BRUTALLY HONEST IKEA KITCHEN REVIEW | CABINETS & SEKTION SYSTEM

[@OakAbode]

UPDATE 8/20 - Thanks for all the support! I'm seeing a lot of questions regarding where we got certain products, so I linked our hardware, sink, cabinet fronts, etc. for you guys. You can shop our IKEA kitchen here: kit.co/oakabode/classic-kitchen-look-book -- hope this helps! I'm going to film a Year-3 IKEA Kitchen Update soon here for y'all, too.

[@bigjulie3714]

Excellent review. May I suggest you drop the music because it is competitive and distracting. Silence is golden.

[@relativisticvel]

This, music is great when showing stuff but bad when talking.

[@jenht3260]

Wow I'm surprised assembly isn't a con.

[@jenht3260]

@bobinsuffolk whoops! My bad, accidentally posted in the wrong place. But may I suggest not sounding like a condescending asshole. I know it may help you feel like a big manly man talking down to a woman, but when your only comment on this reply is to mansplain, you're not actually contributing to the actual conversation at hand.

[@franciegarneau1651]

@bobinsuffolk you, sir are a rude person.

[@saracinatriarius]

I found this as well, perhaps lower the volume if the music. It might be the combination of the echo, music, and new info that made the video hard to follow. Wonderful info though, thank-you!

[@SummitBidTech]

I recommend using the online kitchen design tool and ordering directly from the tool as items are needed. I’ve heard it’s when people order everything at once that there are nightmare delivery issues. I was able to design the whole cabinet layout, all the drawers and shelves, side panels fronts, etc, which was an amazing experience. I then ordered a few cabinets at a time directly from the design tool and installed them a few at a time so as to reduce clutter and minimize order confusion issues. Once the base cabinets were in I ordered the drawers and fronts and doors again to reduce order mixup. Once the base cabinets were in I ordered the upper cabinets with shelves but without doors and installed them while my granite countertops were being fabricated. I used plywood countertops while waiting. I never had any order mixups or delivery issues and by ordering in stages, I was able to pay out of pocket as I went. I should mention that there’s an ikea very near me, but I ordered everything online and then usually picked up the order the next day and there was never a missing item. Building my kitchen was an Absolutely amazing experience and the finished product totally rocks.

[@bigpjohnson]

I ordered my lower cabinets in-store for delivery, everything arrived without problems or mix-ups for 70+ packages. Luckily IKEA is only 15 miles away, made countless more trips for extra parts and 1 damaged drawer front. My lower cabinets were mostly 4 drawers. Its a lot easier to attach all the slides on the side panels before assembling the cabinet box itself. I attached the drawers and front after the boxes were all installed in place.

[@theshop5331]

Down side of spreading out the order…ikea decides to end production of your chosen style.

[@court2379]

I have had those same cabinets for 8 years, and largely agree with your statements. I picked them up myself though. If you don't like IKEA doors, just have a cabinet shop make them however you like. As far as quality, over the years I have had a few issues with the doors. They are made of MDF. I have a couple of drawer fronts that have swelled just enough to split the paint at the corners. For no apparent reason, as the humidity where I live is not high. Its a warranty issue they should cover if I take them in. There are a couple of others that my children have let water drip down the face, and wiped it up, but left water on top of the door. It fairly quickly peels the paint off and swells the door. That said, this kitchen was half the cost of equivalent cabinets and I have no regrets going with them. The hardware is made by Blum and is excellent. The dampers are reasonably priced. The bases are as good as any other chip board bases. The leg adjusters are convenient for leveling things in an uneven older home. The rail mounting system works well. A couple of recommendations. Make sure to square up the cabinets when mounting the back panel. Seal the bottom corners with caulk in all cabinets. Particularly the sink cabinet. It is only a matter of time before water gets in it. If the edge is not sealed it wicks into the gap and then swells the board. The front edge will also do the same but not as fast.

[@BeowulfIsMinNama]

White interior is a pro! Reflects more light making it easier to see what's in the cabinet. I suggested to a friend that was repainting her cabinets & doors, that she go ahead and paint the interiors white while she had the doors off. She was thinking of adding lights to the interior of the cabinet. And even though she cursed the whole time she was painting, she is grateful that she did it. Paint is cheaper that electrical lights!

[@patrickgage1913]

We had an Ikea Kitchen installed about two years ago. Brilliant! We shopped around -Wickes, B&Q, Wren, Magnet, etc. having seen a friend's kitchen we went to Ikea. We used their kitchen planning service - outstanding! - they do not try to sell you anything but they do try to provide you with what you want. No ridiculous discounts, just straight prices, and they are reasonable. We found their counter tops to be fifty mil instead of seventy five mil, cheaper and does the job. Their cabinets are lower to the floor, providing more storage space, and the trim underneath is thus cheaper, 90 mil instead of 150 mil. We went with meter high wall cabinets instead of the usual 80 centimeters, again more storage space. Slim cutlery drawers add extra space as well. Their 150 wide cabinets fill in awkward spaces and provide additional useful storage. Their kitchen fitter was outstanding, calling me one morning to say he would be ten minutes late due to traffic and staying more than one evening until 10:30 to complete a specific task. The video shows exstensive wall tiling, we went with a solid white panelling - much easier to clean. And of course all of the doors and drawers are soft close. Now here is a point they don't tell you about. Everything arrives flat packed and not all of the bits and pieces are necessary. Collect them together in their original packaging and return them to Ikea for a refund. We got £61.00 back! Now who else will do that for you? If you shop online for kitchen fixtures you will find the basic cabinets are similarly priced no matter the supplier. Where they get you and the cost goes up is the additional bits and pieces - the handles, the hinges, the corniche across the top, trim under the cabinets, etc.. Would I recommend Ikea? Like a shot! .

