# Ikea kitchens - any good? And fitting your own kitchen tips?



## gidon (20 Sep 2007)

We're about to make the 2 hour drive up to Ikea to order a new kitchen which I'm going to attempt to fit.
We've spent hours with the frustrating online kitchen planner tool - so perhaps I'm asking for advice too late.
But has anyone bought and installed an Ikea kitchen - are they ok?
I'm a complete novice when it comes to plumbing and electrics for that matter. Plus I'm not too keen on the tiling either. But I want to at least get the old kitchen out and the new one assembled and in before getting help.
So any comments on Ikea or tips on installing greatly appreciated!!
Plus if it's not a silly question - can we order some of the neat Woodfit gizmos to fit into Ikea kitchen units?
(We did look at Magnet and B&Q too - I was shocked at the price of Magnet kitchens - even with their half price sale on, B&Q seemed ok but preferred the Ikea designs).
Many thanks
Gidon


----------



## ike (20 Sep 2007)

I'm in the same boat at the moment, although I've plumped for B&Q units. All I know is that Ikea modular sizes are 'odd' compared to the majority of kitchen units. Although tha's not why I didn't go for them - I didn't like any of the styles  

Ike


----------



## jasonB (20 Sep 2007)

Quality wise the Ikea stuff is OK though they only have pinned on hardboard backs.

Biggest problem is they have ZERO space at the back of the units, this means you need perfectly straight walls and all services must run under the floor or less than 140mm up the wall (Not with exposed legs). The best way to get round this is by using worktops that are 650mm wide not 600.

Also the hanging brackets for the wall cabs have no in/out adjustment and the other two axis are not as easy to adjust as the regular cab hangers.

They gave an odd size of waste to their sink traps

Have a look on Screwfix Tal forum there was a long thread on Ikea kitchens about a year ago, probably in the carpenters section.

Jason


----------



## cambournepete (20 Sep 2007)

I'm almost finished with fitting my Ikea kitchen (I hope).

The wall cabinet fitting s are awkward, as has been said but other than that they're pretty good. The lack of gap at the back means there's more storage room, and the drawer units are very well made - Blum tandemboxes would you believe.

I'm generally pleased with it overall.

Don't forget to allow extra time for rewiring, retiling replumbing and all the other things you don't thnk about until you start them... :roll:


----------



## OLD (20 Sep 2007)

On the couple of kitchens i have done they required lots of electrical relocation so i did it first but with part p thats not possible. Put simply you need a electrician and they make a mess cutting and burying into plaster etc better and quicker i think if the new units are not fitted.So my advice rough in plumbing and electrical, fit units ,tile ,finish plum and electrics.


----------



## Argee (20 Sep 2007)

Absolutely agree with *jasonB* - the hangers are strong, but do not allow depth adjustment. Carcasses are OK, finish good, but the lack of plumbing space is a *real *disadvantage. 

Forget the plastic sink kit they provide. It looks convoluted, but is just a moulding, really pants, plus it's a really weird size. The nearest I could get to a fit was with a 2" compression fitting. Running the services below the carcasses might not sound like a big deal until you try it - it's a *real *pain compared to a plumbing recess.

A few pics of one I did for my friend's son are *here* if they help. All doors and drawers are soft-closers, BTW.

HTH 

Ray.


----------



## DomValente (20 Sep 2007)

2 hour drive ?

My one experience of Ikea was to buy some bits for my sons first flat and that was about three hours of searching and queuing.


Dom


----------



## mailee (20 Sep 2007)

I have fitted a lot of kitchens but won't touch Ikea ones. Sizes are odd which means you have to fit their own machines. As has been mentioned there is no service gap at the rear either which is a real pain in the proverbial. I would certainly recommend you have a go at your own kitchen just not an Ikea one! Best advice I can give is fit all the units yourself making sure they are straight and level of course and then get a pro to cut the worktops. Dont takle the plumbing or electrics if you are not sure either. :wink:


----------



## Colin C (21 Sep 2007)

I would also agree about the Ikea kitchens being a pain to fit with on service gap at the back.

