apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

OK I'm going to copy and past text as well as provice links.
This question has already been definitively answered by the AT community.

[QUOTE]Enrique, Mary and other ppl interested in Ikea kitchens -
If anyone knows Fine Homebuilding magazine you wil know that it is written by and meant for those home builders that are obsessed with the best way of building homes, furniture etc. The readers have pretty strong feelings and vioce them when they think a method touted it sub par. The reason I give this context is that the mag did a piece on a custom kitchen that had one area that used stock cabinets from Ikea. They did a side bar to explain how the Ikea cabinets held up in terms of construction etc to the custom units. Basic gist was that the carcasses were solidly built and you got better hardware than was usual (hinges and full extension drawer slides for example). The consensus was that Ikea cabinets were of good quality and no one should have any qualms about using them.

Now coincidently I was looking for pictures of a friend's loft that he recently sold (because he used Ikea cabinets and I thought it looked really good) and I found a picture while browsing through archives of downtownexpress
www.downtownexpress.com/de_100/picturesqueskylights.html

He spent money on the granite countertops, the Thermador range and hood and running a vent for all 5 units' hoods (he bought the whole building and did a gut reno). He saved money on the Ikea cabinets and the stainless steel backing of the Island and the stove backsplash (China town and construction adhesive were his friends).

So what do you think of thos Ikea kitchen? Too white? Too cheap looking? Too cold? Great? Cool?

Posted by jamie pup at 04/29/05 10:43 AM [END QUOTE]
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/042805/200-words-from/200-words-from-la-things-from-ikea-that-dont-suck-002660

[QUOTE]
Welcome to AT curvedfeather.

Read this thread for some great advice from an architect (Dan Berkman ) as well as others with experience. You will see that HD can be the most expensive option.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/031505/the-owner/the-owner-sticker-shock-or-10000-is-pocket-change-to-others-002306

Dan left his contact details in his last post and it may be worth contacting him.

As for Ikea kitchens, you would be surprised at how sturdy and well designed the cabinets and hardware are. Read this thread for more:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/042805/200-words-from/200-words-from-la-things-from-ikea-that-dont-suck-002660

If you are up for it, one thing that we really enjoy here are pictures of ppls' places before, during and after reno so if you have the time then it would be great if you could send pics or set up a flickr.com account and link to it. Don't worry if you don't want to do that or don't have the time to do it but please come back with more questions and progress reports!

And I hope it all goes well with you.

Posted by jamie pup at 01/06/06 11:28 AM

I forgot to add an ikea link that trillium provided in the other thread:
http://ikeafans.com/

Posted by jamie pup at 01/06/06 11:40 AM
Curvedfeather, I don't have Ikea cabinets myself, though I probably will go with them, but my friend used them. She loves them, and could really have gone with anything. She is a former architect, and used Ikea for the cabinets (with high-end hardware) and has the whole Viking, Subzero appliance thing going on.

She threw a party for me at her apartment and people were STUNNED to learn that she had used Ikea cabinets. In fact, another friend almost cried, because she had just done her house in expensive cabinets and said, "I like her kitchen more!"

Posted by Fiona at 01/06/06 1:02 PM

I second Fiona's vote for Ikea cabinets. The cabinets are like a whole different world from the rest of the store. And as a source when reading design mags, Ikea kitchens FAR outnumber higher-end providers, even (especially?!) in designers' own homes.

Another trick I've seen (in addition to upscaling the hardware, as Fiona mentioned) is using all Ikea cabinet "carcasses" and upgrading the doors (on all, just top cabinets, or just bottoms). Or Ikea cabinets with a higher-end countertop.

Posted by patrick (the other one) at 01/06/06 1:07 PM

Don't forget too with Ikea cabinets you can just go custom for the fronts. They use Blum hardware, which is hight end, and the same stuff other companies use for their boxes. Where it gets cheaper is on the fronts (and the fact you're expected to diy). On the ikeafans link there is a beautiful Ikea kitchen done with custom slab walnut fronts. In this month's domino there are 3 Ikea kitchen's, one with mdf fronts the owners cut and painted themselves.

Also, this might be better posted on the LA side, but henrybuilt has started selling modular kitchen kits. They're gorgeous, but maybe not practical for shipping accross the country!

http://www.henrybuilt.com/kitchen_1.asp

regards,
trillium

Posted by trillium at 01/06/06 1:25 PM

Hi curvedfeather. Welcome... I'm one of the IKEA-lovin' geeks on the site. So allow me to once again step up on my soapbox re: IKEA kitchen cabinets. I've had mine for just over a year. No visible wear and tear. And P(too) and Fiona's suggestion of using higher-end countertops and built-in appliances is a good one. (I've got lower-priced appliances incl a Bosch dishwasher, but have Caesarstone counters.) I really think IKEA has a pretty good selection of facing options. And added bonus are the cabinet-organization systems designed specifically for the cabinetry. Save some money on the cabinetry and treat yourself to luxe appliances and touches with the savings...

Posted by Enrique at 01/06/06 1:26 PM
[/QUOTE]

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/010606/open-threads/open-thread-113-005697

We renovated our kitchen about 2 years ago and used IKEA cabinets and butcher block. We have been very happy with quality of the cabinets and counter. I would buy them again without hesitation. People always comment on how nice the kitchen looks and are suprised to find out the cabinets are from IKEA. The key as mentioned above, is to mix it up with your other kitchen fixtures.

