Hej IKEA. What were you thinking when you made these changes?

Feedback to Ikea regarding changes made to SEKTION kitchen cabinets 2021.
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[@SirThomas8]

There should be a 3D-printed replica of the old spacer available for free online. I am surprised I have not found one. I’d like to make one and share it. I’ll have to guess at the dimensions using the new spacer and what I can see of it in this video. If I make it and put it online I’ll share it here.

[@kitchensbyrannes]

I 3D print stuff too, but I don't think it's worth my time though. Printing that many would be too much every week ☺️

[@xavytex]

Hi, you forgot to talk about the end panels. They are too narrow. We need 16 and 26” wide panels so we can scribe them. And small end panels are 1/2” thick and large panels are 5/8” thick. I don’t understand why ? I always pickup some 36x96 panels from the as-is section for $50 so I can recut them to size (gives ms four 16w x 30h end panels). And it’s cheaper than getting stock 16x30 panels. I use robertson screws. I can’t stand their screws because they are so unstable even with a pz2 bit. Last thing they sould charge people more for kitchen design. $39 for 2 hours is really too cheap to hire competent people. I have to rework the design 90% of the time (for free, thank you very much…). Lots of unnecessary fillers. Disregard for the location of outlets and plumbing, etc… And they sell accessories and gadgets that aren’t needed ($15 for the piece of 2x4 and 2 brackets to put an Ikea island together. $20 for 2 strips of MDF, tons of extra feet, etc…). They also need to reduce their packaging… Cheers !

[@kitchensbyrannes]

Thank you for your comments. Yes, panels. They should rename them painels 🤣 They work well if the wall is vertical, which isn't always the case as you know. The ½" panels are not 5/8" because ½" is enough and the 5/8" isn't ½" because it isn't enough 🤣 I don't do the "how to save on panels" trick with as-is. Nobody will pay me for the effort and I don't pay for the materials when quoting. Same with island brackets etc. Yes, expensive for what it is, but in the bigger scope of things, not making a difference on a $10K shopping list. Screws.... Robertson 😭😭😭🤣 Packing is at a minimum already I find. It's "only" cardboard so it can all be recycled 👍🙏

[@lyndonfoster1090]

Yes Rannes, I sent them a note via their feedback and included this youtube link. Ikea USA doesn't have an email or fax that I can find only a call which I'll do next week too perhaps. I appreciate your videos very much and only wish you were available in California. We do not seem to have anyone as qualified as you to help us install our IKEA stuff. Keep up the good work.

[@kitchensbyrannes]

Thanks, Lyndon. I appreciate it.

[@katcan426]

I am glad you showed the little black part and said that you never use it. I couldn't understand it in the instruction booklet. Now I can install my cabinets!

[@kitchensbyrannes]

Thank you for your comment. I'm glad you found it helpful ☺️👍

[@lyndonfoster1090]

Very good info, I hope that IKEA listens. I will write them too!

[@kitchensbyrannes]

Yes, please do. Thanks.

[@earifin]

lol, i could confirm that Ikea still has not change the spacer, i guess make the wall behind cabinet vertically straight is easier, rather than trimming the cabinet's spacer, just use wedges or shims.

[@kitchensbyrannes]

Looks like Ikea's motto is "Why make things simple when you can make them complicated?" But hey, at least it keeps us entertained, right?

[@ary9655]

Thank you, sir, you absolutely right! those screws are rubbish! And people are making more and more rubbish these days just to save cost. Even for the smallest thing like a screw. When i try to fasten a panel, it's like a drilling through diamond. it's rattling the whole row of cabinets and still can't move an inch.

[@kitchensbyrannes]

I'm glad you agree, now we just need to convince Ikea. I always predrill, which helps a little, but I still wish they would bring the old ones back. I think they changed to this new screw, based on the idea that it would pull the two joining part tighter together than a screw with thread all the way up. However, the might be true in theory, but not in real life.