I have done one and hope not to do any more as the wall was not straight :roll:


----------



## gidon (21 Sep 2007)

Wow - thanks some great advice.
Nice kitchen Argee - can you come and do mine !
I think I can cope with the lack of service void - I can build some false backs on the cabinets where plumbing needs to run through - and as Pete says the extra depth should be handy. I'm worried about the straight walls comment! The walls are far from straight I'm guessing - isn't there enough overhang to play with on a standard 600mm worktop? How do people cope with walls not straight and a 600mm worktop? (Don't think Ikea do 650mm ones).
You have all put me off Ikea a fair bit - but are the other options any better? I hear Howden's are ok - but I don't have a trade account. Thing is Ikea are pretty reasonable - this isn't our forever house or kitchen. Just want something that looks ok and works!
Thanks again for all the advice - much appreciated.
Cheers
Gidon


----------



## cambournepete (21 Sep 2007)

Gidon,

For the money I think you'll find it hard to get something of better quality than an Ikea kitchen.

The carcases are 18mm chipboard (with a fibreboard back) and rigid when put together. The door we chose (Tidaholm) have a real wood frame and a veneered chipboard panel. The hinges are Blum, simple to fit and easily adjust. Don't forget to get the 150 degree ones for the right cupboards!

The drawers are Blum tandembox, adjust easily, very strong, with metal sides and backs and 10mm chipboard bottoms (compared with the plastic/hardboard consrtuction the builders provided). We also got the soft closers which are really cool.

The pros may not like Ikea kitchens (one shop we went to said they were awful), but for a DIYer they're fine. I've certainly found mine reasonably easy to install. I guess if you're a pro and fitting kitchens every day you get used to a certain design style and might have different requirements to DIYers.

The plastic sink kit fits their sinks fine (I chose the Domsjo) and I had no problems connecting to my drainage pipe. The lack of plumbing space hasn't made my life any more diffficult. Don't forget about push-fit plumbing - it might be more expensive than soldering, but it's so much easier. Even I can do plumbing now 

Forget Ikea worktops and get something you like better from somewhere else - I got mine from the local builders merchant. The one we chose wasn't available in 650mm, but if you want the gap at the back or have very curvy walls then go for 650mm, you'll also have more worktop space then.

I did think about building all the cupboards from scratch myself, but lack of room, and the need to do most of the work relatively quickly and general doubt about my abilities suggested this wasn't a good idea.I have no regrets in buying the Ikea kitchen and would do so again in the same situation. I think you (and SWMBO) would also be happy with one as well, and no I'm not on commision!

Hope this helps,

Pete


----------



## ike (21 Sep 2007)

> I hear Howden's are ok - but I don't have a trade account.



Shouldn't be a problem. If you convince them it is a one-off DIY job, they will usually sell non-account. Howdens of course make MFI's kitchens and work out somewhat less than MFI's '50% off' prices. I was going too get a Howdens kitchen. They kindly did the CAD layout for free, but at the time I couldn't ignore a stonking offer at B&Q. Much the same overall cost but I got solid ash fronts and solid walnut tops instead of melamine faced. 8) 

cheers,

ike


----------



## gidon (21 Sep 2007)

Many thanks Pete - that's more encouraging! I looked through all the Screwfix posts too - thanks Jason. It'll mean a lot of rethinking to not go with Ikea now. My wife was horrified when I fed back the comments! I will be getting the sink and appliances from them and the worktop (what's wrong with the Ikea worktops Pete?). So hopefully that'll be ok. And as for the plumbing and electrics - I'll take heed of the advice. The sink plumbing will mainly go through the corner cabinet so hopefully room there. 
Will so if I can make a trip down to Howdens Ike - also having a little look at diy-kitchens.com which look quite good. Sounds like you've got a good deal with B&Q. We had them around and the chap we had was very professional - did a free quote (and gave us some good ideas). But came in at £7000 with fitting for their value range! Which seemed pricey to us.
Cheers
Gidon


----------



## cambournepete (21 Sep 2007)

gidon":65g2hyu1 said:


> Many thanks Pete - that's more encouraging!


Just trying to add a bit of balance 



gidon":65g2hyu1 said:


> (what's wrong with the Ikea worktops Pete?).


