I am of the opinion that people are much too tolerant in the name of "old". When just doesn't work, and in a kitchen? It's intolerable (unless you don't cook). Unless it is your intent to have a historic renovation done or want to spend tens of thousands of dollars on custom cabinetry, I would either keep what you have and reface/renew/refresh as Faith has suggested OR go with IKEA.
I would not bother with anything in between, because, IME, what you get for the money with IKEA is far and away better than any other cabinetry and yes, there are IKEA doors to suit just about any style home. Plus, with the exception of some extremely high end brands, the ways in which you can outfit IKEA cabinets to suit your exact needs are absolutely the best, and for very little money.
In terms of authenticity (as you say), there is no difference between IKEA and any other non-custom other than spending more for the same or less. Authentic is what you have or a historic reproduction of the same (for big $$$).
Personally, I favor functionality above all, with bonus points for being able to change and overhaul 10 or 15 years down the road without feeling guilty.

I've got IKEA cabinets and don't mind them one bit. They won't last forever, but have a great bang-for-buck ratio. Faith's comments are a good starting point too -- perhaps replacing the most bothersome elements of your kitchen might be a better value and stylistically more coherent than tearing everything out and starting anew. Think of the hassle of having no kitchen for a while, for starters.

As a architect that works on Craftsman homes, we have sometimes used custom cabinet doors/drawers on Ikea cabinet frames for lower-cost kitchens. The standardization of the door/drawer sizes makes the cabinetwork very straightforward.

We are in the same boat! Our 1910 cabinets are not salvageable and we're on a tight budget. While we don't have a lot of experience with IKEA kitchen cabinets, we did an IKEA vanity in our bathroom and are really happy with the results (we also customized it by adding a teak plywood wrap and our own hardware). Supposedly the hinges and drawer slides are manufactured by Blum, and are good quality for the price. I've also heard of people buying IKEA boxes and then doing custom door/drawer fronts. I think it also depends on what finish you go with. We really like the high gloss Abstrakt finishes (easy to clean too!), especially the new bluish-gray.

Our approach is to save some $$ by using IKEA cabinets but then pair it with some custom open shelving, nicer countertops and quality door/drawer hardware (something like this: http://chezerbey.com/2010/01/12/or-how-about-this-kitchen-design-revisted/).

We're hoping it will prove to be a good compromise between quality and budget!

Our Ikea cabinets are great! As long as you are patient and handy, putting them together is fine. Everyone loves our kitchen and even our realtor couldn't believe we put them together ourselves (mainly my husband!) and couldn't believe they were ikea. You can get that "custom" look for a lot less!

I have a better kitchen than friends with custom cabinets! Go for it!

I bought a condo with Ikea cabinets (they are a blonde wood with frosted glass doors) and drawers (they are from the AKURUM series I believe). Unfortunately I don't know much about the installation, but they are very sturdy and the drawers move in and out quite smoothly. I get complimented on them whenever people come over! I would recommend them if you can find a style that melds well with your Craftsman home...

We just redid our kitchen with Ikea cabinets. Everyone gave us a bit of flak until they saw the finished kitchen - no one could believe it was Ikea (until you open the cabinet doors and see the drawer shelves). Unless you're going completely custom, I think Ikea gives you a better price and more options than a typical Lowe's/Home Depot type of store. The cabinets themselves are made out of particle board (like most of Ikea furniture) but the doors are solid wood (but different styles have different types of wood).

We hired the Ikea installer (actually an independent contractor who only does Ikea installations) but saved money by assembling the pieces ourselves (it all goes together like Ikea furniture and once you do a couple, the rest are a piece of cake). The installation was totally worth it. They make sure everything is level and square and install the end pieces or trim fittings so it looks good. If you do hire an installer, I would review the cabinet plan/order with them before actually purchasing it, because they know what pieces work together (and how they fit or how much space to leave at corners) better than the sales staff.

One thing I love about the Ikea cabinets is that you can add door/drawer dampeners (self closing so they don't bang when you close them) for $5 per door/drawer. We priced the self-closing option at Lowe's and it was more than $20 per drawer. Also, the pull-out shelves for pantries was a bargain and it's my favorite part of the whole kitchen.

Even the cabinet hardware we picked out came from the Ikea selection.

I would recommend looking at the style examples in the store. Open the doors and test out the durability (on the back of the door so it's not visible). Lightly scratch it or press your nail into the wood. We decided against a couple styles because the wood for the door fronts were a soft pine and would have scratched or dented too easily. I'm glad we figured that out early, or I would be so sad right now!

We also splurged on the dishwasher at Ikea where you can attach a matching front panel. It blends in with the rest of the cabinets and most people can't even tell it's a dishwasher. But, the dishwasher (whirlpool) and matching panel still ended up $200 less than a comparable dishwasher at Lowe's.

People may think particleboard isn't long-lasting, but we just pulled out cabinets in our bathroom that have been there 20 years and those suckers were still solid!

I'm an architect who has worked in southern Marin and S.F. for 10 years, and IKEA cabinets have saved the budgets of quite a few of my clients. They look great, especially when you have a (patient) contractor involved who can install scribes where the cabinets meet the wall, etc. By purchasing extra toekicks and side panels, you can create all sorts of fillers. The contractor has to know what he's doing though...I think the wood composite the extra pieces are make of can fray easily.

I also recommend using your own paint grade baseboard as opposed to IKEA's toekicks. In most cases it just becomes too much.

We had a problem on one job-the boxes were ready on time but the doors ended up being a month or two backordered. In that case we had custom doors made for the IKEA boxes.

Good luck!

good advice by the editor and others above. definitely think about whether your cabinets would be functional with a minor upgrade or whether you need to go all out.

for us, our old cabinets were incredibly inefficient and we remodeled over the summer using ikea cabinets. we had the cabinets installed by one of the ikea cabinet installers (again, very happy with that decision - they did the job so much more quickly than we could have on our own and for minimal $!). have only had the cabinets for six months, but love them so far. all of the little built-in touches make our kitchen so much more functional than it was before. we also got one of the pantries (door swings open and shelves slide out) and it makes a great use of space.

finally, if you're worried about the cabinets looking too generic, try looking at fancier/more distinctive finishing touches like the hardware/counters/sinks/flooring. those touches could give the kitchen a bit more personality than you would get by simply getting everything at ikea.

