wall cabs with 8 ft ceilings that don't go all the way to the ceiling. you can finish them off with the cornice piece or your own large crown molding solution!

The general rule of thumb is that the bottom of wall cabinets should be about 53"-54" above the finished floor. This leaves about 2-3" of space above the cabinets for a valance and crown molding. Incidentally the 40" height of the IKEA "Sektion" wall cabinet is about the same as the previous "Akurum" kitchen line (which was 39.25" high) , of which I have installed dozens, many of which you can see on my Houzz page. I always use a decent-sized crown molding across the top.

Try not using the upper/lower paradigm. Try using some full-height units, and have some areas in the room which have only lower storage. Personally I would stay away from crown.

This post is a little old, so I'm not sure if you still need info. or not. We installed Ikea's 40" cabinets and the shortest wall is 8ft. 3in. It looks great! Now our ceilings do vault a little, so that does make the space feel a little bigger. We did not use any crown molding.

My uppers must be at the ceiling which means I have to install the rail, then hold the cabinet up and install the clip from inside. I make sure the doors don't hit anything on the ceiling. Then I caulk carefully at the top and paint the caulk ceiling color. I still get a big space behind the cabinets to run LED and other wiring which is hidden by end panels.

I thought about recessing the rail into the wall so the sides are actually flush, but I'm using the end panels anyway and would have to trim them, so nothing gained.

If your ceiling is out of level you will be in trouble since the cabinets must be installed level. We're the ceiling 1" out of level you would be 1" away from the ceiling at the highest point and 2" at the lowest point. You would need to level the ceiling first for this to look right. There are better made framed cabinet lines that will cost no more than IKEA that will come in the more appropriate 36" high size. Then a two piece crown molding will hide however off level the ceiling is. DIYers and Houzzers love IKEA but there truly are better made alternatives at least in the United States.

My 7'-6" ceiling has a dropped rim and a light trough in the center. The dropped rim is at 84.3" and the ceiling, walls are all quite plumb, straight and square. They were made that way 30 years ago on purpose to be able to install custom face frame cabinets flush to the ceiling with no crown molding or trim. Those expensive cabinets are still emitting phenol formaldehyde and are coming out.

With the 7' ceiling and 30" uppers, I have a perfect 18" open over the countertop. I am taking advantage of this nice flat ceiling.

Meanwhile, I have spent hours online for months. I would love to buy USA made custom cabinets or even stock cabinets, but any "better framed cabinet line" which has come anywhere near the cost has neither had the cabinet types or geometries close to fitting my needs. I have selected the IKEA Sektion with dark boxes, Tingsryd doors and end panels.

@carlpete for your height 30" wall cabinets work well. Although there will still be framed cabinetry lines with the cabinets assembled in the US and most of the parts coming from Asia that will be better made than IKEA. IKEA is fine though, and for modern door styles it is probably the way to go.

But more traditional door styles will look the same and be more durable in a framed over a frameless line. The 40" high IKEA wall cabinets in more traditional styles usually create problems, look worse and are less durable than some of the alternatives manufactured in Asia and assembled in the US.

Custom cabinetry is double the price of any of these choices so really a completely different animal.

So, @MaineLineKD ;) you agree that my [karlpete actually] choice is optimum for my type of cabinet, door and installation, is reliable and the lowest cost (half of custom cabinets). In that case, I do not understand why you keep picking on exceptions which do not relate to my choices except to knock IKEA. If you have a constructive suggestion on how to match my costs and choices in stock or other USA cabinets, I would be the first one to sign up for it.

No you could buy better made cabinets for the same price as IKEA. Even so IKEA is better suited to your needs that the person posting. Custom cabinets are way out of the price range of cabinetry at this lower price point.

Main Line Kitchen Design, Ikea cabinets come with a 20 year warranty. All the comments that I have heard online and from friends or acquaintances corroborate that IKEA cabinets are manufactured well and perform as well or better than their more expensive counterparts. This is NOT the case for other IKEA furniture but it IS the case for IKEA kitchen cabinets. The choices of design you can access with custom cabinetry are more varied but the price difference may or may not be justified for some savvy customers. Furthermore, there are alternatives for different design choices. Some cabinet companies and/or woodworkers are building cabinet doors for IKEA boxes and coming up with beautifully designed high end semi-custom kitchens.

I am currently installing an Ikea Sektion kitchen and the boxes are clearly marked made in the USA, where one nails the backboard to the cabinet box. I have not yet looked at the doors.

I am having the same issue. We have 8ft ceilings and the 40" cabinets don't leave enough room for crown (which we would really like to do) and the 30" cabinets leave too much space. We can slide the 30" cabinets up a bit, but then it doesn't line up with the pantry cabinet. Any suggestions?

Why can't you slide the 40" cabinets down an inch or so when you mount them? Or, are you saying that if you use the 90" high pantry cabinet with the 40" cabinets it doesn't allow enough room for the type of crown trim you want to use?

Hi @julieste,

Yeah, it won't line up with the 90" pantry if we shift it down and also not leave a lot of space between the counter and the upper. Right now with no molding and the 40", there is about 16" from the counter to the upper when you include the valence for the under cabinet light etc. I think they recommend 18" so we are already a tad lower. I really wish they made 36" cabinets...

@Shayla G I am having the EXACT same problem designing my new kitchen. Did you make a decision and have you installed your cabinets yet?

Very curious what everyone did to finish the top. I have .5 inch on one set and 1.5 inch on the other set.

@Linda Dunn we have the same problem. Hoping someone helps you out.

@Katie Richardson sorry this is so late, I didn't get a notification that you replied to my post. We went with the 40" uppers and ended up doing 2" (approx) "crown". We used the ikea lerhyttan deco strip and painted it white because we liked that one better than the one that matched our cabinets. We also cut down the valence so it wasn't so thick to give us more counter clearance and also made it look a little more even with the thinner crown.