Are IKEA kitchen cabinets a good idea?

[merianne16]

My husband and I are going to totally re-do the kitchen in our new townhouse. There are some Ikea cabinets that we love and they're SO much cheaper than anything else we've seen! But, the fact that they're so much cheaper also makes us really nervous! Would you buy a house with Ikea cabinets? Any experience with them? What is the quality like? Thanks so much!

Merianne

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

Go to the kitchens forum at Thathomesite.com, loads of info on Ikea cabinets there. They are supposed to be very good quality for the money.


Susan

#1 Nick 11-18-04
#2 Kate 04-26-06

[brittone2]

ITA w/ Susan. I've heard really good things, and if we do a kitchen remodel down the road, I'd like to use Ikea. The hardware IMO is really, really nice quality.

In addition to the site Susan mentioned, www.ikeafans.com is really cool too. Very inspiring, and loads of ikea-specific info.

I think there's good info available on there about which cabinets give you the most bang for your buck. Some are just veneers, etc. and some are solid wood. So the quality will vary a bit with that I think. Just read up and learn what you can in advance. I've really heard great things about the quality for the price though.

[kristine_elen]

We love our Ikea cabinets. Do a Consumer Reports search. I think they were rated second highest, behind only some very expensive custom-made cabinets. They are designed well and are good looking. My husband also did the installation himself, which he said was very easy. They are much better than much of what you find at Ikea -- things that look neat but aren't all that sturdy (thinking of my son's dresser where the bottoms of the drawers keep popping out).

[mykidsmom]

A friend of mine used IKEA frames with custom doors. It saved her a ton!

[val01]

My MIL just re-did her kitchen with IKEA cabinents. They saved her a ton and look great too. I am considering them for mine. They give a nice planning guide as well, and lots of custom features.

Valerie

[swan01]

We did it and saved TONS of money, although we did the installation ourselves. I have heard that most IKEA installers charge the same as the cost of the cabinets, so keep that in mind. (The top cabinets hang from a rod, European style.) The only thing I would warn you about is that it can be A LOT of work just to keep track of everything. Our kitchen was something like 372 individual pieces (with all the frames boxes, door front, drawer fronts, hinges, etc.). Some was on backordered, a couple arrived damaged, you get the idea. If you don't live near an IKEA, the shipping back and forth can be a nightmare. We did this 3 years ago and I have heard that their kitchens have gotten really popular since then, so maybe that has improved? We used the forums on gardenweb.com. Good luck!