My husband and I have an '47 Cape Cod. We just installed Ikea cabinets with the Stat doors in half of our kitchen (never had cabinets where the stove and fridge are; the other side requires major demo and will happen another day). It took me about two hours to put together four cabinets. We needed a third pair of hands to help hang them (they're heavy suckers!), but they actually ended up being really easy to install. Granted, we still need to put in the countertop on the bottom cabinet, so that may end up being an issue best left to an expert, but everything else was easy as pie. They look great, and for what I paid for them, I couldn't be happier. The only problem we've had is we bought a microwave at Ikea for over the stove, and it requires a dedicated circuit and bit more installation.

We absolutely love our IKEA kitchen (and bathroom). We combined Akurum (Nexus, birch) and Varde (free-standing, plus wall-mounted uppers), tying them together with the same hardware. We have concrete countertops on one side of the kitchen and IKEA "cutting board" counters on the other. The *ONLY* thing I don't care for is my Akurum corner base cabinet. It has a semi-lazy-susan inside, but it's still not as convenient as other corner units I've seen. I love the base cabinet drawers and wish I'd done all drawers, with no doors. Assembly was super easy, much easier than some of the other things we've put together!

I am planning to use all Ikea cabinets for my kitchen gut and remodel. There is a GREAT website almost completely dedicated to Ikea kitchens (http://www.ikeafans.com/) and it is a wealth of information and has an excellent photo gallery for ideas.

P.S. The swing vote for me was when I was chatting with a high-end contracter in NYC who told me that 50% of his kitchen business uses Ikea cabinets. Sold.

Ikea cabinets definitely don't need to look generic - there are so many styles, and you can mix and match! There's no Ikea were we live, so imagine how happy I was to finally check out Ikea's kitchen display and see how much more there was for choice than they have online!

We bought Ikea for our kitchen, where we were only using them to add to our current cabinetry. They were SUPER easy to install (though we only did base units), and they look great. They were also much less expensive than Home Depot or Rona, which allowed us to buy a new range hood and apron sink.

I really like my Varde base cabinet and drawer unit. They seem very sturdy and I love the butcher block countertops.

However, I do not like the Varde well shelf. Despite being installed properly, the shelves have started to droop. The supports are still firmly attached to the wall, just the shelves are angling downward on their support screws.

Fortunetly the shelves are just a temporary thing until I save enough for wall cabinets.

IKEA cabinets should only be used by unethical real estate speculators or people who rip out their kitchens on a whim. Much like their couches, IKEA cabinetry doesn't save you much money in the beginning and costs drastically more in the medium to long-term.

With enough ingenuity you can avoid the generic look of an IKEA kitchen. They're a favorite for people looking for short term looks. Just remember that they are not built to last and you will hate them very, very soon.

Stick to IKEA for small, low value items that are inherently disposable by nature or cost. Anything more substantial or expensive than an office chair or dresser should come from a real store or craigslist.

If you do see yourself ripping out this kitchen in 5 years, or else moving and the next owners ripping it out in 5 years, then sure, go IKEA. Otherwise look to restoring/rehabilitating what you have or saving up for better quality cabinetry. You will be much happier with those alternatives and get many times the use out of them.

I have ikea cabinets in my kitchen. We got them about 2 years ago. They work fine, except don't put anything heavy in them. I had casserole dishes in one of mine, and it doesn't open anymore- the bottom fell out!!

But everything else is fine. :-)

I work as a handyman and Ikea kitchen installer in Brooklyn and Manhattan. I also assemble Ikea furniture, and I've found you get what you pay for with Ikea - just like any other company. If you buy their higher end cabinets, they will last; if you buy cheap ones, they wont.

I'm a little suspect of Faith's parents getting new drawers and faces custom made for $500. That number does not reflect how much labor it takes to custom make drawers.

People might also want to consider repainting the cabinets and drawers. There are companies that do this, or if you are into DIY, you can do it yourself. Its not easy, but with patience it can be done.

Wow guys!! This is all such wonderful advice!
@Faith: Unfortunately I think refacing our cabinets won't work. Our bottoms are only 18" deep which means NO workspace, and I can never have a dishwasher unless we build them out another 6" which we did look into but would be more expensive than buying new. And as for our uppers (there are only 2!), I would really prefer glass fronts, or open shelving, or both! But I never thought about having someone rebuild the drawers, definitely something to keep in mind for the built-ins...
@splatgirl: I am SO relieved to hear that these old things aren't as precious as I originally thought! I was especially afraid to dive into the kitchen, but you're right and it is not functional as it is now.
@archimom: Good advice about the toe-kicks! I'm not a fan of those anyways...
@gretchen: I never thought about having someone install the cabinets, that would probably be worth it for us also, as we have an infant and a limited amount of time to work on this project, thanks!
Thanks again to everyone, this is all so helpful!

Do it. If installed properly and treated well, they will last just fine. They are plenty sturdy. Ours are three years old and look brand new--and we have two small children, entertain a lot, and cook every single day in this kitchen. I have the white Lidi doors pictured here in this post--never regretted it for one moment, ever. I have a lot of very heavy cookware (Le Creuset, etc) and the shelves and drawers have never faltered.

One word of advice: go for more drawers than doors on your lowers. It was advice I got on IKEAfans.com (head over there for more info/ideas/design inspiration than you can shake a stick at). I got one cabinet with a door, the rest drawers, and my only regret is that I didn't get all drawers! And the beauty is that any time I want, I can go get them and install it in the time it would take me to assemble a grilled cheese sandwich. Oh, and make sure someone who knows about installing cabinets does the actual hanging. My husband and a contractor friend did ours and though they had never dealt with IKEA cabinets, they have experience in hanging kitchen cabinets and carpentry.

Is it top of the line wood custom cabinetry? No. Does it profess to be? No. Not everyone can afford a $60,000 kitchen remodel. If I waited until I could afford cabinets that would last for 100 years, I'd still be using the rotting, lead-paint-covered cabinets that were in my house when we bought it. Yes, you get what you pay for, and in the case of the IKEA cabinets, you get something practical, functional, attractive and affordable. That is all many families need. The idea that kitchen cabinets need to be of some sort of heirloom quality is so silly. It's a kitchen! I have met a lot of people with IKEA kitchens, and not a single one of them "hates" it, nor has entertained the notion of "ripping them out in five years." Good luck!

ps If you get white ones, Magic Erasers will be your best friend! They clean up like a dream.

My mother had her kitchen completely remodeled about 1.5-2 years ago via Ikea, and she LOVES it. She had it custom designed to fit her space, which makes it a little more pricey, but it was worth it in her opinion. She just loves her kitchen now, after complaining for about 20 years!

preppycuisine, do you have or have or have you ever had an IKEA kitchen?

p.s. to Alissa: if you're worried about generic, take a browse through the finished kitchens photos at the IKEAFANS website or on Flickr. What you'll find is ANYTHING but generic and covers the entire style spectrum.