We just couldn't persuade ourselves we liked any of them, which is a shame because they're so cheap...


----------



## gidon (21 Sep 2007)

Well we've pretty much chosen the black Numerar (square edge) which looks ok. Don't like the silver edge but have been told we can change that. 
Yes very very cheap! 
Haven't you got an even further journey to Ikea? Is it Bluewater?
How did you do the ordering / delivery? Did it work out ok?
Cheers
Gidon


----------



## cambournepete (21 Sep 2007)

Nearest Ikea to us is Milton Keynes.

I used my trailer to transport stuff and made several trips, which at least meant I had some room to move...

One trip I went to both Bristol and Milton Keynes (just after dropping off SWMBO in Taunton for a month).
Don't expect to get everything you want in one trip - they'll almost certainly not have it, although last trip I got everything I wanted!
I downloaded the kitchen planner and drew up plans with it and saved them online. Downloaded to the store and printed off a picking list. They will advise you on some bits as the planner overestimates the amount of worktop and plinth for example.
Be prepared for a wait at Birstol - most of the kitchen stuff is in the warehouse and so best to order and pay for the stuff, have breakfast and then go to the warehouse


----------



## kafkaian (23 Sep 2007)

My Ikea kitchen was useless. Carcasses were okay but the beech doors (Adel) were poor and foot plates pathetic.

The problem with the doors lay in the fact that the joints allowed for warping and any water ingress, which meant around the sink area, the usual amount of washing up drips would cause the upper rail to rise. I think I replaced about 5 doors in all and in the end gave up and resigned myself to resetting the design and starting again.

For me a complete waste of dosh.


----------



## Scrit (24 Sep 2007)

cambournepete":13oq514t said:


> The lack of gap at the back means there's more storage room.......


The down side is that there's little or no room to manouver if you need to scribe heavily into old/very uneven walls



mailee":13oq514t said:


> Sizes are odd which means you have to fit their own machines


Agreed. If you buy an Ikea kitchen a lot of standard slot-ins just won't fit - and the other point is that reskinning by replacing doors in the future is also out because the doors are non-standard sizes



gidon":13oq514t said:


> The walls are far from straight I'm guessing - isn't there enough overhang to play with on a standard 600mm worktop? How do people cope with walls not straight and a 600mm worktop? (Don't think Ikea do 650mm ones).


You buy a breakfast bar top (which are wider, 670 or 900mm) and cut and scribe it to fit. Always assuming Ikea do them. Quite frankly their tops are best described as cheap and nasty. If you want a good quality top you really need to find someone who'll sell you a Duropal or Prima (Formica) worktop - if you see one of those for comparison you'll understand what I'm saying



gidon":13oq514t said:


> I hear Howden's are ok - but I don't have a trade account.


They do a very good quality carcass - certainly much better than Ikea, and as an added extra their worktops are 615 or 625mm (from memory) - not a lot but it just gives you a bit more "wiggle room". And they'll probably sell to you directly as well (depends on the branch). Howdens own both Schreiber and Hygena - I can't recall which one they sell but they come pre-assembled (glue/dowel) with a thick rigid back panel



cambournepete":13oq514t said:


> I guess if you're a pro and fitting kitchens every day you get used to a certain design style and might have different requirements to DIYers.


It's not a case of getting used to a certain style - as a pro WWer you need to be able to install anything, so that isn't the problem, the problem is that Ikea kitchens are so different to other makers that it can and does cause problems. The same is true of theior beds and other stuff they do and seems to be vcalculated to lock you into buying from them and only them as nobody else makes stuff which fits

Another point I'd make against Ikea is that their high gloss doors, for example, show all sorts of defects such as ripples, creases and orange peel - all signs of poor quality manufacturing

Another vote against from here

Scrit


----------



## gidon (24 Sep 2007)

Thanks - not what I want to hear but really appreciate everyone's thoughts. At least if we do go ahead with Ikea we'll go in with eyes wide open.
Pete - we're going to pay for home delivery on the whole lot - £150 I think - that is if we go ahead! Were meant to be going up today but didn't work out!
Cheers
Gidon


----------

