Please start this again in the Kitchens Forum for more responses.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/kitchens

Ikea has wood doors too and honestly it is the doors that cost the big $$$ so if you don’t want Ikea just go with a different cabinet company. I do Ikea kitchens 80% of my kitchen designs and still think they are the best bang for your buck and you can’t beat the warranty.

Patricia Colwell Consulting

So Patricia you are saying that in order to achieve any cost savings with IKEA you have to stick all the way with IKEA products? Once you start to do the custom doors from other manufacturers, the savings really start to evaporate?

I'm curious because I too am having this dilemma. I have a plan drawn for IKEA using the Askersund doors whose appearance I really like but am concerned because they are melamine laminate vs real wood.

Did you ever get any feedback from former clients who chose the laminate doors that they wren't happy with the door and panel (not the boxes) product? Thanks.

There is a wide range of cost between different companies that supply aftermarket doors. And it also depends on whether you are finishing them yourself or having someone else finish them. I did aftermarket unfinished maple doors and we finished them ourselves. It's not for the faint of heart, but it wasn't expensive. If I just wanted a white kitchen (or some other option Ikea has available), I would not have hesitated to buy the ikea doors.

jslazart

I'm like you in that I don't want white and I don't want Shaker. Actually, unstained, natural maple is along the line of what I am looking for. What company did you order from? What did you use for a finish on your cabinets? I stained and finished an entire kitchen worth of cabinets 25 years ago so know what you are talking about.

I did Scherr's and finished with tung oil because I live adventurously. We'll see how it holds up (it's only been ~2 months so far.. but so far the spills from my kids and uncoordinated husband have wiped right up).

Some day I'll do a before and after post, but we're still a way off from "after."

here's a blog post listing a bunch of companies that do custom doors for Ikea cabinets. some of them are really beautiful!

https://www.remodelista.com/posts/ikea-upgrade-5-cabinet-fronts-for-the-ultimate-ikea-hack/

also, don't immediately discount Ikea cabinet fronts (unless you plain just don't like the look). just because it comes from Ikea doesn't necessarily mean it's low quality. the only furniture I find flimsy is their super cheap "college" furnitre: anything made with their thin "foil" veneer particle board (such as the Malm or Billy line). anything else has lasted quite well for me. their kitchen stuff uses better materials since they understand that kind of furniture needs to be tougher. I've heard really good things about Ikea kitchens all over Houzz, and this board tends to be full of anti-Ikea people. that's telling you something!

We used Ikea boxes, some Ikea fronts, and Semi-handmade walnut fronts. It turned out

1/3 less than our last kitchen cabinet reno. Semi-handmade was great to work with and very helpful; went over the order with a person/ phone call and helped with an Ikea discontinued item.

We used IKEA for a small studio kitchen in our downstairs which we rent out on Airbnb. we used the torham doors which are really beautiful. I just wasnt sure how well they would hild up to daily use. They r much lighter than solid woI’d. But I agree that the boxes and hardware are wonderful and solid.

My other concern about ordering wood replacement doors, is will It look chintzy when you open the door and see the white IKEA box?

I have an Ikea kitchen I did for client almost 20 yrs ago they have 5 kids now all gone but that kitchen took a beating and they are now looking at downsizing and the realtor told them the kitchen will sell the house. I still think the best is all Ikea then if a warranty issue pops up you don’t have ahuge hassle. You do need to find someone who has done Ikea kitchens it takes some time to get that real custom look with them but IMO still the best way to go. Have you been to Ikea and looked or just online?I have actually had Ikea doors painted for a client and it still was cheaper than doors from another company. Semi-handmade seems to be the best if you go that route.BTW I like white melamine interiors they are easy to clean and you never see them unless you open the door. IMO you can’t beat the upper cabinet install system ever.The red kitchen is 18 yrs old stll looks awesome I ran a catering biz from there for 8 yrs the other is a clients who run a B&B these are wll used lkitchens and all ikea cabinets

julieste, we installed a Torhamn kitchen a year ago March, and we love it. Yes, there's a bit of movement in the wood, so the key is to have low movement countertop, flooring and backsplash, We have floating floors in a dark gray slate pattern, black toekicks, jet mist honed granite (very subtle white streaks, not too much) and 4x16 white subway backsplash with white grout.

Julieste yes we r very happy with the torham. they clean up much better than I expected them to. My only regret is that we put in a very busy formica countertop. we were trying to save money of course but I wish I had done something super simple and solid looking.

Patricia colwell consulting - thanks for the encouraging news about IKEA kitchens! I’ll take a second look!