Ikea Kitchen

[prism 0]

I've seen the ikea kitchen at queensway ikea, find their designs quite nice. Anyone with prior experience with ikea kitchens? Price compared to contractors?

I know they have 25 yrs warranty, so quality cant be bad. Now the question is price (comparatively)..

[leechaorui 2]

I've seen the ikea kitchen at queensway ikea, find their designs quite nice. Anyone with prior experience with ikea kitchens? Price compared to contractors?

I know they have 25 yrs warranty, so quality cant be bad. Now the question is price (comparatively)..

I think many of the IKEA products used sawdust. Hence, I don't think it is comparable to plywood. My IKEA kitchen cabinet was assembled by IKEA people but collapsed after less than a year. Maybe it is just my experience that happened several years ago. Others may feel differently or the quality might have improved since then.

[edenstrauss 3]

Hi leechaorui,

would u be able to share more of your experience (on IKEA kitchen cabinets) in greater detail?

When u said that it collapsed, are u referring to the entire wall cabinets crashing down onto the floor? Or are u suggesting that the doors, or cabinets had warped? Or that the laminated surface had started to peel off?

Did u get their kitchen cabinets recently i.e. within these 2 years? Or was it quite a long time ago?

Do u have photographs of your IKEA cabinets which had declared "demise" shortly after its installation?

Did u feedback to IKEA because they will be able to send an assessor down to ascertain the conditions of your cabinets and if the situation warrants it, IKEA might grant replacements which is of course, based on their discretion.

IKEA's kitchen systems are definitely made of compressed wood and their kitchen systems are cut out for lifestyle in the western countries, whereby there is alot of baking and the use of dishwashers.

It wouldn't do well by Asian style of cooking because of the frying, deep-frying and alot of washing at the basin.

We bought the IKEA kitchen systems and would be installing them on our own. Apart from boiling water, washing hands & utensils in our kitchen & cooking instant noodles, we do not cook at all.

Your comments on the low durability of IKEA's kitchen systems worries me becox we hv already bought the cabinets & they r stored away in flat boxes in our homes until we're ready to install them.

Edited April 24, 2011 by edenstrauss

[neubie 2]

just be mindful of their quality, as my recent bad experience leaves a sour taste in their so called quality. check out the last second pages of my blog for details. good luck.

if u want a refund make sure u get them refund to u as cash n not credits back into ur credit card nor any vouchers.

Edited April 24, 2011 by neubie

[leechaorui 2]

Hi leechaorui,

would u be able to share more of your experience (on IKEA kitchen cabinets) in greater detail?

When u said that it collapsed, are u referring to the entire wall cabinets crashing down onto the floor? Or are u suggesting that the doors, or cabinets had warped? Or that the laminated surface had started to peel off?

Did u get their kitchen cabinets recently i.e. within these 2 years? Or was it quite a long time ago?

Do u have photographs of your IKEA cabinets which had declared "demise" shortly after its installation?

Did u feedback to IKEA because they will be able to send an assessor down to ascertain the conditions of your cabinets and if the situation warrants it, IKEA might grant replacements which is of course, based on their discretion.

IKEA's kitchen systems are definitely made of compressed wood and their kitchen systems are cut out for lifestyle in the western countries, whereby there is alot of baking and the use of dishwashers.

It wouldn't do well by Asian style of cooking because of the frying, deep-frying and alot of washing at the basin.

We bought the IKEA kitchen systems and would be installing them on our own. Apart from boiling water, washing hands & utensils in our kitchen & cooking instant noodles, we do not cook at all.

Your comments on the low durability of IKEA's kitchen systems worries me becox we hv already bought the cabinets & they r stored away in flat boxes in our homes until we're ready to install them.

Hi madam,

Didn't take any photos. I think the cabinet collapsed because the door is too heavy for the frame. The frame is quite light and the hinges could not sustain the weight of the door. Besides that, the wood surrounding the hinges is made of sawdust of which they naturally waste away over the months especially in high humidity environment. As washing and cooking are all done in my kitchen, that has impacted the cabinets negatively.

I didn't feedback to IKEA because the carpenter who came to fix the cabinet told me confidentially not to expect the IKEA cabinets to last. However, I believe the quality of the IKEA cabinets with 25 years warranty should have better standard than what I had bought.

I recalled that the frame of the cabinet also collapsed after I tried to use the cabinet without doors. When I put heavier stuff such as clay pots, bottles of floor and rice in the cabinet, the cabinet shelfs started to sag and eventually, the cabinet collapsed off the wall. The wall screws were unable to hold on to my hollow cement block wall. I think the frame of the cabinets collapsed partly because the screws provided was quite short and could not drill deep into the wall and partly the wall was quite inferior (wall was made of hollow cement blocks).

Recently, I renovated my place and tore down all the walls. I don't have any problem with custom made plywood cabinets. In my view, custom plywood cabinets are superior to cabinets made from sawdust. For those who can afford and want higher quality products, probably a better option is to install cabinets made from a combination of strong alluminium and chenggai wood with water proof bamboo laminate for the interior and exterior of the cabinet.

Cheers!