There's no kitchen in my kitchen, but there's a kitchen in my living room! We're in the middle of our custom kitchen remodel...and it's all Ikea. So far we're loving the ease of putting the cabinets together and haven't had any problem trimming them to match the oddities of our older condo's sloping walls. (we do have some experience with wood working, though.) I just can't wait for the installation of our granite counters. We've picked our slab and just need another week or two to finish for templating. Best part? We didn't pay sales tax on the granite portion of our purchase...it's considered an installation fee. A big deal when sales tax is .975% and you're buying $3000 worth of something!
Try it, if only for the fun of snapping the drawers together!

I remodeled my kitchen last year. I initially assumed that I would use Ikea cabinets, but after careful consideration and numerous visits to the Ikea showroom I decided against it. These were my reasons:

1) Ikea did not offer the style I was looking for. All of their designs had some small strange feature that I found aesthetically off-putting.

2) The quality seemed pretty poor and they offered a limited number of configuration options.

3) I would either have to put the cabinets together myself OR pay my contractor extra to do it for me which would negated the cost savings.

I ended up purchasing Thomasville cabinets from Home Depot instead. They are very high quality and exactly the style I wanted (maple shaker style painted white). It cost me around 4k for all of the cabinets, which is about 1.5 times what the Ikea cabinets would have cost me. I was able to finance it at 0% for a year by opening a Home Depot credit card.

I feel that I definitely made the right choice. I guess it ultimately comes down to your personal design aesthetic and budget, but I would definitely investigate the alternatives before committing to Ikea.

Two things to add to my comment above. 1) These were technically custom cabinets. They were made in Oregon and took about 3 weeks to arrive. 2) My house was built in 1910 and I definitely feel like Ikea cabinets would have looked a little out of place.

We have ikea cabinets, though we have no vintage place! They work well, have been durable, easy to clean. You can more easily update them cost-wise as your tastes change.

If the look is off, then as littlepaperheart said, you can do minorly more pricey home depot custom cabinets instead.

I don't see any reason to do designer cabinets that are 5 times more than Ikea though, unless you're a designer and require the cache of talking about your Italian fancy pants cabinets.

If you want to keep the vintage look but have updated/repaired/restored/reproduction cabinets, check out http://retrorenovation.com/pams-kitchen/

for us we took the existing cabinets and replaced the doors with the beautiful Lindingo glass front doors. it made a huge difference and it looks great

My parents are remodeling their kitchen with all Ikea cabinetry, and while it's still in progress, I think they're really happy with the results so far (all the cabinets are in, but they haven't got counters yet). They looked at cabinets from both Home Depot and Lowes, but were a lot happier with the Ikea ones for both price, appearance, and apparent functionality.

1. Our kitchen is very small, and extremely awkwardly shaped, but there were enough Ikea options and ways to configure the cabinets that they've (literally!) tripled the amount of storage space.

2. If your budget is limited, the fact that you can put it all together yourself and/or install it yourself is a big, big help.

3. They may not be the best design ever, but they certainly don't look awful (and at least compared to what we had before, they're a thousand times better).

We put Ikea in our 1890s house and could not be happier with it. Presently we still have half of the old cabinets (upper and lower) awating the next reno project, but we find the 2 go really well together. Makes a nice contrast, really.

And you won't get better customer support than Ikea. We had several issues with ours, and items were replaced no-questions-asked. Extremely happy

p.s. responding to some of the comments above that they won't last - bunk! Ours are in there for 8 years now and they look and work like they were just installed. And we did the job ourselves - was pretty easy all told.

I recently bought a house with a white Ikea cabinets (not sure which line, though they look just like the ones in the photo) and drawers, and I love it. I looked at a lot of houses in my house-hunt, and I remember seeing another set of white Ikea cabinets that were supposedly only a year old, and the white was actually peeling off of them. Mine are a few years old and show no signs of this happening, so I would suggest to go "high-end" Ikea.

Everything feels strong and sturdy, and people who come to my house note that the kitchen has a great wow-factor.

Hope this helps. Good luck! :)

Have you thought about trolling architectural salvage sources for cabinetry that could be used in a kitchen?

That would give you the more interesting and less generic look you are after.

Look at this amazing kitchen:

http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/home-tour-country-cottage#slide_6

http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/home-tour-country-cottage#slide_5

You don't have to turn to IKEA in order to have an affordable kitchen; IKEA may be the path of least resistance, but it is not the only option.

We put an IKEA kitchen in our first house, and needed to hire the IKEA installer to do so. If your house is old, it is not square, and you will have a devil of a time trying to make the cabinets fit. Trust me on this. He worked 3 whole days on our kitchen, and it wasn't that big. Went way over the time estimate.

Also, IKEA kitchen components are often out of stock, for months at a time. You will be frustrated and angry waiting for all the missing pieces to arrive (and often, they are discontinued... happened to us!).

And then there are all the quality issues.

And then there are the ethical issues -- I avoid shopping at IKEA because of how they treat the people who manufacture their products, and the lip service they pay towards the environment (just Google IKEA, and you'll see what I mean).

And then there is the matter of what IKEA is doing to our economy.

http://www.amazon.com/Cheap-High-Cost-Discount-Culture/dp/159420215X

My advice would be to hold off on the kitchen until you can afford to do a good job, spend the time scouting architectural salvage places for interesting pieces to work with, and find a good carpenter (who does good work on time) to work on your kitchen.

Bonne chance!

I have worked as a high-end kitchen designer for 15 years, and put Ikea cabinets in my kitchen last year. They are built and installed exactly the same way as Bulthaup cabinets, at 1/10th the price!

The boxes themselves are MDF with either a melamine or veneer finish, which is more stable and moisture-resistant than plywood, and the door styles range from foil-coated MDF to solid wood.

The installation is the European design, which is far superior to American-made cabinets. Each base cabinet has turn-to-level legs instead of sitting on the cabinet sides (better for level AND in case of spills/floods), and the wall cabinets hang on a rail - simply install the rail level and the cabinets will be level. It's much easier.

My partner and I assembled and installed the cabinets ourselves in a weekend. It was much easier than some folks are making it out to be.

My only disappointment was the small size range. I'd have liked to use a 33" sink cabinet, but the choices went from 30" to 36".

My former apt had Ikea cabinets and although the look was nice, some of the corners got warped and started peeling off if they were near heat sources (near the stove and oven), and they couldn't have been more than 5 years old. As my dad says, sometimes something that seems cheap ends up costing you a lot, and if their quality isn't going to last for the long term, maybe its not such a good investment.