[@lisaemery879]

We have had our cabinets about nine years. Still in love with them. Still no scratches or breakage of any kind. So easy to clean. I would not have ever thought of any of your cons. They never crossed my mind. We picked up our own in our minivan. Took a few trips. For best customer service show up on Monday morning or another weekday morning when it is very slow.

[@DemiLulu]

Same!

[@darinnetherland3466]

Another huge positive to me was their online kitchen designer. It has some quirks to learn, but overall VERY easy yo use to design your kitchen all by yourself. The software is also very smart in preventing you from making incompatible choices and tips on when something may not work, like a cabinet too close to a wall that would prevent the door opening all the way. It’s a great tool for designing your kitchen and seeing it in 3D before buying. You can even add stand-ins for existing appliances. Just make sure you measure your space very accurately.

[@sallyannc3176]

Here in the UK Ikea now offer a paintable cabinet door. We had an Ikea kitchen put into our daughter's flat about 5 years ago (black wood cabinets and grey slab cabinet fronts) still looks really good - we got one of their reccomended installers and they did a great job. I'm just in the process of getting an Ikea kitchen put into our new home and here they have a really good range of door fronts and work-tops - can't wait!

[@OakAbode]

Oh man, I would kill for affordable paintable IKEA cabinet fronts! 😭

[@pattoja]

I’m in Miami and we got our Ikea cabinets back in 2014, when they weren’t named Sektion. I unpacked and assembled all the cabinets by myself and installed them with my husband. I love them and haven’t have any problem with them. I have granite over them and no problem at all. I didn’t have any problem with delivery or customer service. I definitely recommed them and will get them for our next home (2022 overseas).

[@KaraDK]

I’ve watched A LOT of videos on IKEA kitchens and so far you are the best at explaining what you did and how and they way you speak is also easy to follow. Your design is great! Keep up the great work!!!

[@andrewgalbraith2372]

Offering another perspective on the customer service and delivery: We had super helpful folks for customer service, the kitchen staff at the store were fantastic to deal with and helped us grab a few items that we had missing on our build. The delivery was also really good. We live over 2 hours from the store and the folks who delivered were super nice and efficient.

[@andrewgalbraith2372]

Worth noting, I needed to contact Customer support later for items that didn't ship. It was a nightmare!

[@chrisbaier6252]

I did my IKEA kitchen about 10 years ago. It's holding up great. (It was the previous Kitchen system IKEA had--i think they updated some of the drawer hardware--hinges, drawer slides with the new system, but I think the basic construction is the same. I had to make some custom modifications (I made some upper cabinets deeper than the standard 12", cut some lower cabinets to be not as deep for one area of my kitchen, etc. I'm a hard-core DIYer). People talk about paying $10k more to get quality custom cabinets that will last for decades, but more than likely, styles and tastes will change so you will want to swap out the cabinet doors at some point, or reconfigure your kitchen a bit (and I didn't have 15k for cabinets). I also put some wood glue in the dowel/peg holes during assembly to guarantee a better hold.

[@VelvetandToads]

Chris Baier Me too, a little over ten years ago.We had the doors custom made. Back then they had more widths, which was practical.

[@theresamunro8004]

Great review, we are currently installing an IKEA kitchen and we must have gotten incredibly lucky, as our order was EXACT! Our remodel was huge, it is a BIG kitchen with a ton of cabinets. Our delivery service was spot on, and we only made one trip back for a mistake I made while designing on one drawer. I can say the whole process with purchasing, ordering and delivery was practically seamless. We are in Canada and have heard different things from different people, but our experience, so far, has been fantastic. I am really happy to hear after two years they are still holding up. (and that soft close is something isn't it! lol)

[@claudetteclouatre5408]

I also added light in drawers and cabinet doors and absolutely love it

[@danielsonsthagen8970]

It was a little flimsier than I expected. I had to add a 2x2 piece of wood to the bottom on the rear side in order to stabilize it better kzbin.infoUgkxXTh-lz-8W6GcB219vTLp27-MxbZYObBX . It is also starting to bow a little at the outer wall ( I've had it up for about 6 months), I've already had a shelf tumble down because of the bow and the fact that the little shelf brackets are quite short. I went out to home depot and got some longer ones so that the shelves don't tumble down again. Overall, it looks very nice for the price and it holds a lot ( I use it as a pantry). I am very satisfied with my purchase. I just strongly suggest reinforcing it before putting it up.

