How do you feel about Ikea kitchen?

12 years ago

I am a big Ikea fan. I love to assemble and hack ikea furniture. All my furniture in my condo are from Ikea. Now that we are planning of a new kitchen. I want to use ikea kitchen too. However, ikea is definitely not the contractor's cup of tea.

Our contractor points out the following problem:
1. quality-- particle board does not do well with moisture
2. chemical emission--mostly from glue.. particle board mean comparatively more glue than plywood
3. versatility--as many size of cabinet ikea has, it does not work well with odd space.

On my end, base on the experience I have with ikea. I have the following different opinions:
1. Quality. Ikea kitchen offer 25 years warranty of their kitchen cabinet system. If the installation is done correctly, which I intend to hire ikea to do the installation, my cabinet will be covered for the next 25 years. My current kitchen is not ikea. it is about 8 years old plywood with high gloss laminate. there are bubbles shown in the baseboard and the side board already. Maybe the cabinet is poorly made? I don't know. But I have no warranty what so ever. If it is an ikea kitchen and the baseboard is bubbly. I can just take it back to ikea and get a new one. If my cabinet is expended due to moisture, I will take it back and get a new one. My comfortability with assembling and taking apart ikea product is quite high. I can see myself doing all the work.

2. Chemical emission. Something I never consider before. It does worry me. So I went online and did some researches. Here're some online articles I found:
http://ikeakitchenhelp.blogspot.ca/2012/10/about-ikea-cabinets.html
http://binkiesandbriefcases.com/building-the-dream-cabinet-considerations-ikea-edition/
http://www.naturalstep.org/en/usa/ikea

Apparently, Ikea's has a tight chemical emission control. I feel comfortable with its standard. On the other hand, how do i know if other cabinetry has following these standard? How do I know if their cabinet does not have high chemical emission?

3. Versatility. I don't think anyone will doubt how great the kitchens look in an ikea showroom. There are lots of different cabinets to choose from and lots of configuration can be resulted from it. But I also understand, the showroom kitchens look great because the room is designed around the kitchen configuration. That's why the spaces always look perfectly customize. In reality, the size of the kitchen is limited by the design and floor plan of the house. There will be odd space, like the 11 inches next to the kitchen. In my current home, I hacked a 12" width cabinet to 11". Problem solved.

In my new kitchen, I actually design the floor plan around the kitchen configuration. I don't foresee odd spaces.

So what do you think about Ikea kitchen cabinet?

Featured Answer

PRO

Prime Renovations, Inc.

12 years ago

I cannot say enough about Ikea kitchen cabinets. I used to think Ikea was just another 4 letter word until I was introduced to a person who designed, customized and install Ikea cabinets.

Many of my clients have come to the conclusion that they can have somewhat of a custom kitchen and spend the money that is saved on better appliances or anything else they might want

If you look at my website www.primerenovationsnyc.com under gallery and kitchens more than 1/2 are Ikea.

The designers and architects that we work with have also embraced Ikea and are using it for several of there clients as well

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Comments (11)

PRO
OnePlan
12 years ago
If you hire a good designer to plan your ikea kitchen to suit you and the room this will be money well spent !