I logged on to say exactly the same as what starcaro just reported. We own a house that had a full Ikea kitchen intalled shortly before we bought it, about 7 years ago. I've always hated it because it's just not my style, but I thought i was stuck with it because it was relatively new and functioned fine. However, we've noticed that the veneer is starting to peel and blister in some places that were near heat (oven, toaster, coffee maker, dishwasher). I'm actually happy about this, because it gives me a decent excuse to at least replace all the door/drawer fronts with something more to my taste. We'll probably stick with Ikea fronts just so we don't have to redo the entire kitchen, but next time I'd go with the solid wood for sure.

I bought a 1951 home three years ago which I planned to decorate in an Arts & Crafts style. When we went to look at the home the kitchen had been completely remodeled and was gorgeous. We were shocked (!) to learn that the kitchen was IKEA. Three years later we are still completely happy with our IKEA kitchen cabinets. They have stood the test of pots, pans, oversize baking sheets and more. I love them.

My only complaint about the Ikea cabinets is with the drawers. The sides of the drawers are significantly shorter than the drawer front causing some items to fall overboard when I open the drawers.

"The boxes themselves are MDF with either a melamine or veneer finish, which is more stable and moisture-resistant than plywood."

-- Not more stable and moisture-resistant than marine-grade plywood, which a number of high-end manufacturers are now using.

"(IKEA cabinets) are built and installed exactly the same way as Bulthaup cabinets."

-- It is misleading to leave readers with the impression that IKEA cabinets are equivalent to Bulthaup...

I would also question the assumption that kitchens need to be fully-fitted, especially in heritage home...

We renovated our condo kitchen with IKEA cabinetry and so happy we did! We're now building a house and are considering turning to IKEA once again for cabinets.

I would worry about how you will utilize and design your kitchen. I've seen, in my opinion, a lot of people using IKEA cabinets where it looks very dis-fragmented or too highly stylized. My suggestion would be to really be selective on how you design the kitchen. The brand of cabinets shouldn't be the biggest factor in your kitchen reno. We spent less money of cabinetry and put more money into appliances.

Those of you who have issues with peeling, etc:

AKURUM/RATIONELL Kitchen Series
25 year warranty

What is covered?
This limited warranty is valid from the date of purchase and covers defects in material and workmanship in the following parts of the AKURUM kitchen system: •Cabinet Frames •INTEGRAL hinges •Plinths •Legs •RATIONELL interior fittings including: •Fully extending drawers •Drawer fronts •Drawer dampers •Tempered glass and melamine shelves •Wire baskets •Bottom trays for cabinets •Drawers under oven •Floor-level drawers •Dish drainers for wall cabinets •Cover Panels •Deco strips/moldings •Countertops that are at least 3.8cm thick •Sinks
PERFEKT kitchen pieces including: •End units •Wine shelf •Plate shelf •Shelf w/2 drawers. This limited warranty applies to domestic use only.

You may want to consider using the cabinet and drawer doors instead of the ikea drawers get a better or more craftsman look.

think of the non-green aspects of removing a kitchen that is 5 years old and putting it in the garbage. bad decision. may seem good in the short short term...but not so good in the 5 to ten year range.

i would definitely at least explore the salvage route. you may be pleasantly surprised. if you don't find something that exactly fits the bill, some of the old wooden ones can be modified.

i did this in my kitchen and couldn't be happier. even with the hundreds of layers of paint, i love how sturdy and functional they are.

My sister is an interior designer, and she suggests going with something slightly higher end, for the sake of resell. If that's not an issue for you, then I would say go for it. We have an Ikea kitchen in our rental, and it's actually pretty nice. I feel like it depends on what materials you get, Ikea varies a lot in quality.

I am refurbishing my 60's-era cabinets for my 1918 house. They are getting reconfigured and the fronts will be refinished. I'm thinking of installing new drawer glides on some of the drawers so they operate better, but I want to keep those solid wood cabinets. No particleboard for me! Plus, they have the most awesome copper whale-tale pulls, and weird funky little hinges which will be furbished-up, too. Plus, those old cabinets are a little piece of the house's history.

I think Ikea cabinets are fine. You can age the cabinets a bit with a glaze so they won't stand out too much. However, I would suggest you get your countertop and fixtures elsewhere.

You may also want to check out Lowe's. They have a fairly good selection of in-stock off the shelf kitchen cabinets that may work for you.

Ya know there's alot of space between an IKEA kitchen and a $60,000 kitchen.

If the OP is concerned about getting something that is true to her vintage home, IKEA isn't going to cut it. And whoever said that dealing w/ IKEA for cabinets is a lesson in frustration was right - A dear friend merely wanted to build an island for his loft and it took several trips back and forth to IKEA to get all the pieces as things weren't in stock, were backordered, were ordered incorrectly, hardware was missing, etc.

Even site-built cabinets can often be price-competitive - just get some quotes from local cabinetmakers and carpenters.

My advice is to check out your options fully before making any decision - and don't make a choice just because it's the least expensive or appears to be most convenient

A major consumer publication did a test of kitchen cabinets a few years back, and Ikea cabinets came out looking very good. They showed the price for a particular typical cabinet in each line they tested; Ikea, at $250 or so, bested everything else that cost less than $1250.

As mschatelaine mentions, they are not marine grade plywood. On the other hand, for the cost of a sheet of marine grade plywood, Ikea will sell you a finished cabinet box. If you can afford to spend much more than the cost of Ikea cabinets, you will likely have better built options available, but within their price category they are hard to beat.

I'll third the shout out for Ikea Fans, who are an invaluable resource if you're thinking of an Ikea kitchen. They know everything the store won't tell you. It's also a great place to find sources for things like custom cabinet doors.

We're coming up on 2 years since we re-did our tract house kitchen with Ikea. We are very pleased with the durability (we have 2 young children) and it looks wonderful. We didn't use their appliances and hired a contractor for the granite, but otherwise, we (well, my husband) tore the whole thing down to the drywall and did it all ourselves.

Sitting down and using the software, planning your purchase, making several trips to see the in-store options -- it's a process, and was a long time in the making. Still, when the Ikea truck arrived with 2 big pallets full of those flat boxes, everything was there that needed to be. (I also recommend IkeaFans for many many tips and inspiration photos.)

My house is a cookie-cutter tract, and so using Ikea didn't give pause. I can see where that may be an issue with an older, more classic home. Still -- we love ours, and there ain't nothing quite as impressive as watching our Ikea drawers do that soft-close thing with the dampeners. Visitors still say "ahhhh" to that!