Jamie - just so we're all clear, should Maxwell clear it with you next time he posts a question?

Delurking since I'm in the middle of a kitchen remodel. My mom has Ikea cabinets and loves them. If you want something a little more traditional, try Diamond Cabinets (available at Lowe's) - this is what we're using. They are framed (Ikea's are frameless) - this isn't necessarily better or worse, just a different style. They also have a slightly more diverse lineup of sizes/widths, etc. The guy that helped us at Lowe's was really helpful and had some great suggestions for layout we hadn't considered. With the upgrades we got (all plywood boxes, soft close drawers), they ended up being slightly more than 2x Ikea. And, Lowe's has a 10% coupon you can sign up for.
http://www.lowesmoving.com/
http://www.diamondcabinets.com/

But if you like Ikea, they're a great choice. They're highly rated by consumer reports as well. Diamond is one step above Ikea in their ratings but Ikea is above Kraftmaid (main home depot line). Hope this is helpful!

Noir, Maxwell and I are buddies. Don't waste your time.

1. Make sure you pay a good person a good amount of money to hang the Ikea cabinets. In my experience, the life of an Ikea kitchen is directly equivalent to the quality of the installation. The quality is good, but not good enough to handle poor craftmanship.

2. Get new doors. This is just my bias, but Ikea has a few lines that everyone picks. Then your friends come over and say, Oh! Ikea cabinets! Get doors and add a toe kick and noone will be the wiser, especially on resale.

When my husband and I did a complete gut and remodel in our last home, we removed the entire kitchen, and replaced it with ikea cabinets. THey provide really great customer service, I thought it was an easy install, and I LOVED the kitchen. The frames are MDF and laminate, the doors are bought separately, the hardware is nice - they do provide some nicer options, like hinges that resist slamming, and allow you to open the door in a tight space. Additionally, they have all the wire 'software' type stuff like vegetable baskets and spice racks and pull out shelving. I really really REALLY loved my kitchen.

This was over 5 years ago - I want to use ikea again in our current project, but my husband (who installed the last job) disagrees. he thinks Ikea cabinets are crappy - but I think they provide a great foundation.

However: in my searching I found this post on another design blog:
http://2modern.blogs.com/2modern/2006/03/modern_kitchen_.html

I think that has to be one of the most gorgeous kitchens I've ever seen. I don't know about pricing and quality, but it seems that it's a non-custom setup, so non-custom pricing? The manufacturer is linked in my name, but you have to go to "kitchen, bath and beyond", then click "kitchen" then scroll at the bottom for the Alectra kitchen (3rd from the end) - it's got a modern look that's really nice. There's other cabinets too, and they do custom work, so there might be a happy medium in there that you can find/appreciate.

To our dismay, we didn't find any ikea cabinets that worked in our small/ unusual kitchen space, so we priced what we assumed was the next level-- "semi custom" manufactured cabinets, the equivalent of the medium-to-higher priced lines at Lowes and Home Depot. After getting the estimates, we found a local cabinet maker (in NYC!) that did complete custom work (MUCH nicer, and took better advantage of the space) for less than the semi custom companies. Others we know-- not to mention many posters on Garden Web-- have had similar experiences with finding out that custom cabinetry was less than "semi custom" manufactured. All this by way of saying that if IKEA works for you, great-- if that doesn't meet your needs, talk to local contractors before assuming that the next step is another manufacturer. This is not to say that custom is cheap-- its just that all of the extras at Lowes, etc., add up quickly (its a bit of a racket), as does the shipping and installation. With custom work, all of that is included.

I don't think it's been mentioned yet . . .
you can customize and upgrade Ikea cabinets with custom (or at least non-standard) exterior hardware.
Meaning,
buy the pulls someplace else if you want it to look different.

as should be abundantly clear by now, plenty of very nice - even super fancy - kitchens have used Ikea cabintery

got a name for me, naomi?

An interior designer I know likes to use the IKEA kitchen cabinet carcasses with custom doors made by a cabinet-maker.

It simplifies the layout and the cabinet-maker gets a set of standard door sizes to make, which can be cheaper because of the repetitive nature of it.

We used Ikea and went with the standard shaker style in cream (adel) Good for resale and blends with many styles.
The installation cost about as much as the cabinets give or take - but well worth it. Our condo wall needed concrete drilling etc. They'll even hang your wall mount microwave for a few extra bucks.
Also - the guy installing the cabinets was a trained engineer and told us to double the legs under the cabinets because we used granite counters.
All in all -we are well pleased. my best friend basically got the same kitchen we did after seeing how nice it looked.
Good luck with yours!

jamie pup - i love the image from downtown express of your friend's loft. thanks for sending them because it is so helpful to see them installed. do you know which ikea cabinets those are -- are they the glossy white foil or white wood? i don't remember the ikea names for them, sorry. i've been narrowing down my choice to the ikea white foil ones and if those are the same, i think they look fabulous. thanks.