[@Wordsnwood]

Very good review! My question is why did you not put the soft-close option on the upper cabinets? It's dirt cheap and it just clips onto the hinges. If you love the soft-close drawers, you'll love the soft-close doors also. I built my ikea kitchen roughly a year ago and I went the route of Ikea boxes and custom faces that I made myself. (videos on my channel if you're curious.) One other suggestion is to remember the extremely generous ikea return policy. We purposely bought extra stuff, expecting to have too much, and then one of our ikea trips was to return the extra. So, buy an extra hanging rail, or some extra hinges, or some extra filler panels. Like you said, you are guaranteed to need at least 2-3 extra trips, so returning will not be an issue. OH, and also, if you buy during their 15% off kitchen sale, remember they give you the discount in ikea cards which need to be used on your NEXT visit. So JUST buy the cabinets. Then use the gift card to buy things like drawer dividers, extra shelves, dish racks, and so on --

[@OakAbode]

Great question! Long story short, I planned to, but just haven’t gotten around to it, yet. Bigger projects taking precedence, still. (Also why we still don’t have toe kicks 😅) We love the IKEA return and price match policy as well! We took full advantage of that. We actually didn’t even need a gift card back - price match refund went right back on the credit card, which was very convenient.

[@debbiedes3578]

Oak Abode .

[@beege4491]

Thank you! I have been looking at Ikea cabinets for a while and your review made my choice easier. None of the "cons" would bother me and the "pros" are everything that is important to me. Great review.

[@Lizwindsor]

Agree 100%

[@claudiamiller7730]

Distance from the store is key! When I moved to North Carolina…I was soooo close to the IKEA in Charlotte that I used to use it as a route marker to get to our house..”Take 85 to the big blue and yellow building….turn north and go down 3 stoplights…and you’re here!” Very convenient for me and my girlfriends were all jealous!! Nice job on the kitchen…I see a career for you with IKEA installations!

[@nano15j]

Such a great video! In my experience one trip was enough because I booked the Ikea kitchen planner (you get the costs for that refunded as a voucher if you buy the kitchen) and had them deliver (delivery was 300 Euros so not a lot). This saved me from having to go to the store multiple times.

[@dannac_8888]

Customer service on the PHONE and in two stores in TWO STATES ARE FANTASTIC! We had such a great time they asked me to come back and visit!

[@ianc1097]

Great video. I’ve been designing our new kitchen for ages on the website. It’s a great tool. We must be lucky with our delivery service because I went in to our local store (Belfast) and ordered a load of the Pax wardrobes. They arrived two days later with no problems at all. Hopefully, when we order the kitchen it will be similar. Top tip from an ikea employee was to arrive at the store when it very first opens to order your stuff. They re stock over night so generally will have what you want at that time. He told us not to order online as the items don’t come from the local store but from a central location and can take weeks, sometimes months to arrive.

[@gidget123456]

I've put together 5 different Ikea kitchens in the last 15 years. Most of them have been the old Akurum system, but the last one was the new Sektion system. The Sektion system is a little bit harder to put together mainly because you have to awkwardly slide the back piece into the the grooves on the side pieces before the cabinet is put together, so everything is wobbly. The Akurum system you nailed the back on after the box was all put together. Sektion makes up for that in that it is much easier to hang the cabinets on the wall. One person can easily lift and hang the upper cabinets, which you couldn't do with the old system. As for the style, the Sektion cabinet door styles to me just look cheaper and lower end than the old Akurum styles. I do agree that a major benefit of Ikea kitchens is that the cabinets come in stock sizes, making replacing individual cabinet a breeze if there is damage. I redid my kitchen 14 years ago with Ikea cabinets, then 6 years ago I decided to expand my kitchen and took down a wall. I reused every single cabinet from the first remodel into the second, just changing the door style. I had to replace the sink cabinet due to some water damage. That's it. Actually going and ordering the cabinets is a major pain, as is going back for missing pieces. I am a fairly capable person, and every time I've gone there to order cabinets I've made a complete list in advance, right down to the stock numbers and quantities. The employee literally can just type it into the system. BUT, I still had to wait an extended time behind people designing their kitchens from scratch with the Ikea designers. There is no way to order quickly and get out of there. If you plan to take the cabinets yourself, plan on eating in the snack bar and then still waiting for the warehouse employees to assemble your order on the carts. YOU have to go through all the heavy boxes and make sure everything is there before you leave, and carry it out yourself. 3-8 hours in the store is 100% correct. Oh, and if you are missing something, you can't just go in and easily get it. You have to go back to the kitchen area and wait for an employee to order it, even if it is a small item. On the plus side, if you ever break something, you can go to the returns desk and just ask for it. If they have it sitting there, they will just hand it over for free. They have LOTS of random parts back there.

[@krehbein]

Last kitchen I did an ikea kitchen I used their online software to design the cabinet layout. You save your file online, then at the store the employee can open your file and put the order together from there. Lot easier then manually making a list.

[@waiyan1285]

I have just finished my kitchen with Ikea cabinets, I have no complaint about their delivery service!

[@SunShine-nl7yx]

I learned a lot from your review of IKEA Kitchen. I would definitely be interested in a video of how to put together an IKEA cabinent.

[@pattoja]

I’m in Miami and we got our Ikea cabinets back in 2014, when they weren’t named Sektion. I designed my kitchen at their website) and unpacked and assembled all the cabinets by myself (I was 54 at the time) and installed them with my husband. I love them and haven’t have any problem with them. I have granite over them and no problem at all. I didn’t have any problem with delivery or customer service. I definitely recommed them and will get them for our next home (2022 overseas).

