european style non-custom cabinets

I'll second that comment about Ikea cabinets and work surfaces-they're not high-end but in my whole house reno I think they were the best value of anything I installed. You have to be careful about delivery and storage as they can be a little vulnerable in the non-assembled state. I've had my whole Ikea Kitchen for over three years and have nothing negative to say about it.

Posted by: guest at February 21, 2008 9:42 AM

You hear negative things about Ikea largely from people who (a)have had little to no practical experience with the product and/or (b) may have been suckered into busting their budget just to get "name" cabinetry that is truly no better than Ikea but costs 10x more. I have installed Ikea cabinetry in my kitchen and think it's one of the wisest decisions I have made to date in my remodel. Because of the savings there, I have been able to splurge elsewhere, as on stone countertops a high-end dual fuel range and a fireclay farmhouse sink, etc.

If you want to know more about Ikea cabinetry, how to work with it and adapt it to your specific needs, check out: wwww.ikeafans.com

Posted by: guest at February 21, 2008 10:13 AM

I like the look of both IKEA and Kraftmade. I went with the Kraftmade because I too wanted the ply instead of particle board. It's not the offgassing I was worried about. The problem with particleboard is it will warp when it gets wet. At some point a dishwasher or water filter hose will break or there will be some other leak under the sink. I saw it in so many rental apartments over the years that when I bought I wanted something better. This isn't a problem for your upper cabinets so you can save money by going for particle board there.

Posted by: guest at February 21, 2008 11:37 AM

I like my ikea kitchen, too. It's still new, but man was it a value, easy to install, easy to modify and make stronger.

I don't like the idea of ikea--I'd rather buy everything from a human in a locally-sourced, smallworld kind of way.

But frankly, I am not a millionaire. An ikea kitchen compromise allowed me to "go local" or "go precious" on other things.

Posted by: guest at February 21, 2008 12:14 PM

Yes, particle board gets wet (I have it with the current cheap cabinets in the place I recently moved into - it is yucky when water gets behind the cheap surfacing on the particleboard.)

The place I previously owned with Ikea cabinets, however, which I had for a decade, never did show any signs of wear from getting wet. The laminate on the Ikea cabinets is stuck on better (and the particle stuff underneath more dense - I could tell when I drilled holes in it to install wire shelves inside cabinets) such that water never posed any problem to it. It is definitely made of different stuff than cheap particle board cabinets.

My Ikea cabinet boxes showed virtually no wear in a decade of use.

Posted by: guest at February 21, 2008 12:25 PM

I really can't recommend my Ikea cabinets enough- But I want to point out that you can get doors for the front made out of solid wood. This makes all the difference in the way they look and function. I have solid oak fronts. The parts that get the most wear are therefore solid. I did my own design, and custom cut some of the boxes myself, which is easy with a saw and particle board. The hinges are well made and very easy to keep true with adjustments. The drawers are made by another manufacturer and they are I think German. The board that the cabinets are made of is of better quality than your average IKEA desk shelf.

Posted by: guest at February 21, 2008 12:48 PM

12:15 again - I also had solid wood doors on my ikea cabinets. They were pine, and showed some wear from the previous owners before I moved in. Before I sold, I finally got around to refreshing them with some smelly stuff you rub on wood for that purpose, and they looked new again.

I'd definitely get solid wood doors for Ikea cabinets, though I'd get a harder wood than pine - oak, birch, whatever.

Posted by: guest at February 21, 2008 3:55 PM

12:15 agian - I'd consider getting Ikea cabinets were I renovating a place. The only reason I would pick more traditional wood ones over them would be if I wanted to go for a more retro/traditional style - Ikea ones seem more modern to me. But if that works with the aesthetic of the place, the quality is great.

Posted by: guest at February 21, 2008 3:56 PM

an alternative to kraftmaid is Decora. I used them in one of my houses and they were terrific and definitely less expensive than kraftmaid. you can check their site at 'decoracabinets.com' and there's a supplier on kent ave (i forget their name but do a locator search on the site and you'll find them). the decora maple ply cabs are the least expensive and come in a variety of styles and colors; not sure what the euro look is, but I did a modern look with a flat front that was great and they are great quality, very solid, and good paint job.

Posted by: guest at February 21, 2008 4:33 PM

About IKEA blum hinges - they are custom made for IKEA, slightly different than for other cabinets makers. Why, I don't know.

I called Blum to ask and that is what they told me.

Try Scavloni Cabinets. Very reasonably priced if you can wait 3 month for them.

Posted by: guest at February 24, 2008 9:26 PM

StarMark Cabinetry and Fieldstone Cabinetry both have full overlay doors, there's no particle board in the construction, they are not manufactured overseas, and it doesn't take three months...more like four or six weeks after placing the order. A good example of a recent loft project is at http://www.qualifiedremodeler.com/print/Qualified-Remodeler/Penthouse-Galley/1$740

Posted by: guest at February 25, 2008 3:26 PM