We did IKEA cabinets in our kitchen and then decided to splurge a bit & get white SILESTONE countertops..our kitchen has a relatively modern feel to it....and we are working on making all the appliance stainless steel. However, IKEA was the best choice, i think we spent about $1500 total on all our cabinets...and 3 years later we are still happy with them. :)

Here's a pic of my kitchen on my blog, just scroll down through the other pics of my home:
http://madebygirl.blogspot.com/2008/04/glimpse-into-my-home.html

GOOD LUCK!

p.s I have a very good friend who is an independent kitchen designer (i.e., not affiliated with a showroom); we met when she did the design for our kitchen. We went with a custom kitchen made by a local cabinetmaker -- it was a fraction of the cost of the high-end Italian kitchen we originally wanted. You can also get semi-custom kitchens made by local companies... There are lots of options, IKEA is not the only one!

But please bear this in mind: if you use a local cabinetmaker, or local kitchen maker, you are supporting the local economy. If you go with IKEA, you are merely funneling money into the hands of one of the richest men in the world, Ingvar Kamprad. He doesn't need it (just check out the fake-front foundations he has set up...), but your community does.

the achilles heal of ikea cabinetry is the assemble and install. expensive lines are never, ever self-installed and rely on a network of skilled installers to do the work.

we installed our ikea kitchen a year and a half ago and i treated the assembly like the renovations of the rest of the house -- craft-oriented and with a high-attention to detail. all edges were glued in addition to the cam-locks and overall, we were looking for ways to make the foundational boxes more sturdy (which generally was to glue as well as fasten). we also caulked the joints of the most moisture-prone cabinets. we couldn't be happier...

http://redneckmodern.typepad.com/redneckmodern/2008/10/finishing-touch.html

the only tip i'd give would be to pick your cabinet faces wisely. a lot of the melamine and foil laminates are not going to look good in 5 years. stick to wood and wood veneers -- we went with the nexus yellow brown (an oak veneer)

ikea cabinets use blum hardware for their drawers and hinges -- identical to many high-end cabinet lines (i'll spare the expensive brand names of the call-out)...

Wow, nice comments. I kinda wrote off Ikea Cabinets, but I've reconsidered. I like to keep cost down and can assemble and I already know the layout and cabinets I want. Thanks Guys

Another vote for Ikea - I have a modern looking Ikea kitchen in an old house and a colleague just put a traditional looking Ikea kitchen in her old house and we're both delighted. Incidentally the kitchen fitter I used (part of a larger renovation) said he was very impressed by the quality of the carcasses, he said they were the same as very expensive ones he had just put in for his own mother.

Also their Kitchen planner (downloadable for free from their website) is terrific, you can get a 3D view of your plan and it will tell you exactly how much it all costs (so you can change things like handles etc to get it into your budget).

The only thing I would say is that the Ikea range of worktops is not the greatest so it may be worth looking elsewhere for that.

And @ adanielo - all the base carcasses are the same, so if you regret one of your base units being a door front rather than drawers you can just take off the door and put drawers in it instead - even months or years later (if they haven't discontinued your style).

You could mix it up. I love Faith's idea of keeping the old cabinet structure and refacing or reworking the drawers and fronts. If you visit a Habitat for Humanity Restore you might be able to come up with some nice old-house windows that you can morph into glass fronts.

A word about remodeling. I kept my basic kitchen and replaced the island and countertops and am planning on painting the cabinets myself; also added some lighting and plugs. Trust me, you want to absolutely minimize your remodeling tasks, time, and complexity. Living with sawdust, sheet rock dust, spent nails for weeks on end is no pinic. Plus there is an unwritten code that all carpenters leave your front door wide open regardless of temperature and A/C/Heat unit on. I think there's a requirement that they let in a certain number of flies and beetles each day.

One advantage to the drawers and cabinet fronts is that your guy can do most of the work in the garage.

as a certified kitchen designer with the National Kitchen and Bath Association, I specify cabinets and design for all price levels. Many of you look like DIYers and if you are handy then IKEA is going to be a good economical choice because you are not concerned about the labor spent (or time spent) on design, ordering, reviewing the order, assembly, installation, etc. BUT for those of you who are looking to save a buck but are NOT as handy, then you really don't end up saving much by the time you invest in what it costs in additional labor to get the job completed. And what if you didn't order something? Did your salesperson make sure you got crown trim for the top? Did you even know what that was?

I often use local custom shops that are a lot less expensive than the manufacturers, they typically do the Frameless (or European style) construction and yes, are made in America (not to be confused with the reference to American made--that's framed or standard construction).

But more than anything, if you are not all that handy, spending the money and hiring a certified kitchen designer will save you his/her fee by just getting the best design and layout, steer you in the right direction as far as what is ideal for the scope of your project, and will guide you through the process--saving a ton of headache, frustration, anxiety, and that's got to have a price that doesn't equate into monetary savings.

I used to think that the global economy was our future but it's ruining us as a nation. Please help support the local future of our neighbors, our cities, our culture and society--buy here and not there!!!!!!!! There is a cost to our culture when you save those bucks by making the choice to buy overseas--and that goes for anything!!!!! I drive a Honda, but I know my car was made in Ohio. Keep people here employed. We need all of your help to do this!

I searched out many brands and Ikea was the best choice for my kitchen. Go out to the stores and look at as many types as you can and take into account your cooking style. It's not rare for me to cook 2-3 course meals for my husband and I during the week and even more intensive things on weekends because I love to cook. With that, having the appliances to handle the job was more important to me than designer cabinets. So I put my money into a 6 burner gas cooktop and a double convection oven and went with Ikea cabinets. After using them for the past year, I feel they're a great value. They clean up and take my abuse well. Everyone who comes over is amazed on how nice they are.

My brother and I did the entire kitchen project ourselves and installing the cabinets are not hard. If you can use a screwdriver and a level you can do the installation yourself.

Also, I bought mine during their kitchen sale which saved me an extra 20%. It happens in March and November. If you're going to buy Ikea wait until the next sale.

Consider looking at salvage yards and Habitat for Humanity stores if you have either near you. The Habitat store near me has all kinds of kitchen cupboards, some taken from places being renovated, some overstock from construction companies installations for apartment buildings. There is also a great salvage yard that has leftover building materials including granite slabs and flooring. They don't cut anything, you buy as is, but much of it is new. Most metropolitan areas will have at least one good salvage yard.

I would do a lot more research for local sources of less expensive alternatives for at least some of the kitchen which might then allow you to spend more on more custom work on other parts.