We love our new Ikea cabinets and oak countertop. We are trying to keep our 1927 California Bungalow looking Craftsman/Deco and by combining Ikea cabinetry with non-Ikea reproduction hardware and tile backsplash, we think we are succeeding. We used the Adel Medium Brown and the Numerar oak counters, and have finally gotten the long awaited double-bowl Domsjo farmhouse sink. By keeping down costs in the kitchen, we're able to put our money to good use elsewhere.
We're still in the middle of the remodel, as the sink has only just arrived, but we have lots of before, during and after kitchen photos at the blog linked to my name.
Like others, we definitely think they are a good value and are highly versatile.

Sorry for the double posting, but I wanted to add that custom built cabinets are not necessarily better, unfortunately. The wood cabinets we ripped out were built by monkeys.

I have used Ikea cabinets and was quite pleased with the look for the price. One thing not mentioned (unless I missed it) is that one of the really nice things about Ikea cabinets is that there is a large selection of interior fittings that are usually associated with much more expensive German or Italian cabinetry. Like pull out bins, plate separaters, dividers, and other fun organizational goodness. You can't get that at Home Depot.

I put in an Ikea kitchen in 1992. The cabinets have held up well, except that the doors under the sink, which get wet, have de-laminated a bit. (They got fat and fuzzy but sanding and painting hid it for the most part.) Next time I would get solid wood for that spot. I had also bought Ikea's countertops (OK but not great), white plastic sink (got dingy) and faucet with pull-out spray (died a while ago).

Now we're talking. Who are these monkeys that make cabinets?

(Sorry. just having a silly day. I used to have a joke about how I wanted a little helper chimp that I could dress up. It rode a scooter and wore a very solemn expression.)

Sometimes I think I spot Ikea cabinets on SSBS and I get all excited. I think they look really nice, from what I have seen in posts on AT.

I've lived in two places with IKEA cabinets--my condo and a previous apartment. I'm very impressed with them. I think they're high quality, look great, and wear well over time. The cabinets are different than some of the furniture, where the quality seems to be uneven.

Hey barbara, sorry but I don't know which cabinets those were. They were lacquered but I am not sure if Ikea has their own name for a lacquered finish and I can't be arsed (to coin a Brit phrase) to go there right now cuz I've just finished doing all this searching:

Red lacquered Ikea cabinets:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/051005/house-tours/house-tour-josh-and-adeles-brooklyn-aerie-002760

Enrique's Ikea kitchen:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/031505/competitions/kitchen-9-enriques-buddhalicous-hollywood-bachelor-ikeapad-002305

Jenny and Clove's small but great looking Ikea kitchen:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/011806/house-tours/the-inside-out-jenny-and-cloves-laish-studio-005919
BTW, Jenny mentions in that thread that she is started up a design business for ppl that don't have tons of money called Uncommon Abode. Judging by her's and Clove's apt and what she and clove did to the Jack London's old home I think that business will do very well.

One of my favorite Ikea kitchens:
http://ikeafans.com/BAJill77.htm
Original link from Trillium in one of the threads I linked to above.

I would like to know what everyone else's monkey friends get up to.

Mine has the old fashioned mechanical toy look, smokes a cig with a perpetually long ash, and plays along to Rufus Wainwright's "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk"

jammy pup, can you be arsed to answer that one?
I marvel at the generosity of your research.

Haha, very funny guido.
Thank you for the very kind compliment but I wouldn't do this if I didn't get anything out of it. What do I get out of it? In this case a satiation of my irrational and obsessive need to explain to everyone who mentions Ikea kitchens are good and that they are very different from their other furniture in terms of quality and durability.

In the last few days I have finally managed a coworker (hi there!) that he should consider Ikea cabinets for his upcoming kitchen remodel as well as giving him some advice on flooring, kitchen layout, counter tops, etc. But really the biggest feeling of satisfaction I got was his acceptance that Ikea kitchens were good. Even then it was only after another coworker, who does a lot of remodelling himself, also endorsed them over the homedepot stuff he got. I am the plasma/LCD tv and home electronics expert apparently and the other guy is the home remodelling expert. Bah.

Bah indeed!
We here know your true talents are legion, jp.

Now, how about that monkey?

We're ordering IKEA cabinets from Elizabeth, NJ and had a terrible time with their customer service. No one ever returns phone calls. Very unprofessional. I guess they don't pay the customer service manager enough money to actually provide customer service. But that's the price you have to pay for an amazing deal on excellent cabinetry, I guess.

p.s.
I got the 'kea Numerar oak counter for around my sink
Now we wait for the friend with the big saw to come around....

Your next bet would be to try Home Depot. They have a kitchen department that will suggest and design a layout from measurements you provide. Keep costs down by avoiding additional options. They'll deliver and install if you so choose. I've seen some clean contempory styles and brands including Thomasville. I am NOT talking about the DIY, put-it-together-yourself cabinets stocked in the aisles.

I redid my kitchen with ikea abstrakt in glossy white, with stainless steel bar pulls from www.myknobs.com. That was three years ago, and they are in great shape, and no one can believe they are ikea. With a bisazza blacksplash, honed granite counter, and undermount extradeep stainless steel sink, it looks like poggenpohl. I have no regrets.