[@rebeccagoetz2626]

Thank you not only for the review but for telling about your friend flying to IKEA and renting a truck back. Because that is a fantastic idea! I’m interested in getting an ikea kitchen and was thinking, “I’ll have to rent a truck and drive it there and back.” Except we have cheap flights to the city ikea is in! I really appreciate that little story. 😂

[@mammalion4316]

VERY, VERY HELPFUL, THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!! I had seen a friend's Ikea cataog and tried a few times to get Ikea to send me a catalog and never recieved one. I felt Ikea had good quality cabinets and enough design choices, however knowing about their sevice, or rather the lack there of, is a COMPLETE DEAL BREAKER! Thank You for that honesty, I will be constructing my cabinets myself, which I was leaning towards anyway as I generally, in most things, tend towards doing it myself and in my own style anyhow. Also, knowing that all the drawers come standard as soft close was a Second Deal Breaker, I CANNOT STAND SOFT CLOSE ANYTHING, when I want to close something I'll close it, I don't need or want any hardware doing it for me.

[@bstrong8958]

I am literally sitting here designing my kitchen on the 3d planner as I type. Your timing is impeccable!

[@somikassomikas6691]

Hi. What 3D planner are you using?

[@joeols90]

@@somikassomikas6691 IKEA has its own one.

[@annanymous3165]

I agree. When I was shopping for my Ikea kitchen, the sales associates won’t even come to you to ask if you need help. They were all busy talking to each other.

[@intesx]

They're non-commission sales staff. That means they won't come harass you to make a quick sale. But if you're a grown up, don't be shy, and you can walk up to them and ask for help... and in my experience, they're usually pretty good at doing so.

[@violet-green-eyes9574]

@@intesx Amen! 👍

[@beatrizyoda]

I'm in the process of doing my kitchen with IKEA and they said in anticipation that I needed to do at least 3/4 trips do finish it off. Thankfully that in Portugal they have a measurement service: I pay 50€ for a certified IKEA employee to take all measurements needed and to check if with that information the kitchen plan is doable. That so is so amazing!!! It really helps do reduce the stress but the trips are inevitable. Your video really touched all the pros and cons and was really helpful. Thank yoooooou 👏

[@MichelleL83]

Great video and so helpful as we contemplate new cabinets in our kitchen. I would love to see a build video with your tips and experiential wisdom.

[@OakAbode]

Great to know!

[@houptee]

This guy has assembly videos of everything kzbin.info/door/qYAElMP3BgHjxlmwSK05SQfeatured

[@Will4fun]

I don't like white cabinets, but the white interior allows you to see better than if they were dark inside. Thank you for creating and posting this !

[@Renny1953]

Our IKEA kitchen is 14 years old. Still works fine. Only real two downsides- buying your kitchen will take a whole day esp. at a busy IKEA outlet. You will need to organize your own alternative bench tops as their choice is very limited. Singular. You need to be careful too that they may be short of some items. Real pain in the ass - I was missing a couple of door handles as they had no more stock - and guess what - we still don't have them. The drawer runners are German made so perform for years. It was also a third of the price of any kitchen company alternative. So all in all - IKEA is a great option.

[@Sevencoins7]

So did you end up getting remaining pieces

[@hullabaloou]

Awesome vid! We have had THE worst coustomer service problems with Ikea in Canada. Only after I resorted to tweeting & tagging Ikea in the tweets did they sit up and respond. We had our kitchen delivery date cancelled, without any notice to us. We ended up renting a Uhaul trailer and driving to pick up our kitchen. Not cool! Love the Sektion cabinets & are in the process now of building them. The instructions are pretty straightforward for building them. Hubby spent time measuring etc.. so that’s labour intensive but worth it. 🙂

[@deannajohnson7816]

We’re finishing up our 4th Ikea Kitchen, and it’s STILL a challenge for us. This time, I planned to order the fronts from one of the companies that sells fronts for Ikea cabinets. Once you order from those companies, delivery will take 4-6 weeks. We changed our mind when installation came to a screeching halt because we needed an end panel in order to continue. So, we drove to Ikea that very day and ordered fronts in the gray Bodbyn. Everything was delivered in less than a week for a reasonable fee. Not exactly what I wanted, but with the money I saved, I splurged on cabinet lighting and appliances. One thing to keep in mind-if you’re not buying Ikea sink and appliances, you’ll likely have to make some modifications. My biggest complaint is the flimsy backs to the Sektion boxes. We used 3/8” plywood to sturdy them by installing “L” brackets on the inside to hold the plywood onto the back. BTW, I don’t think we’d do the decorative toe kick again. I’d stick with the standard one that clips onto the feet.

[@Osnosis]

URL for picture of the back?

[@darinnetherland3466]

Great video. Counterpoint to customer service: you have a YEAR to return product if you want to, and they’ll take returns in any form as long as the product isn’t broken. What I mean by that is halfway through my kitchen build I decided to change the upper sizes, but I had already built the uppers I had. Ikea took them back, opened hinges and shelves, no problem. They even took back an ensemble drawer I didn’t want. So if you take months to finish your kitchen, you don’t need to worry about losing money on extra toe kick or trim you don’t need, or if you change your mind.

[@garyvee6023]

Never understood the hate towards the Ikea furniture..., we love the stuff. We have heaps and heaps of Ikea furniture/cupboards, bedroom furniture/wardrobes and never had a problem. In Australia our Ikea delivery service is awesome..., never had a problem. Next time I renovate I 100% will put in the "Black" Ikea kitchen..., go and have a look, it won't be out of place in a top end kitchen.