Have you ever considered an unfitted kitchen or a mix of fixed and unfitted pieces? You might be able to find free-standing, solid wood pieces for quite a bit less than built-in MDF cupboards. Think about auctions, garage sales etc.

If you mix in a bit of old/new, you might be able to keep some of your existing cupboards. First, think about how much countertop space you will need, whether you like the look of open shelving for upper level storage, and the sizes/quantities of items you store on a regular basis.

link to an unfitted kitchen:
http://www.bhg.com/decorating/room/kitchen/real-life-kitchens-on-a-budget/?page=4

By adding in a few 'old' pieces, your kitchen might fit in better with the original style of your home. It all depends on your taste. I'd look around through magazines first, select at least 20 different photos of kitchens you like. Don't just stick to the IKEA catalogue. Find out what style you like the best, make sure that's what you want, then find a way to build it! If you plan on staying in your home for a while, try and stay with something classic and clean lined. It's the added flourishes and patterns in fabric that usually date decor, five years later.

When I'm able to redesign my kitchen, I'll be going the unfitted route. I just have to make sure to pick the right pieces for the right location. I've already taken down a couple of upper cabinets that I had on either side of my window. It's looks so much better, even with the drywall patches!

The important thing is to take the time and find out what you want and need. Then find out how to make that happen.

Enjoy the journey!

I refinished my kitchen within the last year. I had no choice but IKEA due to cost. Does my kitchen look IKEA, yes. Do I care, no. I was able to splurge on John Boos butcherblock countertops (from downstate illinois) and grantite countertops. Even with the splurge, the project came in far less than if I were to use another clean line cabinet design because there is NO MIDRANGE SIMPLE DESIGN option out there in the cabinet world. What improved my kitchen more than anything? Improved lighting. Oh yeah, and get your own hardware.

Pictures at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125113&id=583442316

I just installed an Ikea kitchen. They do have sales, and I saved 20% by getting my cabinets and appliances all at once. Installation was straightforward. Quality is much better than similarly-priced cabinetry, but these are not solid wood. My old cabinets were literally rotting and not salvageable, also not of any merit. If you have old, solid wood cabinets, please consider donating them to ReStore, http://www.habitat.org/env/restores.aspx, so someone else can re-purpose them.

I have few carpentry skills, but was able to help assemble cabinets. Ikea has a software tool to help you choose pieces. I wish they sold a really paintable cabinet. All the white ones are mylar-covered. You can't choose which style of glass you get; each style has it's own glass inserts, which is kind of a shame.

I chose a low-end gas stove, and dishwasher, and they're only okay. I got different countertops. I'm quite pleased with my new kitchen. It's sturdy, looks good and was in my budget.

I put in a whole IKEA kitchen - by myself! It is, however, a big time investment - for me, the installation was quick (I did all the cabinets, the plumber helped with the sink, and the electrician helped with the oven). I had to invest hours of planning, measuring, and choosing to get a tight fit - I used all stainless and not as many sizes are available.

I know my kitchen isn't for everyone - but I sold my place in under 2 months, and everyone that came by loved it - men and women alike. It was a fantastic kitchen to cook in, and not a huge space. Posting a photo to reiterate it doesn't have to look generic: http://tours.tourfactory.com/tours/tour.asp?t=498966&x=0&y=0

So, I love IKEA's kitchens - the quality is much better than their other stuff (surprisingly better). My advice would be to try to do something with what you have, but if that's impossible, please donate what you DO have to Habitat for Humanity Re-Store.

Good luck! Oh, and I third www.ikeafans.com

Love our ikea cabinets! If you can assemble an IKEA billy shelf (super easy), you can assemble their kitchen cabinets. Take your time on their software and measure things three times. If you're not good at that, you can even hire their installer/designer person to do it for you. I think it was $300 or so to have them design it - then about another $99 per cabinet for installation. We just invited over a couple of friends and assembled them all together in a few hours. A handy family member installed them. We have the medium brown Nexus cabinets - mostly drawers. They have a nice modern horizontal grain, and totally look high end. We added the metal legs to finish the off, because I think toekicks generally look old-fashioned and cheap. I looooove our cabinets!

Tips: Go luxe on the accessories for a custom look. We choose white Caesarstone countertops and I bought a Hansgrohe faucet off eBay. I get sooo many compliments on my kitchen and no one has guessed it's ikea!

Oops - forgot to add:

1. Buy the dampeners. They are fantastic. Our guests drool over them.
2. The hardware is fantastic and manufactured by Blum. Apparently most of the other more expensive kitchens use the Blum hardware, too!
3. Join IKEAFANS.com for tips & tricks. We were ending our countertop over a dishwasher - which meant a very creative solution to rest the countertop on. The folks on IKEAFANS were very helpful and had run into this issue before. You use an ikea oven panel and cut it to size, attach with L brackets to the wall. Slide the dishwasher in.

Good luck and please follow up with us to let us know how it goes!

Ikea only looks generic in the catalog, in actual homes it looks much better browse flickr for examples
http://www.flickr.com/groups/ikeafans/

@karenyoung, your hypocrisy is showing. Ikea employs thousands of American workers too. Buying Ikea cabinets and having a local installer put them in is exactly the same as you buying a Honda made from foreign parts and assembled in Ohio. Both companies give US workers jobs, and both companies send their profits back to the home country.

I have a "partial" IKEA kitchen. Would I do it again? That depends. There are both good and bad aspects of the line. Here's what I can tell you:

First – and perhaps most importantly – you seem a bit uncertain as to what style of kitchen you really want (modern? historic?). You need to figure this out. Then consider what you have now, versus what you want. And what you NEED. Are the cabinets original? If so, you will not top them in quality or fit. And you will not be able to mimic the historic look with IKEA. I’m all for replacing the kitchen if it truly is obsolete. But often I think people aren’t aware of the options available to them. There is much you can do to bring old cabinets back to life and function. And you don’t have to gut everything. It is also possible to keep some old, and add some new. It doesn’t have to be an “all or none” proposition.

Now for some of my kitchen remodeling experiences (courtesy IKEA):

1) Some background
We have a 1926 bungalow. The original layout was a warren of small rooms, and the original kitchen cabinets were torn out in the 70s. Seven years ago, we undertook a major remodel that included gutting the space entirely, moving walls and making structural changes. In the end, we designed the kitchen to have a combination of painted wood cabinets designed to match original cabinets elsewhere in the house, and stainless steel cabinets from IKEA. The breakdown is about 70% custom wood cabinetry (built locally), and 30% IKEA stainless steel. So the kitchen is a blend of modern and historic styles. It clearly is not original to the house, but it still works with architecture (at least I hope it does).