I am in the process of re do ing my kitchen right now through IKEA New Haven. Let me tell you, that I was thoroughly impressed with the knowledge of the designers.

If you are even mildly handy, you can manage the installation with some help. The rundown, Total $$ spent, $5990, for everything. Countertops, cabinets, floor, stainless range,fridge,dish and micro, floor. Spent : 4600 at IKEA, the rest at home depot and on dump fees. Can't beat it with a stick when the Average kitchen Remodel is going for 20-30k.

Check out my kitchen at

http://theprettypitbull.blogspot.com/

PJ

I renovated my condo kitchen in 2001 (moved back into my apt after 5 months commuting from my mom's on long island on sept 9, 2001!) with Ikea cabinets but all else custom. I love my kitchen. I have bamboo countertops and floors, stainless steel backsplash throughout kitchen, the slightly curved white foil cabinet doors from Ikea, and custom MDF floor-to-ceiling pantry doors as well as custom shelves that an architect recommended for the weird irregular widths that were left over on each of the walls (meaning, between my cabinets and a window, i have 7-inch wide custom bookshelves for cookbooks, and another set of 6 inch wide shelves beside my raised microwave/fan combo). I bought my own pulls and handles and even had my contractor cut down an IKEA cabinet door to fit it over my refrigerator (the cut end is by the ceiling so no one but me -- and now all of you, knows). They've held up really really well. I love all the fittings for inside the cabinets -- i use the pull-out shelves for pots and pans.

Kudos for: i discovered a leak under my kitchen sink and the cabinet held up well nonetheless. there's a little waviness now to the floor of the cabinet but otherwise the cabinet integrity has held.

My only complaint: my contractor wasn't great so the set of drawers are sticky. i usually have to open 2 at a time and separate. Not sure how that happened.

oops, one other thing to add: the IKEA cabinets with the glass doors are all U-G-L-Y! i complained, actually, about them. I ended up buying a pair to go over my sink because i needed that light look, but the glass is wavy. i would have preferred plain glass. and you can't choose glass patterns. each cabinet door style has a set glass type.

one of the reasons i chose my cabinet door style is because i hated its glass style the least! the adel style, which i strongly considered, has a hideous "X" frosted white grid pattern. Yeccchhhh!

I can vouch for Ikea kitchens. I bought 36 of them in about a year. My husband Robert installed them. It was part of a rehab we did on a historic apartment building in Pasadena, CA. I would say that it is not nearly so simple installing them in the average home as the Ikea video suggests. Walls are not always square and plumbing, gas and electrical can present odd problems. Anyway, check out our website http://www.robertjalo.com to see some photos of our lovely kitchens. I mostly chose Adel Birch and did one red one which came out great.

Oh, well, I had posted a big post here before, and it's NOT here now...that must have been one of the ones that didn't go through.

From the Consumer Reports August 2004 issue, Make Over Your Kitchen for THOUSANDS Less...

For cabinets:
"Price doesn't guarantee performance.
Salespeople will tell you that you get what you pay for, and to a degree, that panned out. Premium cabinets withstood heat, water, moisture, and other abuse best overall. Indeed, readers we surveyed who bought the least-expensive cabinets were likelier to have problems. We found strong lower-priced performers, however.

The ready-to-assemble IKEA out-performed much more expensive units, despite its low price. High-quality drawer hardware and doors and a robust mounting strip helped."

They talked about the prices of the cabinets, and the price given was the price basically for one upper and one lower cabinet in the middle-to-top versions.

IKEA rated overall at number 4. Here's a basic breakdown...
Rating; brand/line; Retailer; Type; Price; Overall score
1. Omega; Expo; Premium; $1,055; high excellent
2. Fieldstone; Expo; Premium; $1,020; excellent
3. Diamond; Lowe's; Premium; $630; high very good
4. Ikea; Ikea; Basic; $290; high very good
5. Thomasville; Home Depot; Midlevel; $500; very good
6. Shenandoah; Lowe's; Midlevel; $434; very good
7. Kraftmaid, several retailers; Midlevel; $510; low very good

There are more entries, but I think you get the point. You can pay more, but you don't have to pay more, and in some cases, you don't get a better overall cabinet if you do pay more.

As always, some things are more important than other things, depending on the person buying them. If ANY brand doesn't have the finish you want, you just can't buy it. If only one brand offers a particular finish, then you have to get that brand, or do without.

But if you're open to various looks, it would make sense to choose one that is well-rated in tests. Not that we all open and close the drawers filled with gravel 30,000 times.

"Honey, did you remember to count the number of times you opened and closed the drawer today and put the appropriate marks on the tally sheet?"

Or dropping a 5 pound weight on the drawer when it's open? How many times have YOU done that? Like, never? Anyway, just in case that does happen, you'll know if your drawers will put up with such shenangans.

They're pretty rough on things at Consumer Reports. I'm pretty sure I don't have 20 pounds of stuff per square foot on my shelves, at increased humidity and temperature, but they tried it. To see if the shelves would sag.

I sure hope this helps. I know what I'd put in, if I had a choice...but I just couldn't decide on which doors!