[@amykoumedjra4659]

I saw online IKEA store that you can buy these covers for the peg holes. Its only like $2-$3 for about 100.

[@freshleen]

Yes, you are right. They're called VARIERA cover plates. They also come in black so you can use them for the PAX system. Greetings from an IKEA employee :). Here's the link to the covers: www.ikea.com/us/en/p/variera-cover-plate-white-00226315/

[@JPOConnor88]

bobinsuffolk what does her being a woman have anything to do with that? Pretty sexist comment there.

[@JPOConnor88]

bobinsuffolk *Yawn* maybe no one likes you because your not nice 🤷🏼‍♂️you probably don’t care though which is fine, you’re just obviously sexist.

[@janeforever]

Excellent video (from a DIYer boomer who built their own house, for the most part). Hanging cabinets is really challenging & we've been thinking about replacing our oldies with IKEA. But you've confirmed what we'd heard about their customer service & I don't really feel like spending my time having to deal with all their crap, even for a good price. Will also check out your blog.

[@OakAbode]

Thanks for the feedback! So cool you built your own house, we’re dying to do that next!

[@richardshort4587]

Building and installing one right now. Cabinets are solid when together and quality/fit and finish is excellent. The hanging rail can be a pain to get straight especially on my home as the wall is 46 years old and despite brand new drywall is still a bit corrugated. One other thing I find is the base of the upper cabinets appears to be left unattached by their design and so can easily lift away from the wall. So I personally drilled two holes through the backboard per cabinet and placed spacers behind then fastened to the wall. There is no structural support it just holds the cabinet against the wall. I also have a concern on the strength of the plastic base cabinet feet, so I will be using 2x4’s and wedges to support the bases and just keep the plastic feet for the toe kick installation only. Ideally a 3/4” plywood box frame is the way to go, but current pricing for plywood and the cutting it down is a none starter for me as time is of the essence. Good luck to all choosing these kitchens, I doubt you will be disappointed. On a side note, I’ve had a custom kitchen in the past costing over $30 grand and now I can’t see how these people stay in business as the quality or longevity of their product isn’t better than these units.

[@syproful]

I sketched my kitchen in a few evenings with their online tool and with the wife. Went down to ikea without notice. Went home with the whole thing. So it can go smooth.

[@rkalla]

Damn didn't know they had an online tool to do that with, very cool!

[@VAHelix]

My favorite part of ordering my Ikea cabinets has been the customer service. They really were great! Perhaps they listened, which is just good business. I have a personal service agent, who know my order and cares.. I was given a direct number and email. She always responds. Sandra at the Houston store has really has gone the extra mile and made me feel comfortable. They met every delivery date and no mistakes. They called the day before, early day of and 30 min before delivery. Great guys. The installers seem just as helpful and willing to work with my crazy schedule. My installation is in 10 days. I will let you know how it goes, but I am feeling good about the process.

[@roshinipadmaperuma4317]

Like ur video. I designed and installed my own ikea kitchen. It was really overwhelming feeling when it is ur first time and when u don't hv experience in carpentry when u hv to cut down cabinetry to retrofit in the space. I think ikea kitchens can look custom/ bespoke with the addition of interior and under cabinet lighting. It adds so much dimension. I spent around 800$ for my lighting. It is so worth it. also add a panel dishwasher. Btw, I am ok having the shelf holes in the cabinets because of the versatility...I hv moved the shelving multiple times within the past 3 yrs to accommodate the China and glassware. So I don't think it's a con for me. I hv brown cabinet boxes. I barely see the holes, instead I see the pretty things inside my glass cabinets...like ur review...keep up the good work!

[@maxmed8217]

Lowes had a %35 off custom cabinets plus %10 back via gift card. Got a 10×12 kitchen double stacked upper cabinets plus a 4×6 island for less than i would have paid at ikea..... didnt have to spend a week assembling 50 boxes. Do some shopping around. Ikea isnt always the best option or the cheapest!

[@jpayton680]

Its easy to talk but you didn't give a price

[@maxmed8217]

@@jpayton680 lol Do u have an idea of what kitchen cabinets cost? Go get some quotes from ikea. 10×10 kitchen and a medium island would be around 7k

[@AFAskygoddess]

You were smart. It's the stingiest man that pays the greatest price. I have friends that tell horror stories about how poorly Ikea cabinets wear. I don't want to pay thousands for granite to find out the cabinets under it will not last.

[@LDM805]

@@AFAskygoddess IKEA cabinets are trendy and that's about the nicest thing I can say about that.

[@tanifeliz]

Yes plz do an instructional video!! Thanks for this video it’s helping me decide 🤔🤔

[@SharoninKentucky]

Thanks for the review after having the cabinets for 2 years. Makes a big difference and I’ve been looking so good to know.

[@robbierose8572]

Totally agree! We love our Ikea cabinets and it's truly the most affordable option, unless you can salvage cabinets from someone who is redoing their kitchen. That's what I'm hoping to do for our next kitchen!

[@dominusvitas]

Ton of respect for this review!!!!! If you still active about your kitchen cabinets hundreds of predrilled hols, you can easy and pretty fast fill them with bathroom sheetrock filler and 3" putty knife like you do any wall and then paint with white non gloss acrill spray. But off course you should try it on some scrap piece.

