Anyone used them for their kitchen remodel? Any thoughts on their quality? I’m generally a bit skeptical of Ikea furniture, there is some good stuff to be found, but hidden amongst large amounts of cheap, dubious quality particleboard.
We are planning a kitchen remodel and I decided to check out the Ikea stuff based on some glowing reviews from co-workers who used them in their kitchen remodels recently. I want a modern kitchen, but generally modern = ridiculously expensive. The Ikea prices were amazingly low. I was pretty impressed with some of the lines I saw, the drawers all close nicely, all the add-ons like cabinet organisers are nice. The wall cabinets with the cool flip-up doors look nice, but seemed a bit iffy quality-wise (door slams shut, doesn’t stay open unless you push it all the way up which is hard when you’re 5’4"). I wonder what the long-term quality is of their stuff is like.
Only this morning, I was surprised by an Ikea bathroom cabinet door that decided to fly off its hinges. I’d installed it 6 months ago, in a moment of weakness.
It may look great and even feel solid. But in your heart you know it’ll start falling apart within three years.
I disagree. IKEA kitchens are just as solid as high priced alternatives, if you take the time and effort to install them right they will last forever. They use the same hinges as more expensive products. However, never buy your sinks or taps from IKEA, just the cabinets themselves. I can not stress that enough, they are of very poor quality.
What is essential is how you put the cabinets up on the walls. Do a good job here and you will never have any trouble. And since IKEA uses the same moulds for everything you can just exchange the doors if you want to freshen up the kitchen in a few years.
I have remodeled twice with IKEA kitchens and never had any trouble. This is based on the assumption that the american kitchens are the same as the european kitchens though.
I’ve built IKEA cabinets in two rooms (PAX I think the type is called).
One was my washer/storage room and one was a big wall of storage with sliding doors for my office.
The wood is cheap and I managed to completely destroy one cabinet during assembly because I raised a 2m high cabinet the wrong way and its weight pulled it apart (the manual did point out that you needed two persons for this). but apart from the wood used I find the assembly solid and all the metal (hinges et al) is good quality - in other words once it is built and in place it should stay that way just as long as other furniture provided you don’t put unduly heavy strain on it.
I also have an IKEA kitchen table which is loosing it’s veneer on top under normal use - it’s ready for the dump after less than 3 years, but it was cheap. The same goes for my IKEA sofa - which has been under heavy use and jumping children - but this wasn’t cheap enough that breaking so early seems ok.
My entire kitchen is Ikea, and it is fabulous. It’s been a couple years and has held up just great – the only problem being one of the hinges on a horizontal cabinet failed (IKEA replaced it).
Quality is all relative to expectation. If you expect things to wear out in 10 years, or that going 5 years without trouble is noteworthy, you’re bar is set so low that even mediocre quality seems meritorious.
My grandfathers’ homestead which he has maintained but not lived in since a child, and has been unoccupied for 30 years, was recently renovated. The cabinets that lay unused for 50 years in a seperate side of the house, vintage 1920s, were restored, and work as well as brand new cabinets today.
TheSelfishGene, you are right, but if I wanted kitchen cabinets that would last 90 years I’m pretty sure I would need to spend about $100k on my kitchen remodel, or quit working and become a master carpenter. I think your complaint can be leveled at pretty much any manufactured item in the western world these days.
Quality should always be the priority, installing quality kitchen cabinets is much better and cheaper than renovating your kitchen every year. You can also go for RTA cabinets and install them on your own if you have a tight budget.
That person even emailed me an introduction, pointing out that he was an interior designer. I assumed he wanted to talk games, but I guess some people just want to respond to a specific post. So, uh, that happened.