I have a blog on kitchen remodeling and my experience with 40+ Ikea kitchen installs.

www.kitchenmakeovers.blogspot.com

Beth - I had the same problem and got pvc banding strip. Go to Canplast.com and look at their pvc band strips in the woodgrains. I did the Liljestad dark brown cabinets and used mahogony impression on the strips.

Now for my question: I would like to stain other items in my kitchen the same color as my Lilgestad dark brown cabinets, anyone know the color that I use to put on oak?

Thanks

Jen

I'm a huge fan of Ikea cabinets and did my own installation last year. For what you bet for the money I don't think you can touch the ikea cabinets.

We looked at the cabinets from Home Depot and some of the custom manufacturers but didn't feel like paying an arm and a leg for the same type of cabinets we could get from Ikea.

When I did the installation I documented the entire process from design through the completed kitchen.

You can see the results here:

http://www.ikeakitchensecrets.com

Good luck with your Ikea kitchen! Bret

P.S. The architecture firm I used to work for used 30 Ikea kitchens in the new housing project at Minnesota State University this year and they turned out great.

I'd like to know who that NYC cabinet maker is/was! It seems that so few of the cabinetmakers know how to do the European design or can put in/inlay those beautiful full-width drawer pulls. Anybody have any experience with Henrybuilt in NYC?

I'll be up in NYC visiting the henrybuilt showroom. We're having them make our kitchen cabinets (which will be fabricated, like anything sold in NYC, at their Seattle shop), so if you want a follow-up of our experience, just e-mail me.

I made it under the wire before June 30 when the prices went up. I had Robert Jalo (http://www.robertjalo.com/ikea-kitchens/)install them (an LA contractor/installer who is as good quality as Ikea cabinets are). I am SO pleased. I feel like I got a $50,000 kitchen and it looks like I did. I would never have thought to install it myself but I did a lot of the demo, believe it or not. Very therapeutic and good exercise. Now it is all done and sign me up for the fan club.

Wow, i got an email right away!

Robert's website is http://www.robertjalo.com/ikea-kitchens.com

Sorry for the typo my fellow fans.

Love, Anita

I might be the only one here to say this but I think Ikea and their kitchen cabinets suck. cheap knock down style boxs' crappy finishs. Mine immediatley started to fall apart. (Yes they were installed properly)
I would never do it again, you get what you pay for.

I work for a home builder, and I used Ikea cabinets in my apartment - I think they're fantastic, it purely depends on how good a person is at designing the space and installing the cabinets, that makes the difference.

the hinges are awesome, the pull outs and drawers glide soo nicely...I love them. ESPECIALLY cuz my whole kitchen cabinets, countertops, sink, and hardware cost me about $900...and i didn't go for the cheapest they had.

Consumer reports rates ikea cabinets as number 4 overall behind only the top of the line cabinet lines from HD expo and lowes. They are by far and away the best in the price class, basic. The quick picks section "the ready-to-assemble Ikea (4) outperformed much more expensive units, despite its low price."

Hi. All this info is very helpful. Re assembling the IKEA cabinets and installing them, do you recommend going with an IKEA-recommended contractor, or can I just use a good general contractor--even if he/she has never worked with IKEA products. Thanks so much!

Free advice from me, the Project Manager for a professional IKEA kitchen installer:

Find a LICENSED, INSURED contractor who has installed lots of IKEA kitchens and has GOOD REFERENCES from people he installed them for. Call the references.

Check the contractor's license on www.cslb.ca.gov. Ask to see a copy of his liability insurance certificate.

Call the contractor a few times and see if someone answers or returns your call quickly.

Don't hire a handyman without a license even if it seems to be a cheap way to get the kitchen installed. If something goes wrong, you have no legal recourse.

Get the installation agreement in writing, a legal contract. Read it carefully. Ask for any changes or additions you want. It is an agreement between two parties, not something you HAVE to sign as is.

If it is, in fact, going to be an employee or subcontractor that installs the kitchen, make sure you speak with the contractor himself before signing anything. Does he seem trustworthy or is he unavailable or a jerk on the phone?

Hope this helps.

Interested in the comments on Ikea cabinets and the suggestion that one spends the amount saved by buying better appliances. We've just bought Ikea kitchen units together with fridge-freezer, oven, hob, dishwasher and built-in microwave from Ikea too. These are all made by Philips from their Whirpool range exclusively for Ikea. These are certainly not budget products and I would have thought the name stood for excellent quality.

another way to save on cabinets is to buy used ones. This method also has the added benefit of being a more environmentally friendly way to build/redesign. Also, when redoing your kitchen (or any other room), if your cabinets and any other materials/fixtures are salvagable - don't toss them. You can donate or sell them and help someone else redo their kitchen. In NY, there's a great resource called Build It Green NY (www.bignyc.org) They do tons re re-use and salvage - they actually have a service called deconstruction where if you're planning on demolishing a bldg, they'll come in and deconstruct it for you so that the materials can be recycled and reused. They also have a store in queens where you can buy all sorts of materials - doors, cabinets, paint - their stock obviously changes frequently. Also, I've come across listings on craigslist and wastematch (.org) for used cabinets. Contractors can be a great source for materials as well - they may have some left over from a previous job or may be tearing something down that you'd love to put up.

