My Ikea Kitchen Install project

[Ausyuppy]

Its interesting the comments in regards to the IKEA kitchen benches. I too was a sceptic until I was dragged by the wife to IKEA on the weekend. The kitchens seem to be of a high quality and at a 1/3 of the price you can get anywhere else.

When I get around to renovating the kitchen, I can assure you will will look seriously at IKEA. I will also look locally to find a local supplier, but after seeing the IKEA kitchens I am a changed sceptic

I guess with any kitchen, its how it is looked after. The one in my house is only 6 years old and its getting worse for wear. It was a rental house for the last 5 years and not cared for that well. At the end of the day, I guess care in installation and maintenance is a key factor in the longevity of a kitchen.

Cheers
Steve

[Dirty Doogie]

I also wasn't / havent been keen on Ikea benchtops but they now have a new range made in Australia which I might checkout on my next visit.

[Trav]

Hi Trav,
I went locally for 3 quotes and went through with each designer details of a folder showing my wish list of look and inclusions as well as a preliminary design that I had come up with.
First quote was $19,000 incl splashback and benchtop and trades PLUS appliances. Very small kitchen design with minimal storage.
Second quote was $20,000 PLUS trades, plus splashback plus benchtop plus appliances. Better design.
Third quote - best design so far, but that $20,000 price range again. PLUS trades plus splashback plus benchtop plus appliances.
IKEA I have more cabinets than in any of the above designs, glossy doors as well as some frosted glass doors, a rollup appliance cabinet, a lazy susan for my corner cabinet, Blum drawers and fittings. Cost $7,500 plus $250 delivery to Canberra. You can see none of the local companies came anywhere near this.
Even allowing that I have paid for help with the install, cost-wise I am ahead so I can also get the caesarstone benchtop, the glass spashback and the quality appliances in a kitchen that I love. Only downside is my fault in that its taken me so long to install.

Thanks - the price seems excellent. I can feel a trip to Ikea coming on...

I'm after a kitchen with the full kit of soft close drawers etc, but the cost is simply extraordinary. The kitchen place I went to wanted an extra $90 per drawer for bl;um metabox - a price I can't justify.

Trav

[Tabby]

You can try claytons kitchens. Biggest kitchen manufacture in melbourne. They pump out 300 kitchens a week!

http://www.claytonsgroup.com/homepage.jsp?xcid=1

Thanks big_gumbo, I'll check them out

[big_gumbo]

Clayton does their kitchens flat pack as well

[pom79]

We bought the Ikea 30mm solid Beech benchtops and used them in our flatpack reno, only really cos they were cheaper than post formed laminate !!

Didn't do proper biscuit/clamp joins underneath though... wish I had cos theres a bit of movement.

[seriph1]

$399 for an IKEA double Fireclay sink (looks like porcelain but isnt - incredibly tough) is absolutely unbeatable too .... other than theirs, the cheapest double Fireclay around is $1500 with most running out at $2300+

As a kitchen designer (period-style kitchens exclusively) and furniture maker, I think IKEA's bad rap is unfounded. Admittedly, apart from one item, I don't have IKEA product here in our 1880 home but I reckon their stuff is really innovative and well designed.

The one item we have is a TV console. It sits under a 50 inch plasma and is beech veneered particle board. It holds all our equipment and sits next to an 18th century Japanese cupboard - we like the contrast of the old and new. Putting it together was fairly straightforward, taking around 30 minutes. On special at $179 I feel it was great value.

FWIW I think their range of lighting is brilliant too.

[Dirty Doogie]

Just on the point of Ikea lights - A range of the fittings are double insulated which means from a renovation point of view they can legally be installed on a 2 wire system (live and Nuetral) which is the system found in many older houses (no earth wire). IKEA are the ONLY place I know of to get double insulated interior light fittings.

[Daren]

this is great info and relevant to my needs

I'm planning a complete IKEA kitchen and have been reading up in the forum here

So the positives for IKEA are

- cheap price
- best drawers/runners (BLUM) (is that right , they are the best?)

then negatives are

- the wall cabs are hard to install(is that right? and why?)
- the bench tops arent good, or the join is bad (?)

could somebody clarify these please..

any other positives and negatives ??

[big_gumbo]

this is great info and relevant to my needs

I'm planning a complete IKEA kitchen and have been reading up in the forum here

So the positives for IKEA are

- cheap price
- best drawers/runners (BLUM) (is that right , they are the best?)

then negatives are

- the wall cabs are hard to install(is that right? and why?)
- the bench tops arent good, or the join is bad (?)

could somebody clarify these please..

any other positives and negatives ??

