Are Ikea Cabinets Worth the Savings?
My kitchen was screaming for a makeover. Outdated appliances, cheap countertops, and ugly cabinets were just some of the things that needed to change. I decided I wanted to update everything, top to bottom. This was no easy task since this was my first kitchen remodel EVER, but I decided to go for it and make it a learning experience no matter how hard the challenge.
Before I did anything I took some measurements and decided on a layout. I started playing around with the placement and sizes of the cabinets. I looked at a few different cabinet options (Lowes, Home Depot, Ikea, and Cliqstudios) before ultimately deciding on Ikea. I actually fell in love with Cliqstudios, but I was going to save around $3000 if I went with Ikea which seemed like a no brainer.
*Note You can totally have someone design your kitchen for you, but I’m a little bit OCD when it comes to stuff like this, plus I enjoy it, so I chose to plan, measure, and design my kitchen myself.
I had to keep the overall footprint of the kitchen, so unfortunately, I wouldn’t be gaining any space. However, my plan was to open up a wall to make the kitchen feel bigger. No more claustrophobia for this kitchen. The wall behind the range backed up to the dining room making this the perfect spot to open up, not to mention my only option since the other side was on an exterior wall.
Another thing I wanted to do was find a place to put a microwave. I thought it was so strange this kitchen never had one. The previous owner had their microwave in the laundry room. Um no. I wanted a dedicated spot in the kitchen, but it couldn’t go above the stove because that’s the wall I planned to open up. So, that meant I would have to rearrange my cabinets and possibly my sink and dishwasher. Once I figured out the exact layout of my kitchen it was time for demo.
Demo…demo…demo. Most people love this step because you get to destroy things. Me on the other hand, I HATE it! You basically have to do all this work just to make a mess and then you have to clean it up. Where’s the fun in that? I like to make things pretty, but it’s a necessary step.
After I completed the demo I ordered my cabinets from Ikea and headed to the store to pick them up. Fortunately they had everything in stock and Ikea is 20 minutes from my house. When I got there they pulled my order and I was ready to load it up. What I wasn’t ready for was the 50 billion pieces I had to load. Okay maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, I think it was more like 120, but either way it was a lot. I didn’t realize every single piece was going to be separate. Every. Single. Piece. But I got this.
I get it all unloaded at home and I’m ready to start building. Oh wait, I don’t have a clue what goes with what?? Everything is in Swedish and I’m looking at a bunch of flat cardboard boxes. Honestly “boxes” may be a little too generous. They are panels (what will eventually make up the cabinets) wrapped in cardboard and glued shut. I decided the best way to tackle this project was to get as organized as possible. I found that going to Ikea’s website and finding the item I bought then checking off each serial number with the one on the box was the easiest method. Matching up all the items along the way then grouping each individual cabinet in its own section of the room.
For example: Say you buy a single base cabinet with a single door. This item will not come together in one box. It will be in multiple different boxes. So it’s best to group each cabinet (side panels, doors, drawer, etc.) before you start opening the boxes or you will have no idea which pieces go together.
Meanwhile I’m starting to wonder if this was a bad idea.
Once I had determined which pieces went together I started with one of my sections and carefully opened each item in that section and began to start putting the pieces together. Then I came across another problem…the instructions. What a joke. I mean seriously how can they call these instructions?!? Each item has its own instruction booklet and since Ikea’s cabinets have so many different variations there are multiple different instruction manuals that you have to follow along. You may start with one and then you will come to a point where you have to reference a different one and then go back to the one you were using before. Are you confused yet? I’m not going to bore you with all the details, but I will say it’s not easy and at this point I was really questioning whether that $3000 was worth saving.
There are literally no instructions to read. It’s just a bunch of pictures that are really vague and sometimes confusing. Needless to say this was VERY frustrating and time consuming. For an extra fee, they will build your cabinets for you. I’m not sure how much they charge, but I’m going to say it’s probably worth it.
Once I got all the cabinets built it was time to install. And on to the next problem…
Ikea cabinets sit on top of plastic legs. Not the sturdiest. A couple of mine broke and I had to buy more. However, they are adjustable and once installed everything was solid, but I definitely questioned it at first. I used their rack system that mounts to the wall and to the cabinets which keeps everything in place and sturdy. After finishing this step the kitchen really started to come together. Even though the cabinets were a challenge I was feeling accomplished in my work so far.
The countertop and appliances went in next. I had my countertop guy install the sink, which was partly the reason I chose Ikea. I desperately wanted a farmhouse sink. Ikea’s farmhouse sink was by far the cheapest option for this style, keeping me well within my budget and adding to my reason for selecting Ikea cabinets.
Ikea’s Farmhouse Sink: $167
The Other Guys: $300-$1200
I will say, if you have a small budget Ikea is a pretty good choice. Even though the cabinets are made of a cheaper material they don’t have a bad look and the soft close doors/drawers are a nice touch that makes them feel a little more premium. For me, anything was an upgrade from what I had before.
Overall I’m not sure the headache of building the cabinets was worth the savings. I personally wouldn’t do it again. But never say never, if I had an extremely tight budget with a lot of time on my hands and was bored looking for a project, then maybe. But probably not.