We're planning to redo our kitchen and are also considering Ikea cabinets. I was wondering, though, is the cheaper price of the Ikea cabinets not offset by the extra labor cost in putting them together? (I am not very handy myself and will not be doing any of the work)
Also can any one recommend a reasonable cabinet maker and contractor in the Nassau, Long Island area?
Thanks

Hi, I was sure glad to find this blog. I am just starting out since I just received an insurance settlement from a recent kitchen-damage claim. I have exactly 12 months to get all my work done. When do you advise me to begin so I am guaranteed of finishingin time and yet don't have my kitchen apart during the upcoming holidays? I didn't note any comments about timelines (good or bad feedback).

And if I plan to change to "bones" of my kitchen, does it make sense to have my current solid wood cabinet doors refinished (rare to have solid wood per my insurance guy) or to change over to more "modern" Ikea-type installed? My home is built in the 70's but updated to a casual romantic-elegance style (Italianate).

Re: changing the "bones", I am thinking of 1) things like raising the ceiling
and 2) knocking down the wall between kitchen and dining/family room to create a center island "feel" for entertaining (would still have stove top/oven and cabinets underneath).
and 3) building out a large closet to look like the rest of the cabinetry/countertop. As if it was always designed to extend across the other side of the kitchen.

Also, can anyone recommend well-experienced IKEA installers in San Diego?

Thanks in advance,
Deb

Hi All,

We are planning to remodel our kitchen. Recently we visited Ikea and they offer entire 10x10 kitchen in $800-$2000. That is unbelievable.

If anyone has remodeled it from ikea Akurum line, please let me know how much it costs actually with installation.

Didn't realize how many people are going with Ikea cupboards and high end appliances/ counter. - I thought I was being uniquely clever, but nice to know that everyone is pleased with their results.

Our cupboards arrive tomorrow and as we are installing slate counter and backsplash Ikea told us to reinforce the base cupboards with 2X4's running underneath them.

(I noticed an earlier posting where someone suggests doubling the legs, so I think we will do both to be on the safe side).

My husband is installing the cuboards (Abstract White) and we are having the slate co. install the counter. Going with stainless kitchen aid appliances, and slate floor- the hope is to achieve a restaurant look.

My wife and I are planning a major kitchen remodel. We are agonizing over the decision to use IKEA or not. I've done the layout and priced the cabinetry at less than 4k for almost 60 linear ft of base and wall cabinetry. That is an AMAZING price. Comparable Kraftmaid, Omega, Diamond would run 18k+.

We really like the overall look of the Hallarum line. It is Eucalyptus veneer and has very upscale look to it. My only complaint is that IKEA doesn't make cabinet boxes in a comparable color. I don't care so much about what the cabinet looks like on the inside, however, there is a very visible "birch" color line that is visible on the wall cabinets as you look at them at eye level and above. Call me anal retentive, but if I am going to re-do a kitchen from floor to ceiling, I don't want that visible line. I screams CHEAP!!! to me.

So I am muddling through other options. I have contacted a custom cabinet maker and he took my IKEA layout and we did our own custom tweaking. I liked being able to specify exactly what size drawer and doors to use, and the sizes to fill every corner. He quoted 14k for Bamboo laminate that I chose from www.teragren.com. I love green building materials. We are going to use cork flooring also. I love the look of bamboo and only a few high end cabinet makers use it. I guess it is hard to cut, or something like that. Anyway, 14k (installed) sounds good for custom cabinetry and he does excellent work. He will use blum hinges and blumotion drawer glides.

I need a third opinion, since my wife and I are at odds. She says IKEA, I say custom. We have already decided on prof series appliances from scratch and dent resources. BTW, I would recommend to anyone getting new appliances. So IKEA would help recoup some of the expense.

A tipping point for me would be some suggestions from others who also hate that "birch" line on the wall cabinets and have come up with some creative solutions to that problem. Please help!! I really want someone to slap me back into reality and tell me to use IKEA. Otherwise, an empty bank account may be my reality....

