Hi Guys,
Looking for some advice on putting in Ikea kitchens. What are your experiences? Are they cheaper? Do they last? Is there quality good?
Would love to hear about your thoughts and experiences.
Cheers,
Rose
Browse Forums Kitchen Corner 1 Jun 04, 2012 1:24 pm Hi Guys, Looking for some advice on putting in Ikea kitchens. What are your experiences? Are they cheaper? Do they last? Is there quality good? Would love to hear about your thoughts and experiences. Cheers, Rose Re: Ikea Kitchens 2Jun 04, 2012 2:25 pm We recently put in an IKEA kitchen in our new build. I'm really happy with how it looks and with the price. I can't comment on the quality but it does come with a 25 year warranty. I don't regret getting an IKEA kitchen and would do it again but these are the problems we had that you might encounter and better be prepared for: a. You have to design the kitchen with their 3D kitchen design software. I had a lot of trouble downloading the software and IKEA were no help. It turned out it preferred 32 bit Internet explorer so once my husband had figured that out 24 hours later we were able to download it. b. The software does up a purchase list for you once you have designed the kitchen but, on closer inspection, I found it had left bits out so to be sure we were buying the right things I had to do a handwritten copy anyway. c. Even with the handwritten copy, the salesperson contrived to leave things out like feet and the right number of plinths! So be prepared to return to IKEA again and again. d. Be prepared to return to take back broken items which they will do immediately but there is no quality control on packaging so you have to examine each piece to make sure there are no chips etc. e. There are no inter-store transfers so if Richmond doesn't have what you want and Springvale does, you have to go to Springvale - they won't order it in for you. f. They don't have much choice in benchtops so we ended up getting TOPFORM to make and install them and were very happy with the result. g. And lastly - don't use the assembling company recommended on their website to have the kitchen installed. They wanted a deposit immediately and we were told someone would contact us within 10 days for a quote. I had to chase them up twice and even when we got a person assigned to us to do the job they kept on making appointments they didn't keep. In the end I asked for the deposit back and we got our builder to install the kitchen. Probably more expensive but we could count on him to do a good job. Hope this helps. Liliana Re: Ikea Kitchens 3Jun 04, 2012 2:31 pm Awesome advice! Thanks you so much. Especially with the istallation. Great tips. Re: Ikea Kitchens 4Jun 05, 2012 7:54 pm I have had alot calls from people with Ikea and Bunnings kitchens that need the joins cut in the bench tops. They supply bench top blanks without the joins. They are alot of hidden extras that most people dont account for with Ikea or Bunnings kitchens. Have you thought about getting quotes for a flat pack kitchen from your local cabinet maker?? It wouldnt cost much more and would be of far better quality. You would also be able to custimize it to the milermeter! Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Ikea Kitchens 6Jun 11, 2012 9:58 pm IKEA and Bunnings flat pack kitchens are chalk and cheese, I've assembled both and the IKEA cabinets, hardware and finish quality are ship loads better than bunnings. If you can follow instructions, use a few basic tools and have time on your hands you will save thousands compared to a similar design built by a cabinet maker. Re: Ikea Kitchens 7Jun 12, 2012 6:49 am PaulMac IKEA and Bunnings flat pack kitchens are chalk and cheese, I've assembled both and the IKEA cabinets, hardware and finish quality are ship loads better than bunnings. If you can follow instructions, use a few basic tools and have time on your hands you will save thousands compared to a similar design built by a cabinet maker. Depends on the cabinet maker. Ikea quality will be alot lower than a cabinet maker and with Ikea kitchens you have to work with standard cabinet sizes. Cabinet makers can make the cabinets to anysize you want for no extra cost! Alot of people forget about the extras when doing a flatpack kitchen. I have had many customers say after it was all said and done there wasnt much difference at all. Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Ikea Kitchens 8Jun 14, 2012 7:05 pm Quote: Alot of people forget about the extras when doing a flatpack kitchen. I have had many customers say after it was all said and done there wasnt much difference at all. If the difference is a few hundred dollars then you wouldn't bother, but usually the difference is in the thousands of dollars. Re: Ikea Kitchens 9Jun 15, 2012 7:26 am PaulMac Quote: Alot of people forget about the extras when doing a flatpack kitchen. I have had many customers say after it was all said and done there wasnt much difference at all. If the difference is a few hundred dollars then you wouldn't bother, but usually the difference is in the thousands of dollars. Umm, no its not! If you go to the right cabinet maker and buy a flat pack kitchen it doesnt cost 1000s more! The only reason why it would is if the cabinet maker priced it with better quality components and doors! I have done a number of flat packs for customers and there hasnt been a huge difference! What are you going to do when you realise that you U shape kitchen bench tops dont actually come with the joins cut? I get this phone call 3-4 times a week! You need a masons mitre done and has to be done by a professional. This cost around $300. One little extra that most people dont allow for! Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Ikea Kitchens 11Jun 15, 2012 6:18 pm PaulMac Quote: I have done a number of flat packs for customers and there hasnt been a huge difference! Do you supply instructions and an allen key?...... Hell no! Allen keys should be left in the garage well away from kitchens! Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Ikea Kitchens 12Jun 21, 2012 6:23 pm We have an Ikea kitchen in our now house,renovated the kitchen ourselves,bought the cabinets early during end of year sales (think it was end June/july) & my man installed them. First time he had ever done anything like this,he found that it was abit of a pain to start with but once he got into the groove of putting it together it was easy,he would do it again. We had granite bench tops put in & it looks smick (we think) vistors always run their hands down the granite & say how fab it looks. If you buy like i said during the sales you will save a heap of money,we stored ours until we were ready. I had cabinet makers come in & their prices were crazy,i also think Ikeas are better than Bunnings but thats me. As far as i know,no cabinet maker will give you a 25yr warrenty,the staff are very helpful if you get stuck etc. The handles,feet & poss something were not included you had to buy them seperate,with a cabinet maker they are just put in under the whole price (included) No difference! Good luck Block bought 1st RBC X! 2nd Ventrua,Keeper! Pstart 18/7/11 Ethwks jan 2012 Slab Bricks- finished 7/6 Roof Trusses 15/6-cbond 21/7 viewtopic.php?f=31&t=41185 Re: Ikea Kitchens 13Jul 17, 2012 10:52 pm Just purchased our new kitchen, 9 cabinets all up, 21 drawers with soft close, overhead cabinet above the wall oven, integrated dishwasher, intergrated microwave, double bowl sink and tap, ss faced plinth and feet. Staff were extreamly helpfull and was an easy no stress transaction. All up with 15% discount it was $3890.00 Re: Ikea Kitchens 14Jul 18, 2012 7:24 am kerry-ann As far as i know,no cabinet maker will give you a 25yr warrenty,the staff are very helpful if you get stuck etc. The handles,feet & poss something were not included you had to buy them seperate,with a cabinet maker they are just put in under the whole price (included) No difference! Good luck All my hardware has a lifetime warrenty! Good luck with a 25yeat warrenty! After 5 years most warrenty claims stem from abuse or misuse of the kitchen! Most people these days also wouldnt own the house 25years later. I personally wouldnt touch plastic feet/legs with a 40foot pole! They are cheap and nasty. I bet you didnt have the cabinet maker quote on flat pack?? Most people dont compare apples with apples. With Ikea you are doing all the work, picking it up, putting it together, installing it and finishing off. I bet the cabinet makers quote was supplied and installed? I have supplied a few flat packs for customers and the price has been very similar to Ikea! Best bit with a cabinet makers flat packs you can have it fully custimized. You can have any sized cabinet and any finish door! Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Ikea Kitchens 15Jul 18, 2012 11:21 am Quote: All my hardware has a lifetime warrenty! Good luck with a 25yeat warrenty! After 5 years most warrenty claims stem from abuse or misuse of the kitchen! Most people these days also wouldnt own the house 25years later. The point of a 25 year or lifetime warranty is peace of mind, knowing it's not going to fall apart after a couple of years. Quote: I personally wouldnt touch plastic feet/legs with a 40foot pole! They are cheap and nasty. I think your over exaggerating, after installing a level wall batten the adjustable feet on the front are extreamly strong and the good thing they are adjustable to get the cabinet perfectly level. Quote: I have supplied a few flat packs for customers and the price has been very similar to Ikea! Best bit with a cabinet makers flat packs you can have it fully custimized. You can have any sized cabinet and any finish door! It took over three weeks just to get a quote back from our local kitchen maker, we measured and designed our kitchen on a Friday, went into IKEA on Sat morning and I had half of it built by Sat night. Knowing that the cabinets are machine made to the micro millimeter, have high quality hardware and a 25 year warranty why would you bother going through a cabinet maker? The only advantage with a cabinet maker is the ability to have cabinets made outside the STD range of 400, 600 and 800mm cabinets. Re: Ikea Kitchens 16Jul 18, 2012 11:50 am We are about to put in a brand new kitchen as part of our home renovations. A good friend is an experienced cabinet maker who has been working as a contract fitter for IKEA since the store opened in WA and he will be fitting our kitchen. However, on his advice it won't be from IKEA. He has nothing against the IKEA kitchens that he fits every day, but he says we can get better quality for less money in non-standard sizes and with a much wider choice of colours and materials. Basically, we have designed the kitchen ourselves, he is getting a local cabinet manufacturer to make the cabinets (out of thicker, coloured board) and provide them to him flatpack and he will assemble and install on-site. He will then get our choice of benchtops made and delivered for him to fit, along with our choice of doors, lacquered in our colour choice (matched to cabinet colour) with our choice of accessories, etc. This is how he did his own kitchen. The majority of the total cost (excluding appliances) will be the benchtops (plus beer for him!! - lol). If you want to try your hand at doing the work yourself and are a first-timer, then he says IKEA would be his first choice best option. He is often called out to fix problems with IKEA kitchens post-installation and says the issues invariably are caused by bad installation and incorrect measuring / not taking into accout that floors are rarely flat and walls are rarely straight. These bad installations are just inexperience (both when measuring and designing and when fitting), but are caused as much by the IKEA contracted fitters as by home DIY attempts. I agree with (and so does he) the comments about the crap software you