2) Quality
There is no question that the IKEA cabinets are not top quality. But ours are functioning fine, and we have had no usage problems in 6 years. That said, we are LIGHT kitchen users. We’re not serious cooks and we don’t have kids. It works for us, but I don’t know if it would work for a household of kids and cooks (or, some people are just “harder” on things). Other specific quality issues:

---The stainless steel surface does not clean well. Even water spots are a problem to clean. I have a Bosch stainless dishwasher and Amana fridge, and they clean up with no problem. Not so for the IKEA steel. I’ve tried various stainless products with no improvement. This is not a huge issue for me since we’re pretty clean, but if I was a serious cook and had kids… forget it. I assume the IKEA is a lower grade of stainless.

---Also, there were some pretty clear differences in the surface appearance of a few of the steel faces. A machining issue. We had a lot of problems with IKEA customer service, and eventually I just gave up on this one. Do most people notice this? No. Do I notice it? Yes. These are not precision-made cabinets. You can take them back 50 times, and half of the time, you’ll get more of the same issues (plus some new ones!). That is the IKEA reality. You either accept that about IKEA (or don’t notice it), or you go somewhere else.

---The IKEA units are mostly drawer units. Some of the units are perfect. Others are not so perfect. For example, there might be an extra 1/8 of an inch of space between a few of the drawers. Or they don’t line up perfectly on the edge. (Do I notice this? Yes. See above.)

---Structurally, the IKEA frame could not support the weight of our sink; our contractor had to reinforce the frame. If you were installing a lightweight stainless steel sink, this would not be an issue. But if you are looking at a farmhouse sink, it might be. (I don’t have a farmhouse sink, but it is a heavy ceramic model.). Regardless of the sink, this is telling in terms of structure and durability. God forbid my sink has to be replaced. I think there will be problems.

3) Fit / Installation
---IKEA cabinets (or at least our model) come in a relatively small number of sizes. If your kitchen is an odd shape, or does not perfectly match up with the available sizes, you’re going to have to deal with this somehow. For example, I used 3 large drawer units together on one wall. But there was about 5 inches left to spare on one end. My solution was to have the contractor use that space for a niche for cookie sheets and trays. This was an easy resolve, but that is not always the case. Also, I could not have built/finished that on my own. Maybe you can.

---Since your house is old, you can count on lots of un-level surfaces and unexpected discoveries. I agree emphatically with mschatelaine and karenyoung regarding installation issues. If you can do this on your own you’ll save money. If you hire someone to do the installation, you probably won’t. Or the savings will be so minimal that the value is lost. There is simply too much jerry-rigging required. Not to mention the myriad problems we had with orders, deliveries, problems… customer service in general. You either have to deal with that stuff on your own, or pay someone else to do so. (Side note: Whatever you end up doing, it is always best to have the person/company that builds the cabinets ALSO install them. Lesson learned.)

So would I go with IKEA again?
---For a kitchen project like ours (major remodel, non-DIY people, old home) = No. I AM happy with the look, but the quality is lower and we did NOT save money in the end.

---If I were extremely handy, I might use IKEA components for discrete areas like an island. Bit of you want to give an old home a built-in kitchen look with IKEA, you’ll need more than basic handyman skills.

Final side note: If I had very advanced skills, a limited budget, and lots of time, I’d probably learn how to build my own cabinets. And I recently learned that 2 acquaintances are “master carpenters.” One built his own kitchen cabinets… gorgeous. If I had to do this over, I’d hire him to do ours. I can guarantee it would not have cost any more, and the end product would be far superior. Do you know anyone like this?

My final suggestion is to save your money until you can do what needs to be done. Live in the house a while longer before you rush to gut the kitchen. Do LOTS of research before you start anything. Ideally, you want the new kitchen to last many years -- even if you won't be there for all of them.

I remodeled a small galley kitchen in my basement with IKEA cabinets, then I gutted the upstairs kitchen and spent the next 2.5 years working on the upstairs remodel. (It's finished, finally!)

But for those 2.5 years, I lived exclusively out of the IKEA kitchen. First, I loved their countertops - really solid, really heavy.

The faucet started leaking a bit around the base. The sink is fine.

The drawers sometime mis-align and require either jiggling to get them to close, or sometimes I have to completely pull them out and re-seat the drawer into the slides. This is annoying!!

Overall, I am still using the basement kitchen for pet food preparation & feeding, and some bulk pantry storage. I do like it, but I am glad that I did not use them in my upstairs kitchen. I was getting the feeling that the heaviest used drawers (silverware, etc) were starting to wear.

I did build a closet storage system out of IKEA tall cabinet frames, and that ROCKS.

Starcaro, according to the Kraftmaid cabinet guy I talked to, you need to always have a buffer between a cabinet and a heat source to avoid that issue (which I haven't experienced--he was just sharing because I don't have one). He suggested something, but when I called around to find it, no one knew what the heck I was talking about it.

about. (not about it)

I commented on this post almost a year ago(!) and we just wrapped up our IKEA hybrid kitchen, so I thought I'd share the results:

htttp://www.chezerbey.com/kitchen-reveal

In general, we're really happy with the IKEA options and feel that a little customization can go a long way!

Oops, the link has an extra "t"

http://www.chezerbey.com/kitchen-reveal

We just installed cabinets by DeWil's, ordered through our local hardware store. They're pretty nice so far, though we did add some frame to them for strength. In the past we've used Kraftsmaid through Home Depot, and we're liking the Dewil's better.

The reason we chose them over Ikea was we wanted all wood, and no particle board. Somehow a little particle board always sneaks in, but they are mostly wood.

They have the soft close features, which are so cool, and a lot of different wood and design choices. They are more expensive than Ikea, for sure.

For real customization, try Semihandmade out of LA - they make custom doors, panels and drawer faces for IKEA kitchens and ship them just about anywhere (pardon the plug)....

http://ahandmadehome.com/semi-handmade/

HELP! I have a few questions for the people who've posted here. What is the ballpark for a contractor to install? All the private ones I've asked said "No, we don't install Ikea stuff" or "if we do, it will cost extra."

Also, I was told by Ikea staff that the certified Ikea installers are really pricey.

Also, I read that one poster went with Thomas cabinets and I would probably agree with him in the sense that IKEA has galvanized metal for interiors and drawers, right? Thomas offers white interiors as a minimum.

I'm looking at the teakish yellow brown Nexus as I really like that wood grain with a bright white countertop and masculine hardware. Is there an alternative? I haven't been able to find anything that doesn't look outdated or country kitchen.

