ikea kitchens -oppinions please

Discussion in 'Kitchen Fitters' Talk' started by sparkydude, Aug 31, 2004.

  1. sparkydude

    sparkydude Member

    Hi i am seriously considering buying an ikea kitchen, can anyone tell me their oppinions of build quality, value for money etc

    thanks

    Nick
     
  2. 7severn7

    7severn7 New Member

    One word.

    Don't!
     
  3. sparkydude

    sparkydude Member

    very helpful reply, Why not????, what are your experiences of them then????? Why are you so against them then??/

    any other CONSTRUCTIVE replies
     
  4. dewaltdisney

    dewaltdisney New Member

    Hi SD,

    This was a very good thread centred on the fitting of an Ikea kitchen. Well worth a read I think, and it may help you decide

    http://www.screwfix.com/talk/thread.jspa?forumID=27&threadID=8449&messageID=82513#82513

    My feelings are with kitchen units that it is the quality of the doors and worktops that make the final show good or bad. The actual units are all much of a muchness for flat pack stuff and the shorter the unit span, the stronger. Preassembled units, like Magnet, have the carcasses glued up with an interlocking joint at the corners and are very strong compared to others I have seen.

    Like all things you get what you pay for I guess but my experience of Ikea stuff generally is poor quality but cheap.

    Hope this helps,

    DWD
     
  5. Sean Hodges

    Sean Hodges New Member

    It was me fitting the IKEA kitchen. My only experience of other types is the Wickes one I removed. IKEA do seem to be significantly different to all other kitchens - the units extend right back to the walls, whereas normal carcases have the back of the cupboard a few cm in from the wall, allowing the back edges to be cut to fit wobbly walls.

    My kitchen was fairly square, and all the units went in as well as could be expected for an amateur. I learned a lot of things along the way that a kitche-fitter would know already.

    The worst thing was fitting the worktops. I didn't use Ikea tops because they only supply them in 3m lengths, and my main run was 3.65m long. I bought 60cm deep worktops from another supplier, but discovered that Ikea units are deeper than normal ones (Ikea worktops are 606mm deep). To deal with this I had the splashback tiled first, which pushed out the worktops enough to give a small overhang on the units.

    If you read the thread linked to you will see that I screwed up by getting a pre-cut 90 degree mitre joint on the worktops, and later discovered this angle wasn't what the kitchen required. I am now wondering what to do with the resultant mess.

    I guess at this stage in my kitchen-fitting adventure, I wish I'd paid an expert to do the job. Some you win....
     
  6. scutch

    scutch Member

    I fitted an Ikea kitchen, but it was a few years back. The doors were naff - main problem was the veneer breaking away after a couple of wets. But the build quality of the units themselves was good if you put them together properly. I replaced parts of it with some MFI units recently. These have good doors but... the carcasses are very, very poor. The gluing on the joints is hit and miss, staples penetrating the inside of cabinets, many units I had to brace square myself because the were pre-assembled on the p**s. I got some money back from MFI in the end.
     
  7. Sean Hodges

    Sean Hodges New Member

    That's very worrying to hear - the veneer not being wet resistant in a kitchen - the doors I fitted are all oak veneered.
    I wonder what comeback I would have against IKEA if this problem starts to affect my kitchen?

    I've already suffered from the same problem with a veneered bath panel. One splash and the veneer lifted. Now I think I need to varnish the whole panel.
     
  8. DaveM

    DaveM New Member

    Hi,

    My sister (well her husband!) installed an Ikea kitchen and she wasn't over-please with the quality of the material. Bits breaking, scratching easily. Another point to consider is how far to you live from Ikea. If you have a problem (which she did) your waiting ages to get it sorted or having to go back to the store to exchange/refund. She said she wasn't going to do it again.

    My experience of Schreiber is that they are strong, but the people who assemble them need glasses. The amount of glue inside the carcass and outside give me reassurance they are strong, but getting the glue off is a pain in the butt. If I was to do it again, I'd build my own kitchen with the flat pack and do a better job of it too. I just wish people had more pride in their work!

    Dave
     
  9. Gromit

    Gromit New Member

    Hi

    I fitted one last year, client bought it and I fitted it. A couple of months ago I did a B&Q same scenario, I found the Ikea generally better quality though there wasn't a lot in it. The doors were solid and good quality and I was impressed by the drawer system but the down side was no room behind for services.
     
  10. dunc

    dunc New Member

    I avoid any customers who use the words eye ache or is it I ache.
     
  11. devil's advocate

    devil's advocate New Member

    Hi sparkydude.

    If you want an Ikea kitchen, then go for it. They are undoubtedly good value, and the quality shouldn't let you down.

    I have fitted B&Q, Ikea and MFI kitchens in the last few years for myself and family, and would happily choose them all again. As DwD says, they're much of a muchness, and it's only when you look at details such as drawer systems that you might find differences between them - and even then, many of the ranges give you a <u>choice</u> of quality here.

    I also don't believe there's an advantage in 'rigid' (pre-assembled) units; the strength of a fitted kitchen comes from proper adjustement of the legs (the units <u>must</u> be plumb and square), being fixed securely to eachother and being attached securely to the walls. A 'rigid' carcase will also flex or fail if this isn't done. My most recent kitchen, from MFI, had rigid cabinets. What a pain: cabinets that required modification had to be 'disassembled' beforehand (out with the mallet...). Others were clearly beginning to flex after having been repositioned for the nth time. A flat-pack unit, assembled with a good dollop of PVA on the dowels, will be <u>just</u> as strong, if not more so. (I'd personally now go for flat-packed if given the choice.)

