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June 20, 2008
IKEA Kitchens
So we are doing a guy reno of a house we just bought. We wanted to do the whole espresso colored cabinet theme in the kitchen. I just found a flier on the street with a picture of an IKEA kitchen...exacally how we wanted to do ours. We are interested in their cabinets only...does anyone have these? They are a heck of a lot cheaper then anywhere else...are they cheap looking or something? Our house will be valued around 1.7-2.1 million I assume after we do the reno...Im not so sure that the IKEA cabinets would fit this house in case we ever wanted to sell it (I assume we should probably spend more money on higher quality cabinets to appeal to any potential buyer). So what is the catch with this IKEA stuff?
Comments
The ikea cabinets look good from afar, but not so great up close. Don't know exactly which line you are referring to, but I believe they are composit, not solid wood.
Posted by: mkop at June 20, 2008 12:43 PM
search the forum, there are lots of posts about this. do a search at apartmenttherapy.com as well. also google "ikea kitchen" and "ikea cabinet" - i found a bunch of similar forums out there when i was looking at these. all the feedback you could ask for.
Posted by: guest at June 20, 2008 12:45 PM
I've had IKEA cabinets in one of my rentals for over 20 years and they still look great. I put a coat of polyurethane on them a few years ago and they looked as good as new.
Posted by: guest at June 20, 2008 12:46 PM
If you like it, go for it. We put an Ikea kitchen in the rental and everyone who sees it loves it. Cabinets cost about $900 for four uppers and four lowers, plus toekicks, trim, knobs, etc. Make sure it is installed exactly as per instructions. We hear over and over again from prospective tenants how much better the kitchen looks than most of the kitchens in the new rental buildings.
As for sale price, it won't lower the sale price more than you saved on the kitchen. Get yourself some nice countertops and appliances and you'll be fine. Unless you are renovating to flip, don't sweat it and get the kitchen you like. It won't affect the appraisal, if you are worried about loan to value for construction financing.
They are composite, not wood.
P.S. Don't tell my wife about "guy renos" -- she may want one of those.
Posted by: slopefarm at June 20, 2008 12:58 PM
Ikea kitchen cabinets are great, they are very reasonable in cost and easy to put together. It's true the cab boxes are presswood as Mkop points out, but very few cabinet boxes are made of anything else these days. Once you are in a higher price point you get plywood, better at resisting moisture, but as long as you don't have a water problem these cabinets are sound.
The cabinet faces are good, some even of solid hardwood (which I recommend because if you have to modify a cabinet and cut 1" or so off, you can do it easily on a solid wood panel, not so easy on a laminate panel). But as you will see on the posts, some Ikea cabinet faces are really cheap looking, some are really great. The most important thing is going to the store directly to see the cabinet, not buying it from the catalogue.
Also, don't use their base cabinet leg supports. They will slip out of adjustment over time and potentially shift a counter apart from a backsplash. Instead, use plywood as a base support and toss out the plastic Ikea legs.
Posted by: Smokychimp at June 20, 2008 1:11 PM
Ok thanks for these...a few people pointed out they put these in their "rentals"...I need to point out that I cant consider this as a rental, as it isnt...Im going to go down to Ikean now to check this out...wish me luck, Im sure it is pure CHAOS there! Also, that was a "GUT: reno...not a guy reno!
Posted by: nybk01 at June 20, 2008 1:28 PM
Go to www.ikeafans.com
everything you need to know about ikea from a consumer point of view,
it is a question and answer blog.
You can also find a "buddy" on the website to walk you through it.
Posted by: Ysabelle at June 20, 2008 1:32 PM
We looked at IKEA cabinets. Although they didn't work for our project (not the right height) they seemed to be pretty decent quality for the price. Certainly saw similarly constructed cabinets for a lot more money. One concern I would have is the availability of replacement parts, especially those cheap drawer setups. I think, however, that you can order them from IKEA.
I say if they work for the look that you want, then go for it.