[@opensage01]

I saw the title and thought it was click bait. But you really did have a lot of good cons for people to think about. You shared a lot of information that I have not really heard from others, and even if some of them seem like small things to some of us, they might be a big deal to others. Very nice video. Thanks for sharing and cheers.

[@BusinessButlers]

Also in Europe at least, ALL IKEA items come with a 365 day warranty - so you can take back anything you do not need or doesn't work for you. So having built a fairly large kitchen, I bought the carcasses and the doors, drawers and shelves together. After getting a professional joiner to install JUST the carcasses, I redesigned my fittings layout and what I thought i needed originally turned out I could improve it. So I drove about half of my drawers and doors back to IKEA and bought better options. In Europe (or at least the UK) if you have paid for delivery ONCE, all collections of items that are not suitable are free as well as deliveries of replacements. Also bear in mind that IKEA kitchens are metric in their modular design and worktops (what you call countertops) need to be 640mm deep. Good luck - I would install IKEA kitchens EVERY time !

[@johannasophia8989]

In Germany there is a black wood option for the base cabinets as well 🤔 still not that much variety, but I guess it's just more economical for IKEA to only have those two colours for their kitchen cabinets

[@theunretireddesigner6448]

I love our IKEA kitchen but I have one more con. We installed our kitchen in a 75 year old house and the walls were no longer plumb. Installing the rails that the cabinets hang on took forever and we used a ton of shims to get the rails so the cabinets could hang plumb. Would I do it again? Yes but it took hours for us to get it right and we are very experienced DIYers.

[@OakAbode]

Oh yes, uneven walls do make any chore a nightmare, don't they!

[@richardlug6139]

Well wouldn’t any kind of cabinets install be a pain with uneven walls? So not really a ikea con.

[@OakAbode]

@@richardlug6139 Nailed it.

[@carylhalfwassen8555]

Same for my son on the remodel of his 110 year old duplex. He chose Ikea for the kitchen and bathroom.

[@ItsMe-zj2es]

Thank you for your very helpful videos ! Yes please do make a vid showing you put up the cabinets after you get them. Thanks again !

[@jillganske2575]

Super helpful video! I'm designing an Ikea kitchen right now, and I'm wondering how you were able to face the front of your dishwasher to match your cabinets?

[@OakAbode]

Great question. At the time that we bought our kitchen, they offered a panel-ready dishwasher which was made to have the Ikea cabinet panel installed on the front. I'm not seeing it on the website right now, so if they discontinued it, it's a HUGE bummer. Because to me, that was one of the biggest draws!

[@larisabeaton234]

Thank you so much. We are going to get IKEA kitchen. I was thinking about assembling the cabinets myself but concerned about my ability to do that. After watching your video I am sure I will do it myself. Thank you for taking time and telling very short but so useful review and especially after 2 years of installation.

[@OakAbode]

Thanks so much for the kind feedback!

[@evolutionj]

First thing I said was "Hey that's the chicken lady!" Second thing I said was "Hey, thats my favorite background jam since it was released!." This is a very accurate review. The ordering process was a total nightmare at the nearing the end of 2022. Their website is hard to navigate, buggy and glitchy. They have TWO different 3D kitchen planners. Both links are ridiculously hidden through out the website. My problem was once you get to the check out page you end up finding that half of your kitchen products are unavailable after working on the planner for hours. Which leaves you the option to order random available pieces and forces you to manually keep track of what pieces are missing and track those later when it available. Ain't no way it has to be this hard. Weeks go by I decided to give it a second try and it has improved but still a lot of quirks they need to fix. This time using the new 3D planner (which was barely an improvement), I was able to go through the ordering process much easier. For large orders they make you go through the process over the phone and a live representative will help and make sure your design will work and help you track all the backordered pieces for you. For those reading there are other youtube videos showing many ways on how modify and mount these cabinets. Just go what you think is best. I skipped out on the flimsy plastic legs and just built a wooden base frame. Overall I'm satisfied in the quality, customizable features and the savings going with Ikea cabinets.

[@Mrdubomb]

After spending 17K for custom cabinets, plus 7K on granite countertops, and having both companies screw up almost every part of our job, i think I will go with a diy concrete countertop and Ikea cabinets next time.

[@OakAbode]

This is all to common 😕

[@brianmcdowell8021]

Please tell us how it goes🌁💩

[@HawreKoyi1]

This is must be was very stressful

[@vsculpt]

Yes but granite is do beautiful!

[@melodylopez9728]

I love love love my IKEA kitchen we ordered & picked up in the Sacramento store & my husband watched KZbin videos to learn how to install they are amazing!

[@knowmorestuff]

I just did our entire kitchen with Ikea. We went all out with interior cabinets organizers and such. I spent a day plugging all the holes for the shelves too with the plugs..that was the least fun part. Overall they've definitely upped their quality and system since the last time installed an Ikea kitchen, maybe 15 years ago? So far, door fronts look to be thermafoil which should last a very long time. They're white and so far everything easily washes off, including dog paws and kids messy hands. My old real issue is they lack proper crown moulding for the upper parts of the cabinets. What they offer is very bland. I know we can easily change that but the issue is trying to find a cabinet shop or painter to match the same finish and color which is always a gamble and adds a lot for extra cost. Otherwise we are super happy with it and the install of all cabinets took about a day for 26 cabinets that we installed varying from pantries, lower cabinets and a seperate island. The longer parts of the install was the fillers and cutting up the massive gables. We even used the wireless under cabinet lights which were super easy to install.