Well i dont consider them cheap because i know the real cost price of materials/hardware etc. But if they're cheaper then other quotes you've got, then buy ikea.

I'm wondering how you install the ikea overheads. They only have a 3mm backing with no rails or solid back. How do the screw to the wall?

As with the benchtops, the join is only going to be as good as the person who installs it

[encino_]

Thanks - the price seems excellent. I can feel a trip to Ikea coming on...

I'm after a kitchen with the full kit of soft close drawers etc, but the cost is simply extraordinary. The kitchen place I went to wanted an extra $90 per drawer for bl;um metabox - a price I can't justify.

Trav

Same, I'm seriously considering Ikea too for a modern looking kitchen. I reckon whilst still a little bit pricy, the Ikea drawers with the metal inside look heaps better than standard wood ones that a cabinet maker will do. I think that as long as you stick to a neutral scheme (maybe just white) and a nice benchtop, no one will know
it's Ikea.

[Dirty Doogie]

Daren,

Generally Ikea kitchens are much cheaper than a local kitchen company becuase you do the assembly and installation yourself. It is possible to achieve a high end modern look for about the price of a melamine finish from a kitchen company.

The very latest glass front drawers and doors have to be seen to be believed - Ikea's price for 600 wide 3 drawer unit with glass fronts (in black or white) - $600 - local high end kitchen outfit price here on sunshine coast - $1400 (but you can have any color you like)

The cabinetry needs to have the cut ends sealed with polyurethane during assembly becuase the whiteboard is not moisture resistant except for top battens on sink units.

The hardware fittings are all top range - BLUM - they work smoothly for years and years in my experience. Hinges, drawer fronts are all adjustable.

Fixing wall cabinets isnt hard. It is best to plan for wall cabinetry if you have a timber frame house - you'll need nogging in the wall running at the height of the top edge of your wall cabinets ie the top edge of the nogging is level with the top edge of the cabinet. The cabinets are held to the wall with special L brackets (supplied) usually fixed in the upper back corners of the cabinet. If you have brick or block walls then you just fix with a dynabolt.

Alternately you can run a batten across the wall top and bottom and fix brackets into the top batten.

A few strange looking screws come with the L brackets - these must be used to fix the L bracket to the cabinetry - no other design of screw will do because the whiteboard has an engineered core which is very strong and the design of the fixing screw is important.

Benchtops - well - in the past benchtop has only been available in set lengths and widths - meaning if you needed a L corner it got a bit dodgy. You would have to butt join the top and use a cover piece to hide the join. The LOgan Ikea near Brisbane (being the biggest in Australia) now offers custom made benchtop in laminate or epoxy stone. I dont know how the prices compare or what the range is like.

I've made about 14 kitchens over the years and have found the Ikea jobs to be excellent value and generally very durable - but the bit I like most is that if you get sick of your choice of doors/drawers you can always change them - both the style and the layout ie turning a drawer unit into a pull out unit or a cupboard.

Hope that makes things a bit clearer.

[bingoshelley]

if anyones interested grays auctions have beautiful kitchens with granite benchtops already made up you need a truck to get them home they have wood ones and white 2 pack designs rather large in size with glass door overheads i havnt brought one yet but i wouldnt buy bunnings again i got the cheaper version from bunnings and got what i paid for the benchtops are useless and totally not practical for a kitchen i only brought a small one 800mm pantry 900mm under sink 800mm corner cupboard 450mm drawers 900m cupboard & 600mm drawers and no overheads all up cost me $1500.00 but i will never use them again 3 years on and they look cheap bench tops are marked the plastic coating they use is splitting on one door and 3 drawers.if i had of known about the auctions i would have got 1 from there at $3500.00 to $4500.00 absolute bargain.im pretty sure grays are in most capital citys give them i try they also have laminate bench tops if you dont want granite.

[Dirty Doogie]

HI BingoS - I have looked at those kitchens and have been mostly impressed with them - except I was told that to disassemble, frieght it, and reinstal them would cost me about 2K if someone else did it. Still they are decent option.

[bingoshelley]

hi doogie i was going to hire a thrifty truck weekdays $89.00 3 tonne can use with normal licsence includes 100kms they run on diesel cost me $120.00 for fuel to drive 600+kms so great on fuel .and if you stick to laminate bench top you can cut holes for sink hotplates yourself and relatively easy to install they have adjustable legs to make leveling easier.cheers shelley