Posted by: guest at June 20, 2008 1:36 PM
I put in the cabinets you are thinking of ( expresso) 1 year ago in my owners unit ( not a rental)... If you want to check it out in person email me at:
mike@apt168.com
Posted by: owner12 at June 20, 2008 1:41 PM
Ikea has better design but cheaper materials than many mid level home depot type brands. As someone said above, they are made of compressed wood rather than particle board. This makes them lighter and maybe better as upper cabinets. The problem is that you could get warping from water damage from that inevitable leak under the sink or around the dishwasher. If you keep your eye on such things, then no problem.
I'd recommend you actually hike it over to Jersey (3% tax) or out to hicksville because the displays in red hook will not show you what cabinets look like after wear and tear.
Posted by: guest at June 20, 2008 2:32 PM
I have ikea cabinets in both my rental and my owner's duplex. I like them a lot.
They are well-designed, they have great hinges and drawer hardware, and are very sturdy for the price. I'm impressed.
Like anyone, I would prefer solid wood. But honestly, I can think of so many better things to spend my money on, and so far I am happy with the way they have worn over time.
If you're having design issues or don't want your house to look too ikea-ey, then get a good countertop, and collect drawer pulls and stuff like that elsewhere.
Posted by: vanburenproud at June 20, 2008 2:35 PM
1:36, Ikea drawers are not cheap in the sense you mean. The slides are sturdy and the drawers are metal which is a lot better than ply/particleboard stapled together. They look like they will last forever.
And doors can be solid wood. Glass-fronted doors look cool.
Second all the positives. We've had kitchen for 7+ years and little signs of wear.
Posted by: cmu at June 20, 2008 5:35 PM
I put an Ikea kitchen in my fancy PPW coop and lived there for 7 years. The cabinets were great, continued to look great, and were not a problem when I sold (buyers said things like: "This is Ikea? You're kidding!!")
Posted by: guest at June 20, 2008 5:44 PM
Ikea cabinets can be great. I had them for 8 years (installed by previous owners). I also would recommend their doors that are all wood (most are not) - easier to rub wood refurbishing stuff on to renew. I did, right before I sold, and they looked great. How well you care for your doors (how much you use them, how rough you are) also is a factor in how they look over time. One thing about ikea cabinets - new owners can always just buy new doors to freshen up the look.
Posted by: guest at June 20, 2008 11:11 PM
You have a $2M house and you're going to put in IKEA? You are on crack. Go to Bulthaup or Val Cucine or something.
Posted by: guest at June 21, 2008 12:20 AM
Wow I expected the poster to be eviscerated for even mentioning IKEA. Instead helpful people. Maybe the war is ending...
Posted by: guest at June 21, 2008 12:27 PM
2:32 Please don't ask people to skirt NY tax. If you want Firefighter and teacher raises please think about it. $1000 will have a tax difference of 50 bucks. Subtract gas, tolls and traffic and why bother.
Posted by: guest at June 21, 2008 1:07 PM
I chose Kraftmaid over Ikea....looks better, better quality, not that much more. Every contractor I mentioned "Ikea" to rolled their eyes in disgust. If you're looking to invest, forget it.
Posted by: sushi at June 23, 2008 12:59 PM
I had an Ikea kitchen (<$1500 at the time) in my old condo. People were consistently shocked that it was Ikea because it looked much more expensive. That said - some of the Ikea cabinets are good quality, and some not so much. The melamine ones I think look cheap no matter what.
Posted by: guest at June 23, 2008 3:16 PM
I can't find the original article for free, but if you follow this link from ikeafans, it has the details of the Consumer Reports article from a few years ago that ranks Ikea well ahead of many other cabinet brands, including Kraftsmaid and the rest of the Home Depot brands. About 3 posts down or so...
http://www.ikeafans.com/forums/why-ikea/145-consumer-reports-article.html
Posted by: guest at June 23, 2008 11:27 PM
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