[@dreday010186]

Easy way to change the color of the inside is to viny wrap it. This will also cover up any of the extra peg holes. Or use an adhesive style "wall paper". Both options are quite easy to apply and relatively affordable.

[@JeffLifeInReview]

Great overview. I am doing an IKEA kitchen currently and share many of your points. Keep up the awesomeness.

[@artysanmobile]

Excellent review. Re delivery, subcontractor or not, it is fully IKEA’s responsibility to choose them wisely so you are right to call them out on that.

[@shaunfoo2332]

Hi! The cons don't necessarily apply to the tiny island Singapore. That being said, what has your experience been with: 1. Fire/ flame retardation/resistance 2. Humidity (80% average here in Singapore!)

[@candicewaller403]

I concur with all of your points. I also had to do multiple trips for various things and had a really hard time with customer service. Not on delivery, as we picked everything up ourselves, but the ordering. Our store is new and it's completely INSANE, we had to try 3 times to get our order placed because it was so busy. When we finally got down to it, it took HOURS and we still had to go back because not all the trim was in stock at the time. Prepare yourself to spend the whole day at IKEA to order and pickup your kitchen. I will say that it's beautiful and I love how well the lighting integrates with the cabinets. The modular system is better than any other flat-pack cabinets out there in terms of customization.

[@flawlessvic]

Are you able to just order everything online and have it shipped to you? I guess the risk too then is like her having the shipping company or packing people mess it up. With kids....spending the whole day at Ikea is crazy even if they have a nice play area.

[@candicewaller403]

@@flawlessvic Since it was my first IKEA kitchen, I found the opportunity to ask questions and confirm the order with the associate to be invaluable. There are a lot of little details that can get missed if you've never ordered something on this scale from IKEA before. A lot of blogs also recommend ordering in person for similar reasons. We were also able to confirm we had all the pieces (so many pieces!) before we left, so that gave some comfort. That said, if you feel comfortable you can absolutely order online and have it delivered. Either way it usually happens that your missing *something* and will have to make another trip/secondary delivery.

[@flawlessvic]

@@candicewaller403 Right on. Glad it worked for ya!

[@kurtbilinski1723]

As of late 2021, ordering IKEA cabinets is a real problem due to supply line issues. It's bad enough that IKEA can't/won't estimate when anything will be back in stock, effectively making them a no-go for a remodel source since nothing can be planned...

[@TheDecoCottage]

Unless you get lucky and (almost) everything is available when you order. We just ordered ours and only 2 upper cabinets were out of stock; since the initial order we’re down to needing only 1.

[@MatthewBrandon1]

I love IKEA cabinets. I am working on my second kitchen in my new condo now. The building process would go better if there were a series of how to videos by IKEA. We have had to rely on KZbin videos like yours to learn secret tips that make things so much easier.

[@Abhisek007]

IKEA does have a dark colour cabinet inside here in Canada.

[@weronicaswonder8156]

That must be in your country. Here in Sweden the customer service and delivery is great. The metod cabinets you can have it in black wooden colour. At IKEA here in Sweden you can also order a person that come home to you to install your IKEA furniture/kitchen

[@ruthlloyd1163]

Weronicas wonder you can have it installed in the US too, and a good idea.

[@DemiLulu]

We have a ten year old ikea kitchen with the version before sektion. Two issues? The interior at the back has discolored and gone yellow and have no clue why. And we cannot change the doors up to change the whole look of the kitchen if we want to because they changed the whole system. Other than that it was the BEST 3k we ever spent. We have the apron double sink and adel white cabinet doors with butcher block countertops. We drove 2 hours to Ikea the night before and bought the kitchen the next morning before it got busy. Much better than using their delivery service. REALLY miss ikea fans website that had the best forum for sharing ideas and help. We could not have done it without that forum.

[@bevsmith4225]

Thanks for doing this video. Just starting the process so its great to hear from someone who has been through it 👍👍. Was a little worried about quality of their products.

[@maybe441]

Very nice review of both IKEA kitchen and husband. Love your kitchen and tips you gave.

[@OakAbode]

Haha aw, thank you!

[@delladearest2511]

Thanks so much for this info as we’re going to be installing a new kitchen in our next home and this has already helped me with the decision we need to make. ❣️

[@Sleiper]

Delivery for our kitchen was spot on, we picked a delivery day and time-slot at order time and everything arrived on time as expected.

[@szuyingc5704]

Thank you, I really need to hear review like this to go forward with my decision on IKEA kitchen cabinets

[@hrchicoine]

Man, we want to do the Voxtorp cabinets in our kitchen in a couple years, but we live 4 hours away from the Seattle Ikea (only one in Washington). Hopefully, there will be a closer Ikea by then, but if not, it sounds like we'll have to prepare ourselves for multiple road trips. Thanks for this review!

[@OakAbode]

Thanks for watching! I’m from WA originally - miss it out there!

[@DavidSmith-lo7wf]

Heads up, you might want to look on the microwave install requirements there... I planned to do something similar with mine in a pantry. Wasn't till I went to open the microwave box and install it that I learned it needed much more clearance all around for venting. Ended up buying another unit specifically for built-in scenario and didn't fit quite as nice or as big...