    Don't let the lack of 'service' space at the back of the units put you off Ikea units either - they are as much an advantage as a dis. Once you've made the holes in the floor of the sink base unit for the pipes, they are then all easily accessible and visible for simple connection. The plumbing in my MFI sink base is located <u>behind</u> the back panel - and I'll have to destroy this panel if I ever have to replace my tap... The Ikea units also have significantly more interior space because of this.

    Hinges: all pretty much the same these days: all metal, usually third party supply (eg Blum) and won't let you down.

    Fascias: I haven't tried pouring water down them repeatedly, so cannot comment on the problems found by some peeps above. The doors from all the suppliers look as if they'll last ok, but some of the doors from the cheaper ranges do look very cheap - but, again, this applies to <u>all</u> makes.

    So, if you've found an Ikea kitchen you like, then go for it (and I think many of them are very nice..!).
     
  12. 12benny

    12benny New Member

    devil, thank you for your information.Ref.Ikea:
    Q1. how would you run your pipework if it was an in-situ concrete floor?
    Q2. how would you run your waste pipe if the sink was located on an inside wall?
    Q3. slightly off the subject, would you offer an explanation for installing an integral/built-in gas oven.
    Is the gas oven supply on a flex hose?
     
  13. devil's advocate

    devil's advocate New Member

    Hi 12benny.

    Qs 1&2: depends where the pipes are going/coming from; eg are there base units all the way from the sink unit to where the waste currently exits the wall?

    Don't forget you have a ~150mm gap below the base units in which to run services if you have to. Just remember to keep the <u>waste</u> pipe on a slight, but continuous, downward slope until it gets to the point where it exits through the outside wall.

    If the point of exit is <u>above</u> this plinth level, I guess you have two options: (1) run the pipe at a level that rises slightly from the exit point until it gets to the sink - yep, you'll have to run the pipe <u>inside</u> every base unit on the way (actually not as bad as it sounds) or (2) if you're going to run the waste pipe <u>under</u> the units, make a <u>new</u> exit hole through the outside wall at <u>floor</u> level. It might be preferable for you to make a completely new exit hole thro' the outside wall at a point closer to the sink unit, and continue the waste pipe <u>outside</u> the building until it gets to the drain.

    Q3: I'm not qualified to answer (er, I dunno...)

    If this doesn't help, it might be worth posting these questions as a <u>new</u> topic - there are peeps out there more experienced than I eager to help
     
  14. 12benny

    12benny New Member

    devil, thank you for taking the time to answer.
     
  15. devil's advocate

    devil's advocate New Member

    No problem; if I can help, I will.
     
  16. Kirby Castle

    Kirby Castle New Member

    My kitchen is Ikea. I chose Ikea because of the drawers (solid 18mm base and metal runners and sides), the door hinges (they click on and off) and the deep carcases as already described.

    I built out the walls so that the units where 75mm away from the real wall. I studded and plasterboarded above the work surface but you can get deeper worksurfaces that will negate this need. My pipes and cables drop down from the room above within this studwork and run behind the units in the gap. The huge advantage in this is that washing machines and dishwashers etc can be easily plumbed and fitted in without trapping pipes AND the unit ends up nice and flush with the cabinet doors (and not 2" forward because there is no space to push it back)

    There are several methods of finish on their doors. The Stat ones are laquer but others have a laminate and are not as good.

    Steve
     
  17. devil's advocate

    devil's advocate New Member

    Hi KC.

    It's nice to get confrmation that Ikea kitchens are fine; they are undoubtedly good value and peeps shouldn't be put off them chust 'cos they're well priced.

    I like your modifications!!! I, too, hate white appliances sticking out, but equally dislike built-in white goods! (silly prices...)

    My solution, with my last two kitchens, is to make them different depths to std - similar to what you've done - but to tile the tops so that I've got full use of the 700mm depth. I then fit doors (2x400mm) on an 800mm under-wtop space to house a <u>conventional</u> w/m (with room for powder, etc) flush with the rest of the units - you cannot tell what's behind them.

    This way I have 700mm deep units on the sink run, stepping down to 600mm at - and round - the corner, going back up to 700mm deep for the oven and hob (the extra wtop depth here is useful and looks good!).

    My current kitchen has 400, 500, 600 and 700 deep worktops in different places, with a continuous sweep of tiled top flowing round (no nasty joins or mitres...); I think it looks pretty nifty, tho' I say so myself!
     
  18. 12benny

    12benny New Member

    devil and kh,

    What a good set of ideas. Have you tried using this method, of pulling out units, with tall conventional appliances? have you tried doing it on the same cabinet run?
    Essentially, you are saying that one can use any conventional or built-in unit with this method?
     
  19. devil's advocate

    devil's advocate New Member

    12benny, I haven't tried to build-in tall appliances - I tend to choose a fridge/freezer that looks good enough to stand by itself!

    A potential problem with trying to build-in conventional fridges and freezers is the ventilation requirements; they give out a lot of heat which needs to be dispersed properly.

    I just like to get washing machines (and dishwasher, if I ever get one!) hidden away, but have also become attached to deep worktops!
     
  20. Errol Johnson

    Errol Johnson New Member

    Great product but don't expect 30 years life.
    But who wants the same kitchen longer than 5 years, sorry who's missus etc..........
     

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