[@kaltimus]

As an installer, did you notice the change when the wall cabinets started having the back panel be folded and have a crease in them? It seems to me that IKEA didn't approve this change because all of the cabinets on display in IKEA have no fold in the back panel, the installation instructions don't show a fold in the back panel like they do in their other products that have a fold, and even the packaging measurements on their website still lists the old packaging measurements before they started folding the back panel… I tried to google to see when this change took place and haven't been able to find it. At the two different IKEAs I've been to, their staff was actually surprised to hear this. It's not such a big deal for cabinets with solid doors... but if you have glass doors you can totally see the fold. I'm curious what your thoughts about this are!

[@kitchensbyrannes]

To my knowledge, the fold has always been there for the bigger cabinets. Now it's more common though and I'm certain that it has to do with that the majority of cabinet boxes (not the packaging but the cabinet itself) are made in China. When I started 5-7 years ago, they were all from the USA (I'm in Canada). Then some French cabinets starting to show up (oh man they know how to use a lot of glue on the cardboard boxes 🤣). And then, last summer, the Chinese cabinets rolled in.

[@kaltimus]

@@kitchensbyrannes interesting. So I believe my boxes are all from France still and I know exactly what you mean about the glue!!! 🤣 I did hear something about that factory is going to shut down due to issues or some thing - so I wonder what we're going to see coming out next. Perhaps we'll all get the China ones next. As a renter, I'm doing a cabinet here and there - so even though I don't install them professionally, I'll likely get a little from each batch eventually 🤣

[@kitchensbyrannes]

The Chinese cabinets are white on the back of the cabinet edges and they have a sticker somewhere. The French and American are hazelnut colored on the back edges. And oh......the Chinese cabinets are dirtier. Lots of dark dust.

[@gavinnightingale723]

Hi. I completely agree with your observations. Those wall cabinet spacers are a pain. I have had to shave every one of them down with my belt sander to get the cabinets to hang plumb. Instead of using a nail, I used double-sided tape to attach them to the back of the units. Surely, they could develop some way of adjusting the hanging angle, maybe by means of a threaded adjuster in each of the bottom corners? The worst aspect for me by far is that in the U.K. dry-wall on the ground floor is very rare. Most houses here are brick-built, so the plumbing and gas pipes are attached to the interior wall and run in the void behind the cabinets. IKEA units do not allow for this and only have a 10mm gap, so I have had to completely relocate all of the plumbing in the kitchen to the 8cm gap (which is the leg height), so almost ground level. They don't mention this when you order your kitchen. It's another added expense and inconvenience. Talking about the legs, why are they made from chocolate? They are unbelievably brittle and snap at the slightest movement. In general, I find IKEA products to be very well made and easy to build, which makes it hard to fathom why they make so many basic design flaws. Like you said in your video, it's almost as if they don't test these 'improvements' before putting them into production.

[@kitchensbyrannes]

Thank you for your input. The previous kitchen system from Ikea had better options for adjustments but they abandoned those when SEKTION/METOD were introduced. I never use the distance pieces for base and pantry cabinets and for the uppers I remove them, is the wall is leaning backwards. Legs. The joy of legs. I think they serve their purpose which is to withstand vertical forces. The problem only becomes obvious if you try to move a cabinet with the legs attached. If Ikea adjusted the instruction to be in line with how I do it, i.e. not put on the legs before the cabinet is hanging on the rail, it would be such a big deal. Sink cabinet and pipes. I'm okay with how the cabinet is as I often assemble the sink cabinet "around the pipes" as shown in my video on the topic.

[@gavinnightingale723]

I get what you are saying about assembling around the pipes but mine were all 20mm from the wall, which is exactly where the IKEA base unit backs are and I didn't want to have to remove the backs. I am now concerned that my plumbing is going to get in the way of the bottom drawer on the sink cabinet. I'll find out very soon.

[@kitchensbyrannes]

If the sink drawer in the UK is anything like the one we have here in Canada, you'll should have no issues.

[@saurolocatelli]

Love this 😂

[@kitchensbyrannes]

Yeah, Ikea really needs to know. Even though they probably care as much as a cat cares about Monday mornings 😄