have to use from IKEA - he says he always does a manual bill of materials himself to check the customer has everything required before he starts an install, otherwise what would normally be a one or two day job turns into a prelonged multi-visit saga. My frustration when I tried it was that it just did not provide some basic fillers, cabinet types, etc. required to create a real kitchen. We are lucky in that we are getting his design input, his access to cheap manufacturing and supply and his installation expertise free of charge (virtually). I doubt that you would get a normal cabinet maker kitchen as cheap as an IKEA one simply because these services do not come free as everyone needs to make a living. However, if you do want colour matched doors and cabinets, thicker board and non-standard sizes, then I do believe it would be possible to find a way of getting that without it being stupidly more expensive than IKEA. As for timeframes, that's where the IKEA option stands apart - as other posters have said, you can design your kitchen, collect from store the next day and have it built and ready for benchtops in a couple of days. Even using our friend, getting quotes and build date committments from factories that are busy and just "fitting you in as a favour" means that you really need to allow 6-8 weeks total in your renovation plan for the kitchen. I'll post an update once our new kitchen is in, hopefully with some pics. Re: Ikea Kitchens 17Jul 18, 2012 1:47 pm PaulMac Quote: All my hardware has a lifetime warrenty! Good luck with a 25yeat warrenty! After 5 years most warrenty claims stem from abuse or misuse of the kitchen! Most people these days also wouldnt own the house 25years later. The point of a 25 year or lifetime warranty is peace of mind, knowing it's not going to fall apart after a couple of years. Quote: I personally wouldnt touch plastic feet/legs with a 40foot pole! They are cheap and nasty. I think your over exaggerating, after installing a level wall batten the adjustable feet on the front are extreamly strong and the good thing they are adjustable to get the cabinet perfectly level. Quote: I have supplied a few flat packs for customers and the price has been very similar to Ikea! Best bit with a cabinet makers flat packs you can have it fully custimized. You can have any sized cabinet and any finish door! It took over three weeks just to get a quote back from our local kitchen maker, we measured and designed our kitchen on a Friday, went into IKEA on Sat morning and I had half of it built by Sat night. Knowing that the cabinets are machine made to the micro millimeter, have high quality hardware and a 25 year warranty why would you bother going through a cabinet maker? The only advantage with a cabinet maker is the ability to have cabinets made outside the STD range of 400, 600 and 800mm cabinets. Any flat pack product from any company will fall apart well before mine will! I have a friend that has had me install there kitchen and has an Ikea kitchen in a granny flat. There always seems to be a problem with the ikea kitchen. The materials used are no where near the quality a cabinet maker will use! I am not over exaggerating at all. I have been building kitchens for 20 years and know what I am talking about. I personally wouldnt put stone ontop of a kitchen with plastic legs. You say you installed a level wall batton. Great but what happens when the legs at the front compress a little with the weight?? Its not alot but it meens the doors gaps go out of level and look bad. Also the kickboard used infront of the plastic legs is coated chipboard or mdf. This doesnt last at all. Any small amount of water and you will have issues. I build a full box construction kickboard out of marine plywood. It will not move even submerged in water for two weeks! and before you say anything its quite common for dishwasher or sink pipes to burst and flood kitchens. You called the wrong cabinet maker then! My customers recieve there quote within 48hours of me seeing them. The materials and hardware used by a cabinet maker will last alot longer than any flat pack kitchens from any supplier. If you walk into any home with a flatpack kitchen is stands out straight away. It is very difficult to get a kitchen supplied in 100-200mm inciments to fit properly. You usually need to use bigger than normal fillers to fill voids and gaps because you cant get the right sized cabinet. There is a reason why you dont see flat pack kitchens in expensive homes! As I have said a custom flat pack from most cabinet wont cost much more but the quality will be so much higher! Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Ikea Kitchens 18Jul 19, 2012 5:21 pm Quote: Any flat pack product from any company will fall apart well before mine will! I have a friend that has had me install there kitchen and has an Ikea kitchen in a granny flat. There always seems to be a problem with the ikea kitchen. The materials used are no where near the quality a cabinet maker will use! Apart from the Marine ply base, what else makes your cabinets far superior to IKEA's cabinets? Re: Ikea Kitchens 19Jul 23, 2012 1:15 pm They are not flat pack! The white board used is of far higher quality, the cabinets are nailed, screwed and glued together and will hold there shape long after a knock down fitting fails. They are also custom built to any size. Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Ikea Kitchens 20Jul 23, 2012 2:04 pm I think there is probably room for all sorts of kitchens - custom-made and expensive, flat-pack and not so expensive and even IKEA. Here is one of Britain's 20 top-notch architects and he has an IKEA kitchen in his house in the Fens. Needless to say, he was working to a tight budget but nice house all the same - PDF link if you are interested. http://www.molearchitects.co.uk/pdf/Gra ... ch2004.pdf "is it exempt or do I need to get permission from council" Call your Council and ask them 1 1558 |