[edenstrauss 3]

thanks to everybody's response to my previous comment on IKEA kitchen.

plywood is definitely alot more durable, becox it'll withstand heavy duty cooking. If plywood couldn't withstand cooking, then what else will? metal?

now I'm sweating in my pants... duno how leh... I don't think I could obtain a refund becox this is a complicated "stunt"... haiz...

[neubie 2]

thanks to everybody's response to my previous comment on IKEA kitchen.

plywood is definitely alot more durable, becox it'll withstand heavy duty cooking. If plywood couldn't withstand cooking, then what else will? metal?

now I'm sweating in my pants... duno how leh... I don't think I could obtain a refund becox this is a complicated "stunt"... haiz...

try returning it within 30days of purchase, and buy something else like curtain fabrics, pots/pans/glassware or anything other than cabinets...

[edenstrauss 3]

try returning it within 30days of purchase, and buy something else like curtain fabrics, pots/pans/glassware or anything other than cabinets...

My IKEA system had been bought sometime before chinese new year And they r sitting in flat boxes or air-packed in plastic wrappers. Cannot return already lah...

Aiya, wait until the cabinets start to disintegrate then see how

The 25 years warranty covers only the spare parts, not the doors & the frames ... I think so.. need to go & dig my stuff on IKEA to take a lookie.

haiz... *sigh*

[gimz63251073 0]

i had considered ikea kitchen previously, drawn to the design.

But after calculation, prices of drawers are very expensive! Cabinet doors are cheap la...so instead i went to carpenter.

DIY installation is not easy, especially if your flat have uneven walls and flooring (usually uneven for kitchen anyway)

You would need power tools if not it will be a nightmare... but hope u have fun installing it though. It may or may not last a long time but since u already got it, just use first loh.

anyway who is to say plywood last a long time..? if sink is not siliconed properly, and water gets in, also will be gone soon de.

[edenstrauss 3]

Hi gimz63251073

my hubby will be using a special type of driller which we will need to borrow from people.

I will take a snapshot of the type of driller being used. It'll be a special type which is very powerful & for drilling against wall tiles, i.e. without cracking them up.

And the huge giantic nail.

I thought that plywood is more lasting! becox it's real wood.

maybe, nothing lasts forever.

My malay neighbour told me that teak cabinets would last a long time like hers. I saw her cabinets. the colour had darken & the funny part is that becox of both expansion & contraction, sometimes, those cabinet doors cannot be closed. They'll open on their own. But the good thing is that I haven't seen any cracks on them.

Edited April 27, 2011 by edenstrauss

[gimz63251073 0]

Hi gimz63251073

my hubby will be using a special type of driller which we will need to borrow from people.

I will take a snapshot of the type of driller being used. It'll be a special type which is very powerful & for drilling against wall tiles, i.e. without cracking them up.

And the huge giantic nail.

I thought that plywood is more lasting! becox it's real wood.

maybe, nothing lasts forever.

My malay neighbour told me that teak cabinets would last a long time like hers. I saw her cabinets. the colour had darken & the funny part is that becox of both expansion & contraction, sometimes, those cabinet doors cannot be closed. They'll open on their own. But the good thing is that I haven't seen any cracks on them.

take it positively ba. Plywood is still wood which is glued together, and when water gets in, will also be gone case...haa

oh do get a power tool to drill in screws, using a normal screwdriver will literally drive u nuts... yes, looking forward to ur pics!

[neubie 2]

Hi gimz63251073

my hubby will be using a special type of driller which we will need to borrow from people.

I will take a snapshot of the type of driller being used. It'll be a special type which is very powerful & for drilling against wall tiles, i.e. without cracking them up.

And the huge giantic nail.

I thought that plywood is more lasting! becox it's real wood.

maybe, nothing lasts forever.

My malay neighbour told me that teak cabinets would last a long time like hers. I saw her cabinets. the colour had darken & the funny part is that becox of both expansion & contraction, sometimes, those cabinet doors cannot be closed. They'll open on their own. But the good thing is that I haven't seen any cracks on them.

power drill is not the only tool you need, vacuum cleaner to pickup the dust as u drill, spirit-level meter or laser level-meter to make sure the mounting is not slanted, plus lots of of ice water in the sweltering heat.... and patience....

Edited April 27, 2011 by neubie

[marshmallow 0]

power drill is not the only tool you need, vacuum cleaner to pickup the dust as u drill, spirit-level meter or laser level-meter to make sure the mounting is not slanted, plus lots of of ice water in the sweltering heat.... and patience....

my uncle engineer colleague told me now got iphone app for spirit level meter, quite ok one. dunno how good is it hahaha

btw i think Ikea exchange policy is 100 days, not 30 days....? but still need the original packaging lah.

[gimz63251073 0]

my uncle engineer colleague told me now got iphone app for spirit level meter, quite ok one. dunno how good is it hahaha

btw i think Ikea exchange policy is 100 days, not 30 days....? but still need the original packaging lah.

the one for android works for me...counter check with my $2 meter from daiso...heee

yeap its 100 days. We did change stuff before la even once we lost the receipt, he still refund us.

not sure if they are flexible about packaaging though

[edenstrauss 3]

Thanks folks for everybody's advice & suggestions on my IKEA kitchen cabinet.

Once we get them installed, I would PM all of u to have a lookie at the photos

But not so soon. becox still engaged in getting other things done & only 1 pair of handy hands - i.e. my hubby's.