[@knoxflyer101]

Flooring question...did you take the planks under the base cabinets...wall to wall?

[@zoeaddison9239]

I literally just found your channel... your house is so cute plz continue posting more videos and updates they are so entertaining!! Also, I would love to see a video on how to decorate empty walls if you have any recommendations.

[@OakAbode]

Thank you very much for this very sweet message! Will-do, this is a great idea! ❤️

[@kenziegarza4508]

We’re redoing our kitchen soon and wanting to go with IKEA cabinets and we’re doing Semihandmade fronts! I’m so excited. This video was helpful in solidifying our choice to go with IKEA cabinets!

[@mikez4132]

Good stuff. Installed many including my own. Too bad the dark boxes went away.

[@mikez4132]

serendipidus1 hmm. They seem scary at first because you have to build them. I have a system for building and after the first one or two you can build a reg base cab in ten mins. Install is a snap on the rail. Planning and secure rail mounting are key. Been using them since 06. I have not used metod though.

[@sammyclarissa]

Please upload a tutorial on putting the cabinets together!

[@OakAbode]

On the docket!

[@SR98889]

Step one: open the box. Step two: follow the instructions. I assure you, it’s not hard at all.

[@bigpjohnson]

@@SR98889 IKEA gives you instructions for each part, but not for an assembled cabinet itself. I had to figure out a work flow that combined multiple parts at once to ease assembly.

[@aevan8tor]

There are tons of companies that make custom fronts that can go in Ikea cabinets, not just semi-handmade! There's Kokeena, Plykea, Superfront, Norse interiors or you can do the stickers that Pretty Pegs offers. I'm getting custom fronts built by a friend (since we just want slab)

[@veronicafranco8127]

Thank you for this video, we are considering ikeak kitchen remodel & this was very helpful. Would love a video on the install process

[@Tony-ml7te]

Doing a remodel now. I so agree with the terrible customer service and delivery. Same exact thing happened to me with the delivery delays.

[@debbies688]

Thanks for all helpful tips... Especially the trip factor living 3 hours away from the store deal breaker.

[@evelynespoons3185]

GREAT REVIEW. I HAD NEVER HEARD IF THE SEMI HAND MADE CABINET DOOR FRONTS. ONLY WANT TO UPDATE MY KITCHEN CABINET DOORS SO I'LL DEFINITELY CK INTO THAT.

[@AndyLevyStevenson]

Excellent video, and extremely helpful ... thank you. And yes, a construction video would be great.

[@bradbrown7555]

Also include trips to pick up backordered items!

[@taggthis]

Why do people talk negatively about ikea so much. Builders for some reason have some thing against them. Thank you for the non biased view and great video.

[@taggthis]

bobinsuffolk no need to be rude!

[@taggthis]

bobinsuffolk nice keyboard troller. You clearly have a lot of time on your hands and not many friends to actually talk to

[@taggthis]

Any how, I hope you manage to have a good day. Let’s keep it positive

[@taggthis]

bobinsuffolk no worries - I was beginning to miss you. Have a great day

[@DebtFreeDana]

Did you do a construction video? Can’t find one on your channel. Thanks for this video! We’re planning on an Ikea kitchen this spring. We have one 20 minutes from us. 👍🏻

[@joshweaver8806]

Any cabinet shop can build you custom drawer and door fronts and side panels. I couldn’t afford semihandmade either but my local cabinet shop built them no problem.

[@nicholasbalandiat9563]

I thought about Ikea but then sort of changed my mind. I didn't see a lot of options. I do like the frameless type of cabinets though. It was a really good and honest review.

[@anaalves3658]

Great review, thank you. I live a few kilometres away from IKEA 🎉👍. Will definitely take all of your cons into consideration.

[@avagrego3195]

You are an excellent presenter and have given an excellent presentation.

[@src4409]

I have custom cabinets. They all have adjustable shelves with many peg holes. I've never had cabinets that didn't have adjustable shelving. White is going to show the holes more than any other color... but it's normal.

[@ericafors6039]

Love the dog cameos! ❤️ I’m thinking I will do full plywood RTA cabinets which will fit IKEA kitchen doors and drawers for our remodel. This way I can upgrade or change the look of my kitchen on a budget. The delivery service for our IKEA is very reliable. Great review!

[@wal2bros]

My IKEA kitchen experience : they measured bad,they were wrong with the planning that they sent to the assemblers (they forced me to hire external assemblers,not from IKEA),missing and mistaken materials,and when i went (for the 4 or 5 time) for buying the worktop,they couldn't find the measurements in their computer system.Three months to get my kitchen! What a nightmare!

[@morganellabean]

That's crazy to hear about the customer service and shipping issues. My experience from start to finish with the people I dealt with (kitchen specialists at Ikea, delivery company/guys) was seamless. I must have lucked out!

[@lorihazelip1703]

I did my daughter condo with IKEA and honestly I could have bought cabinets at Home Depot for the same cost.

[@travelswithdebbierandy]

Do you like the depth better with IKEA?

[@lorihazelip1703]

@@travelswithdebbierandy they were the same 24” depth. Hard to hang with unsquare walls and the legs on base is a nightmare if you have uneven floors. Remodeled a 1969 condo. Not much straight in there.

[@XxeroSyn]

Fun thing to do that handles the holes and white interior. Wallpaper. Yep just some spray on glue and wallpaper