I recently did a total kitchen remodel. I used IKEA cabinets. I love my kitchen. I used the Liljestad dark brown cabinets. Traveled over 300 miles to see the cabinet in person before just buying unseen. I liked what I saw. The person on the floor doing my order was new. It was her first kitchen. I went with my plans in hand, using the planning tools off the internet. Everyone has a first day on a new job right? Be patient and let her do her thing & being over 300 miles away and not able to run to the store to get something left off the order was not an option. It took the whole entire day to place the order and wait for the guys to pull it. 2 1/2 wait just for the guys to pull it. You have to go through the entire order pcs by pcs and check off the numbers to see if it is all there before you sign the ticket saying you got it all. I had no idea the cabinet came in so many pieces. They are a basic box with different doors. After checking the catalog and internet, there are only a few doors that are solid wood. The doors with the inset panels, only the outside frame is wood the inset is not, however it is the same at Lowes and HD. I paid my son to put the cabinets together. Once you do one or two you get the hang of it. The same thing over and over. The professional contracter was not to impressed with instal of them. It took longer to instal then ones from Lowes and HD. Normally they could have installed cabinet in 1 day. They went with it and did a wonderful job. They did a few changes. Did not use the legs under the island cabinets, put on wood to hold the weight. I did use granite contertops and backsplash. highend stainless appliances. I did use the Varde handles IKEA offer. With the stainless appliance and the dark walut stain in all just pops. I have alot of compliments on the kitchen.
I had to deal with the customer service many many times. Placing orders for additional pieces I did not get& sending back wrong sizes. You have to leave your phone number on the machine and wait for them to call you back. Being on vacation while all the work was being done, handling eveything from away was a royal pain. After coming home to my new kitchen it was all worth it. I walk in and say WOW!! I did receive my credit card bill with the charges for the addtional pieces ordering.They do not send an itemized receipt. the charges were lumped with a charge for that day. I have requested an itemized receipt. They emailed back with the totals, well I already have that information from my statement. I am still waiting for the itemized receipt. I do want to make sure I have credit for the things that had to be sent back. It would have been better if the person waiting on me had some seasoning under her belt. By the time I paid extra to have the cabinets put together, instal was more and all the charges to my credit card, I could have cabinets from Lowes or HD already put together. I checked all the reviews I could find on IKEA cabinets before buying them. They are rated # 4 on consumer reports. The man at Lowes had a magazine with the cabinet ratings, IKEA was #4 there too.
Putting the doors on was a pain however. There are plastic pieces that go in the holes (anchors)
You can't put the door on & then take it off without breaking these anchors. Went to HD and got better anchors, then cut the end off. Now can take off without breaking them. When you adjust the doors, you either get an open area where the two doors meet or you can see a line of the box (comes in either white or beech color).
I called the customer service asking about this problem. She said you have to keep adjusting the door. Well, if you look at the door, it needs to be 1/4" wider then you wouldn't have that problem. When I looked at the cabinet on the showroom, there was no gap or line. I would have seen it. Asked if they sold veneer eding in the same color, she said they use to, but not now. The contactors that they had to instal cabinet used it. Has anyone else had this problem and how did you fix it. I hate the idea of taking the doors all off and put edging on just to keeo the box from showing. That will be alot of work as well as another expense to oder that much edging, and having to stain it to match the cabinets. Would appreciate the help if somemone has dealt with this problem. All in all I do have a new kitchen with more cabinets. The way the drawers close is so neat. The big pantry with the pull out baskets is probably one for my favorites. It holds so much food. i actually have cabinets with nothing in them now, as before not near enough room. Always had to run to the basement where I had things stored.
I'm not sure I would do another IKEA or not at this point. While I love my kitchen, I'm not sure the savings by going with IKEA just was not here. At first I thought so, after all the added expense added in, I'm not sure it was worth the hassle of the experience. If a person was going to put it together and instal them without hiring a contract definetley would be worth it. Well... maybe. I wasn't here for the instal process. My new kitchen was just done in September. I hope to hold up for years to come.

I read through all the comments on this board and noticed that a few people had concerns about the ability of the cabinet to hold heavier countertops (e.g. granite). I've been researching RTA cabinet companies in addition to Ikea and I found something that might help with the worry. Scherr's Cabinet & Doors (scherrs.com) offers an adjustable leg leveler similar to Ikea's. Each leveler is capable of holding 250 lbs. A set of 4 costs $7.97. Check it out:
http://www.scherrs.com/order_hardware/index.html

Found this site just in time to help me decide about cabinets for my kitchen addition. I like IKEA products very much. Have several versatile pieces I bought in Europe over 20 years ago that I still like. They have worn great with many moves and 4 children. My concern is that I would have to drive 300 miles to buy these cabinets and does that make sense? Thanks for your comments. Sharon

Back to the reinforcement issue: Are there any other tips out there besides running 2x4s underneath (and exactly where do those go?) and doubling up on the legs? I am in the middle of a hellish renovation, installing Abstrakt glossy white (which look great), but the drawers are all misaligned, and additionally, I would like to bring in another contractor to make sure they've been installed as well as possible before we put huge carrara marble slabs on top! Thanks.

Does IKEA have any solid wood doors? How thick are the doors? I saw some wood instock doors at Home Depot that were goodlooking, wood and quite thick..marion

I'm well into my second year with my Ikea cabinets and I'd do it all over again in a heart beat.

The cabinets have held up to abuse from my not so forgiving family (myself, wife and two young children) who routinely slam doors and drawers every time they're opened.

Do yourself a favor and give Ikea a chance, they're far superior to the cabinets I saw this year on the Parade of Homes in million dollar plus homes and tey'll cost you about 1/4 the price.

You can see my Ikea Kitchen Remodel from start to finish at http://www.kitchenremodelinghelp.com where I documented the entire process from design to completion with over 300 pictures and drawings...

Go Ikea!

Bret

Just to make sure that this didn't get missed and that people didn't get unwittingly pushed towards Robert Jalo's group - there is a reason that he is not one of IKEA's certified installers, and that the people posting here are affiliated with the company. Check out the Angie's list reviews or the reviews on ikeafans.com .... and steer clear! There are many good, IKEA-certified installers who won't leave you hanging like Jalo will.

