Does anyone have an Ikea kitchen?

[~Trish~]

DH & I are planning on renovating our kitchen. We went to Ikea yesterday and saw some kitchen ideas that we really liked. Using the kitchen planner online tool (so handy!) it looks like we could to the kitchen ourselves pretty cheaply. But we're not sure about Ikea's quality? It looks OK, but we don't know anyone who has an Ikea kitchen to ask! Apparently they have a 25 year guarantee which sounds good.

So if anyone has one, or knows someone who has one, I'd love to hear from you!

[feeb]

Ohh how exciting we did same thing yesterday!!!! We probably walked past each other!

I was chatting to someone at ABA the other week and they are getting an ikea kitchen done and I told DH, who first said no way are we getting ikea kitchen!! Then he saw them and has changed mind and told me maybe!!

SO now need to play around with online tool!!

Have fun

[~Trish~]

Really? I wonder if we were there at the same time LOL! They look so nice don't they?

We spoke to a staff member and she showed us how to use the kitchen planner tool, DH used it last night to come up with some ideas. It is so handy! We wrote down the styles and colours we liked while we were instore, then used them to help create the kitchen at home.

I hope they are good, because they are so reasonably priced . I also hope they are easy to assemble because DH wants to do as much of it himself as possible.

[Bumperstump Cummerbund]

The kitchen in our house was newly renovated with an IKEA kitchen when we moved in. Not sure how much it cost, and apart from some slight peeling on one cabinet door, it's all fine!

As a person who used to work for a cabinetmaker though, I give the following warning - IKEA kitchens are based on one standard kitchen. You'll probably find you need to get benchtops cut down, or they won't be long enough, or your walls won't be dead straight, etc. I know the IKEA kitchens look fabulous and have a great price tag, but you need to really measure up your kitchen and work it out for yourself, and factor in the cost of getting a tradie to make the necessary changes. A lot of reputable cabinetmakers won't have anything to do with an IKEA kitchen, unless its ripping it out, because it just gets too fiddly to work with, and clients are shocked when they realise how much the kitchen is really gonna cost.

Hope that helps

[~Trish~]

Thanks Berenice, that's very good to know! I will let DH know. He wants to put it together himself, but I'm thinking using a cabinet maker might be more practical. I can't be without a kitchen for a long period and a cabinet maker would be able to build a new kitchen faster than my DH could! (Sorry to my my DH if you read this )

[didispunk]

My husband is a cabinet maker so might be very one sided but. He has gone in LOTS i mean at least 1 a month and fix or replace entire kitchens, he said its great they are guranteed for 25 years but no one ever comes out to look inspect and make sure after its installed that everything is in place.. cupboards line up open and close etc.

Now DH wont touch them at all, he said by the time you fix something on one it wrecks something on the next panel. etc.. He said you are paying for what you get.. he said if you want it to last longer then 3 years.. dont bother, as it will cost you more in teh end then its worth.

Get a few cabinet maker companies to do some quotes for you and compare.. you dont need the fanciest door handles etc.. but at least they have proper fabric and material and can get you the same look as IKEA but something that will last.

Good luck

[~Trish~]

Thanks didispunk! I was afraid I might hear something like that. We will definitely get some quotes from cabinet makers too and work out which is the best option.

[Astrid]

I agree go the custom built kitchen. We looked at an Ikea one when we renovated our last house, DH was in the building trade for awhile so he was reasonably capable of putting on in. In the end due to odd walls, needing half size cabinets on one side etc we went the custom kitchen path and it was fantastic. I think cost wise it was not much more expensive than Ikea was going to be. The check and measure guy was a legend, just 1mm out with the bench top and he had measured prior to us taking off the wall tiles, so pretty amazing. Check out showrooms now and then wait, there are some good times of year to be getting good deals on custom kitchens.

[Pandora]

My husband is a cabinet maker so might be very one sided but. He has gone in LOTS i mean at least 1 a month and fix or replace entire kitchens, he said its great they are guranteed for 25 years but no one ever comes out to look inspect and make sure after its installed that everything is in place.. cupboards line up open and close etc.

Now DH wont touch them at all, he said by the time you fix something on one it wrecks something on the next panel. etc.. He said you are paying for what you get.. he said if you want it to last longer then 3 years.. dont bother, as it will cost you more in teh end then its worth.

Get a few cabinet maker companies to do some quotes for you and compare.. you dont need the fanciest door handles etc.. but at least they have proper fabric and material and can get you the same look as IKEA but something that will last.

Good luck

I have heard similar from more than one cabinet maker. They said they are a great option if you plan to renovate and sell within 2-3 years but for the long term, to look at something else.