Ikea Installers vs GC
decided to go with Ikea kitchen cabinets for a renovation job. will need to get a GC to do some other work in the kitchen. with that in mind, i need to decide whether to have the GC build/install the ikea cabinets or have a specialist (e.g., traemand or kitchen couple) do the work. i’ve…
decided to go with Ikea kitchen cabinets for a renovation job.
will need to get a GC to do some other work in the kitchen.
with that in mind, i need to decide whether to have the GC build/install the ikea cabinets or have a specialist (e.g., traemand or kitchen couple) do the work. i’ve received a ballpark estimate of the work from a few of these specialists, and the cost seems a bit ridiculous to me given that all they’re doing is putting the stuff together and installing them.
i’m inclined to have the GC do it all, but my question is are the ikea specialists really that ‘special’?
one of the major reasons why i’m inclined to have the GC do it is because i think there may be special fittings or fixes that need to be made in order for the cabinets to work in our layout – e.g., corner sink and hood ventilation.
anyone here who have used their GC to build and install their Ikea cabinets? if so, how did it come out?
My GC screwed up my install so bad I had to get an IKEA installer to come in and fix the overall look of the kitchen. GC did a pretty good job on the drywall, flooring and carpentry portion but was not skilled with IKEA Assembly. I hired this company called SketchNBuild which happened to do mostly woodworking and IKEA installs. They made me pay a good bit for oversized panels at IKEA but it was well worth it in the end. Then installation now looks picture perfect!
We used Traemend, they did an ok job.
I wouldn’t use a GC because there are lots of tricks that traemend know about BUT you need to sit there and watch them while they do it – there were two “choices” they made when assembling ours which made their jobs easier but by the end of 4 days i was ready to throw them out with their 9 to 4pm attitudes.
Having said that i would probably buy an Ikea kitchen again for my next renovation as it’s so reasonably priced even after the traemand installation price it’s just hard to say no but given a ‘looser’ budget i’d probably go custom.
I’m just trying to figure out how some “brownstoners” insist that Ikea cabinets are higher quality than a cabinet made of plywood…..with solid wood faces and drawers with dove tailed joints, Really, I thought it was just common sense. Also, I am amazed at the trend of homeowners installing cheap cabinets with high end appliances.
Also, setanacre, please point out where I called anyone backwards…..
In addition, Consumer Reports is NOT gospel
Melissa809 – Consumer Reports tested popular kitchen cabinetry brands based on one 21-inch-wide base cabinet with one drawer and one pullout shelf, and one 21-inch-wide, 30-inch-tall wall cabinet with fixed shelves.
The results:
#1 Omega $1055
#2 Fieldstone (1/2″) $1020
#3 Diamond (Platinum) $630
#4 IKEA $290
#5 Thomasville $500
#6 Shenandoah $435
#7 KraftMaid $510
#8 Wellborn (Premier) $880
#9 Mill’s Pride $260
#10 American Woodmark (Designer Series) $350
#11 Kitchen Classics (Select) $265
#12 Premier $320
#13 Kitchen Classics $350
Not everyone on brownstoner is wealthy, and those that are probably maintain their wealth by seeking good value as well as good craftsmanship. Ikea is a very good value for cabinets and they are warrantied for 25 years. Not sure what your big problem is and why you feel the need to call anyone “backwards”. Very rude.
Ikea cabinets are not the end all-be all that some of you claim they are. First off, there is not one dove-tail joint in sight….and second, I don’t care what grade MDF their cabinets are made of….nothing beats plywood for the main carcass of a kitchen cabinet.
Granted, most people on this forum are just average homeowners, but speak to anyone who works in the building trades….especially a woodworker…and see what they say about Ikea cabinets. I’m not saying they’re horrible, but PLEASE..to compare them to a cabinet made with at least a 7-layer plywood with drawers that have dove-tail joints…..as well as faces made of SOLID wood..as opposed to the veneered fronts of Ikea cabinets
Furthermore, I was under the impression that “brownstoners” are usually wealthy….if that’s the case….why in the world would you cheap out on cabinetry?….And second, I see that the trend is to install Ikea cabinets with high end appliances and granite counters. This is where “backwards” thinking comes into play. Cabinetry is “fixed”….whereas appliances and counter-tops are much easier swapped out. It makes more sense to invest in high quality cabinets and get the cheaper appliances..and GASP…laminate counter-tops until one has the money for higher end appliances
We used out GC to install Ikea cabs. We did, however, unpack, sort and assemble the cabinet boxes first. The GC did an OK job, but wound up doing much more work than they needed to because they didn’t understand — even though I showed them — how they could avoid having to cope joints by using the long cabinet covers that Ikea sells…
I would actually use an Ikea installer…they will do it faster, better, and won’t get flummoxed by Ikea’s wordless instruction manuals. Also, if you use Ikea you’ll inevitably have to go back once or twice to get trim, fittings etc. An Ikea installer will be able to tell you exactly what you do and don’t need.
When I asked this question of an Ikea rep, I was told that if you have their installer do it, the cabinets have a much longer warranty.
Our GC installed the IKEA cabinets in our rental kitchen when we renovated 10 years ago. Frankly that kitchen has held up better than ours, where the GC built us custom cabs from scratch.
Ikea cabinets are fine. As far as installing, they can be a pain. Even for an “experienced” GC. Heck, having them pick them up from Ikea is worth a 1G.