Check out www.instockkitchens.com awsome site ....nice cabinets great prices..good luck

As a custom cabinet maker I find this thread to be very interesting. The rule of "you get what you pay for" is still in effect no matter how much the Swedes try and market it different. I'm not knocking the build quality or hardware components. In fact I use much of the same hardware myself (Blum Tandem soft close drawer slides, hinges etc...) The boxes represented by IKEA are a commodity. It's busting up millions of square feet of Melamine coated particle board with the least amount of labor to add value. This model relies on quick through-put and standardizing the components into specific widths and depths. It's a modular system that works in tandem with the hardware manafacturers. The doors and drawer fronts are built to a standard height and width and also are interchangeable.
This model requires a high degree of standardization with the least amount of labor. Giving short shrift to the ergonomics and design considerations of a room so that a client can go out and spend the money saved on a walk in humidor or 100,000 btu chefs stove is always humorous and you see it all the time in Veranda, Domino, etc... My cabinets are focused on maximizing function and efficency in a given space - in other words, I offer customization that cannot be found in commodity cabs which require the user to fit their needs into the standard options offered. I am often frustrated by the misperception that custom is always much more expensive. That comparison is not considering apples to apples. Yes, my cabinets are slightly more expensive, but I believe the return on investment is much greater than spending that amount on an upgraded refigerator or stove after a certain price point. By going directly to a cabinet maker you circumvent a large food chain of middlemen that are between you and mass-produced cabinets such as Ikea. I have been told more than once that I am as affordable as some of the larger nameplates ie: Kitchen Craft, Woodmode, etc... This is also a common experience with my colleagues.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that Ikea does fit a niche in the marketplace and does it rather well with great marketing. I think they make the best commodity cabinets out there for the price. If you want something more or feel that a drawer over a door in a base cabinet might not be the best idea after years of stooping, digging and wasting precious cabinet space... a trip to a local cabinet shop might be prudent. Forget most of what's been pushed by the big box stores and surrogate interior magazines, building periodicals. Shop your local craftspeople in your own neighborhood. O.K. I'll step down from the soapbox and let someone else have it now : )

I don't have money to get custom cabinets but I want to find something like these cabinets with inset handles like these. Maybe I've missed them, but does Ikea have cabinets like these?

Hello:
anybody have experience with Ikea appliances? they are whirlpool, but something tell me the quality is different. What about the sinks, hoods, faucets? They only have laminate and wood counter tops on the catalog and online, but on the store they also have different stone counters options, any experience with them?

I agree with all the positive Ikea Cabinet questions - coming from someone on their second Ikea kitchen.

I'm currently renovating an old rowhouse in Baltimore and keeping a blog - http://projectrowhouse.blogspot.com/ - you can see pictures of my Ikea cabinets and the installation process (as well as the rest of the adventure).

I second the comments about making upgrades elsewhere - if you're on a budget of any sort and you like the Ikea cabinet selection you can save a ton there and spend the extra on other items like countertops, appliances, fixtures, etc.

http://projectrowhouse.blogspot.com/

We installed Ikea cabs and butcherblockj in our kitchen reno: $3,500 vs. 10k for cheapest Kraftmaid. They look great and feel exceptionally solid. Soft close blum hinges are a nice plus. You may not like Ikea styles, but you won't find comparable quality for even twice the price. All that said, if i ever inherit $50,000 I'm redoing our kitchen with full custom cabinets...

I can tell you from seven years and counting living with an IKEA kvadrat beech kitchen that it has been performing extremely well for our family of four. It was installed by an experienced cabinet installer who had done that for a living for 20 years, so.... I believe carpentry experience is a must for a good install. There are little troubleshooting things that come up and small adjustments here and there that maybe the average home owner is not equipped to deal with or may not have the best tools to tackle the problem. I also believe that you need cover panels to make the kitchen look best, so you have to be able to handle all the cuts, etc. We paired ours with a custom stainless steel counter everywhere and i think it looks fabulous. The cabinet fronts show no wear after seven years. The kvadrat beech (now discontinued) is a wood door, so maybe that has something to do with it. Anyway, that has been my experience. I've also done another kitchen with IKEA, the deep brown wenge flat cabs, and that one, although stunning, is not quite as good because the cabinets' edges are subject to break/chip/crush at the corners more because they are not solid wood, but laminated and are weaker. The kvadrat have solid beech edges. It's all about the corners for sure!

What about buying from a direct online retailer?
My friend recently purchased new cabinets from an online retailer named Mei Kitchens. They are really nice and are all -wood cabinets. She got a ridiculous deal on them so that is why I feel compelled to pass the word on. I know that Ikea cabinets have all wood doors but the cabinet box and other pieces are made of particleboard, which is the lowest quality. I had particle board cabinets in college and they can be pretty awful. Anyway, just wanted to make the suggestion to check them, or another direct online retailer, out because you can get much higher quality for much less cost. I guess they are so inexpensive because they sell direct/wholesale. Here's the website. www.meikitchens.com
Good luck

I'm an independent kitchen and bath designer, so I've worked with dozens of brands and am not associated professionally with any lines.

One that I've found to be of pretty good quality, (I've had them in my own home for six years with no issues), with lots of storage options, a good selection of door styles and a lifetime warranty is the American Woodmark/Shenandoah brand. At Home Depot, they're sold as AW. At Lowes, they're sold as Shenandoah. My home builder used the builder brand, Timber Lake. They're all the same, but with different style names.