i know that this subject has had discussion before but had to relate my latest experience with ikea cabinets
simply put: DONT use ikea cabinets, i’ve never seen such awful stuff and service was worse
goofy hanging system for the uppers, nothing for the bases, not even a hanging rail in the back
very limited cabinet sizes and accesories
ivebeen installing cabinets for 15 years and this was my second and last experience with ikea
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Replies
Looked at a job some years back. HO was ordering cabs from Ikea....wanted numbers for installation.
She called me back to tell me she choked on my estimate for labor only....it being higher than numbers she`d gotten for cabinetry and install at HD.
I wished her luck.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
I may be swimming against the current in this forum but I like IKEA cabinets. And what's the beef with the upper hanging system? You don't have to worry about where your studs are, just put the metal strip on the wall and then slide your cabinets into position. Works great for narrow cabinets and oddball stud layouts.
We remodelled a 4-plex and put IKEA in all of them. They go in fast, and so far seem to be holding up to our rental traffic pretty well.
Yep, in Europe when you rent an unfurnished appartment you have to provide light fixtures and cabinets and lots of other things and when you move you take then with you, hence the Ikea mounting system
I rather like Ikea cabinets, too, especially the mounting rail for the uppers. I just installed a set in an ICF house - bolted the rail to the wall with 5" lags and lead shields. It took next to no time at all. If not for that system, I would have had to install plywood or something instead of drywall on the outside walls which would be another step to take at a time when I want things simpler.
I likedd the price too and on top of that, they look good.
Conventional laminate countertop does not fit properly on them, though. They are too wide.
Ron
I have to say that for the price, IKEA cabs are the way to go. Easy to put together, especially if you use a pneumatic stapler to attach the backs, the upper mounting system is a breeze, and the lower leg leveling system is nice too. If installing them in a new kitchen, some blocking at countertop height would make the lowers easier to attach to the wall, but what I did was to attach all lowers to one another from side to side, then strategically relocate a few of the brackets so that they lined up with studs.My folks have IKEA cabs from 1987 that are holding up very well after nearly 20 years and 4 kids worth of traffic. We just got an IKEA here in MA, after years of local opposition. I haven't braved the traffic yet. Residents in the area are kind of pissed about the grand opening traffic levels, which haven't fully subsided a month or two later. For my kitchen remodel in 2002, we drove to Philly to pick up our cabs.
I used Ikea cabinets for the first time this past summer while doing a kitchen remodel. I too liked the hanging bar for the upper cabinets. The bar is completely hidden when the finished "side panels are in place. The bottom cabinets went very smoothly...the leg levelers worked great. And you do install a wood hanging rail in the rear for the bases to sit upon. I too (as another poster mentioned) made sure all base cabinets and even the upper cabinets were screwed together through the sides...screws were hidden, and everything went great.
I felt the hinges were very good, and all the drawers worked very smoothly. For the cost, IKEA was way better quality than Kraft Maid brand cabinets and other similiar "mid grade" types.
One complaint...and it is big...All the IKEA stuff comes shipped in flat boxes and you must assemble everything...the boxes for the doors and drawers and stuff are not marked in such a way that you automatically know what matches up with what. Figuring out what door parts and/or drawer parts went with what cabinet carcasses took a lot of time. The assembly instructions are supposed to be "dummy -proof" in that there are no actual written instructions...just pictographs...which I definately hate!
Assembly is fairly easy and straightforward.....but there is a bit of a learning curve. We had quite a few cabinets to be assembled, most with various door sizes and door types and drawer components. Cabinet assembly took almost 2-1/2 work days. Most of this time was spent trying to match-up all the components correctly. However, once assembly was finished, actual installation took only a few hours.
I could not find a sink (other than an IKEA model) that would fit the cabinet dimensions...also, the base cabinets are sized different than standard cabinets and you have to take into account that fact when ordeing countertops...and, we had a few items damaged and or missing, and although IKEA is located just 30 minutes away, they had to re-order these parts and it was a big hassle and a weeks delay.
All in all, I would use them again...but would definately factor in more time($$$) for assembly.
Davo
Edited 12/20/2005 12:12 am ET by Davo304
I have a bunch of the levelling feet leftover from the IKEA cabinets I put in our last house right before we sold it. I also figured out to use staplegun nails for the backs of the cabinets, which resulted in lots of leftover little bags of nails that I also hung onto.
I am going to try and incorporate the feet from the IKEA cabinets into a utility cabinet I want to build in our new house.
I believe all Ikea measurements are metric, and are sized to European standards. Which is why you need an Ikea sink, and countertop (or make your own countertop).
>>>I believe all Ikea measurements are metric, and are sized to European standards. Which is why you need an Ikea sink, and countertop (or make your own countertop).
Not so. The ones sold on this side of the pond are all measured in inches. Check their website. 24"D x 36"H x various (inch based) widths. They even provide a nifty piece of software that builds and renders 3D models of your kitchen.
Scott.Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.”
>>I haven't braved the traffic yet. Residents in the area are kind of pissed about the grand opening traffic levels, which haven't fully subsided a month or two laterThey are likely to never subside. No wonder Ingvar Kamprad is number 6 on the Forbes list.
If one of those opened in Columbus, there would probably be a stampede, with a number of deaths. Can't even count how many people i've run into who have made the trek to Pittsburgh over a weekend to load up on as much as they can haul back . . . . .
Sounds like the infamous Who concert.
Sorry for your bad experience Steve. I've got two Ikea kitchens in my own house, and am very happy with them. I assembled them and installed them myself. The idea of using a brad stapler for attaching the backs has been well discussed here. Other than that, I'd advise that you take lots of time to make sure that things are level, plumb, and flush. It takes time to make a good kitchen, no matter what your approach.
Scott.
Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.”
I had a wonderful experience gutting a kitchen full of Ikea cabinets this past summer.