Your contractor is maybe trying to steer you into using products that he's more familiar with for the same reason that you are sticking with ikea - because you've found a product / store that you love ! It's just a shame that the store/ product he loves is a different one to yours !!! Doesn't mean his is better or your is worse - they are just different !
If he's a good contractor there's no need to fall out with him about it - just thank him for his advice and views and say that you will take what he has said on board and consider carefully ! ( which by your research you have !)
Good luck with it all !!! :-)
PRO
Linda
12 years ago
I don't find IKEA kitchens to be a great deal. Their prices are reasonable, but not that much less than other cabinet sources by the time you figure transportation, assembly, and adding all the desired features. The quality is acceptable for ordinary use, but nothing to shout about. For a similar price point, I would use flat pack cabinets built from all plywood like those at Cabinets to Go which are so much easier to assemble and sturdier as well.
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hayleydaniels
12 years ago
When we had our new countertop and sink installed recently, I was talking to the installer about cabinets and that ours are from a big box store with oak doors and end panels. He commented on what great shape they're in after almost 20 years, and was mentioning how many Ikea cabinets he sees that are falling apart after 4 or 5 years.
PRO
Swedish Home Design & Delivery
12 years ago
In my opinion IKEA makes very good products at fantastic prices. The final product is a direct reflection of the time and talent used in the assembly.
Take your time and assemble the furniture correctly. If the assembly is out of your comfort zone, then hire a professional to do it for you.
PRO
Swedish Home Design & Delivery
12 years ago
IKEA is not cheap! Consider where the saving come from.

The consumer saves big on shipping cost! If you consider the fact that IKEA can fit hundreds of kitchens in one tractor trailer load while other manufactures can fit, say only 20 kitchens, you can see how IKEA passes on the savings to their customers. Other companies with pre assembled cabinets factor this expense into the cost of the cabinets.

The consumer pays no distributor, dealer and salesman markup. If the consumer does the assembly, then that is yet another cost saved.

IKEA cabinets are NOT cheaply built and yes they have a fantastic 25 year warranty.

Personally, I would never keep a kitchen or a car or any furniture for 25 years that's a long time and trends change.

Consumers can use the free IKEA program to design their own kitchens. IKEA also offers in-store help.

I install IKEA and other manufacturers' cabinets. In fact, I sell other cabinets and can mark them up. IKEA sells direct and I do not mark them up.

I like IKEA, the quality and enjoy the custom "hacks" which are custom and unique modifications that can be done with IKEA cabinets and prove to be extremely difficult, if not impossible, with other cabinets because IKEA's are unassembled making it feasible.

Ask an installer or someone who has IKEA cabinets installed correctly their opinion.

IKEA may not be for everyone but neither is a Mercedes.
probookie
9 years ago
I am a big fan of Ikea kitchen cabinets -- DIY all the way! Why should a room with an odd configuration be a problem when it's so easy to install filler strips? In the Ikea kitchen of our previous house, we had no problem w/ glue or formaldehyde off-gas, and we are sensitive or allergic to almost everything. In the old kitchen, DH ran a bead of silicone caulk around the inside base of the sink cabinet, and a few spills there had zero effect on the cabinet's integrity. I just turned our laundry room into the prettiest room in the house with Ikea's plainest white cabinets, and would be ecstatic if DH agreed to rip out the hideous wooden cabinets the previous owners installed and replace them w/ Ikea. There is a recent thread on how well properly installed Ikea cabinets hold up.[Houzz discussion on Ikea cabs longevity[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/my-ikea-kitchen-11-years-later-dsvw-vd~4587257)
PRO
AR Decor
9 years ago
Before picture is with signature ikea frosted glass top cabinets and butcher block counter top. What I did and it totally transformed it: new seamless Krion counter top, new back splash, new black hardware, custom made cabinets doors (dark grey) to illuminate all glass ikea-screaming doors.
PRO
AR Decor
9 years ago
Eliminate all glass ikea doors I meant.
PRO
Texas Home Exteriors
9 years ago
Very nice..
Katherine
9 years ago
You can look for my thoughts (and photos) in a post I did called "IKEA Kitchen Review: 6+ years in." You'll see that the cabinets are my favorite product, with all the rest pretty iffy. It is now eight years and the cabinets continue to perform well. Much better quality than the Kraftmaid boxes I had installed in a previous house. IKEA are German metal inside. Kraftmaid were stapled particle board. A drawer in which I stored Pyrex literally fell apart from the weight.

How do you feel about Ikea kitchen?

Prime Renovations, Inc.

Comments (11)

OnePlan

Linda

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hayleydaniels

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