@LaurenZ That kitchen is amazing. The way you allowed the fridge panel to go up and wrap around your uplift cupboards. INCREDIBLE.

And I love the dark smooth floors. Your space is so sophisticated but functional.

IKEA kitchen cabinets present both current problems and enduring problems to every kitchen owners or users. Our personal experience bears compelling testimony to this fact. First, after receiving the cabinets, we had to run numerous trips to IKEA for exchange due to the defects of cabinet parts. We purchased the top line cabinets but were deeply disappointed by the quality and quality control. There seems to be zero quality inspection or quality control at the IKEA manufacturer's end, since many parts bear visible defects but managed to slip into the IKEA store. Also, installing IKEA kitchen cabinets require special expertise and professional installers who are capable of installing the cabinets with care and precision, which means that they are supposed to spend much longer time and much greater effort installing a single IKEA kitchen than they would a traditional kitchen. Any attempt to finish the work in a single day is doomed to failure, as IKEA cabinet parts are prone to cracks, scratches, chips, and dents. Brand-new high-quality blades are supposed to be used for cutting each piece. And these blades are extremely expensive. They need to be replaced from time to time in the process of installation. Otherwise, cracks or blunted cutting edges are inevitable. We love IKEA style, which is why we chose its kitchen cabinets, and which is also why we suffer endlessly from their poor quality and problematic installation. Our advice is that if you have the propensity for details please forget about IKEA. If you can't be 100% sure of the skills and work ethic of installer please forget about IKEA. Our comments contain nothing but truth -- truth based solely on our personal experience. Thank you.

IKEA kitchen cabinets present both current problems and enduring problems to every kitchen owners or users. Our personal experience bears compelling testimony to this fact. First, after receiving the cabinets, we had to run numerous trips to IKEA for exchange due to the defects of cabinet parts. We purchased the top line cabinets but were deeply disappointed by the quality and quality control. There seems to be zero quality inspection or quality control at the IKEA manufacturer's end, since many parts bear visible defects but managed to slip into the IKEA store. Also, installing IKEA kitchen cabinets require special expertise and professional installers who are capable of installing the cabinets with care and precision, which means that they are supposed to spend much longer time and much greater effort installing a single IKEA kitchen than they would a traditional kitchen. Any attempt to finish the work in a single day is doomed to failure, as IKEA cabinet parts are prone to cracks, scratches, chips, and dents. Brand-new high-quality blades are supposed to be used for cutting each piece. And these blades are extremely expensive. They need to be replaced from time to time in the process of installation. Otherwise, cracks or blunted cutting edges are inevitable. We love IKEA style, which is why we chose its kitchen cabinets, and which is also why we suffer endlessly from their poor quality and problematic installation. Our advice is that if you have the propensity for details please forget about IKEA. If you can't be 100% sure of the skills and work ethic of installer please forget about IKEA. Our comments contain nothing but truth -- truth based solely on our personal experience. Thank you.

We installed Ikea cabinets in a rental kitchen back in 1996. Despite being exposed to several different renters the kitchen is still holding up very, very well. Even the design is still looking good (we were using stainless steel before stainless steel was cool, only 2 or 3 appliances were available in ss back then).

I find the key with Ikea stuff is to go beyond just assembling it with their specs. Those wood pegs? I glue them all in. Under the base cabinets we used a sheet of plywood and nailed trough it into the cab frames to hold them all secure, ditto a sheet of ply in back of the wall cabs. Extra hardware to keep all the parts for loosening and shifting. LocTite on the hinge adjustment screw and on the knob bolts, extra fasteners to hold adjacent walls together, etc. The extra materials cost almost nothing and took up very little extra time or energy - but I think it doubled the durability.

A couple of pics:

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/6850/kitchtowardsdoorsof.jpg

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/884/dcp0377.jpg

My husband's family owned a lumber mill for over 100 yrs and they love antiques, craftsman style homes, kitchens but part of the attraction was high quality. If it does not work, it was not made by a good craftsman. It may be old but it does not mean it was all made well. Ikea does make old-world look-a-likes and they are not easy to assemble, but they are solid once complete and they look great. Since I love mid century modern and don't mind high end veneers, they work just fine for me, but they do have solid wood doors too. We are on our 2nd IkEA kitchen. You can go to HD for granite or install a walnut wood counter-top in an area that may not get that much use...for that old world look. I LOVE IKEA's pull-out bins, and their ironing board drawer . You have an OLD house that demands maintenance and care ...why not give yourself a kitchen that WORKS FOR YOU.

looking back it this nearly-two-year old post still makes me chuckle when folks are faulting the cabinets because they were not able to install them correctly or because they didn't inspect the boxes for damage before leaving the store.

it's been 2 years and our ikea kitchen looks as good today as when it was installed. why? we knew what we were getting into and planned accordingly.

here's a wrap-up post of our own experience: http://redneckmodern.typepad.com/redneckmodern/2010/04/kitchen-finale.html

some things to add to the "if you're thinking about ikea" list:
-- if you're not handy nor willing to pay for someone who's handy, look elsewhere. while i'm not a certified ikea installer, i'm a damn good carpenter and these skills went a long way in the install. i've friends who have tried and failed -- many miserably -- because their skill level was not up to par. like the above poster noted -- gluing the pegs -- is a good idea as is the use of construction adhesive on other joints and a pneumatic stapler for the backs. using adhesive between the boxes is a good idea, too.
-- check every box for dents before leaving the store. these boxes are shipped a long way with only a think layer of cardboard protecting it. if the box of damaged, so will be the innards. don't sign the "received" receipt until you've inspected and approved everything.
-- never go on a saturday. book a thursday morning to pick up your stuff.
-- test the finish you're interested in the showroom by grabbing a display coffee mug and banging the lip on the material. dent? scratch? that'll be your kitchen in 2 years. in general, the wood and wood veneers hold up much better than the high-gloss finishes.
-- buy multiple extra doors and drawer fronts... just in case (future-proofing). store somewhere dry and flat.
-- buy multiples of common cabinets and pieces the first time to avoid as many return trips... heck, buy double and return the rest.

ikea kitchens are not for everyone, but user error is not the fault of the cabinets. plan well, shop wisely and use your head. there are many folks who find them a terrific value.

Those Ikea kitchens are beautiful and so dreamy. As a professional interior designer, here's my experience:

August 9, 2011 - Drew my own kitchen, 3 times. Every time I saved the new drawing, it was lost in their system. Called the 800# 3 times. They hadn't ever heard of this problem. (4.25 hours)

August 10, 2011 - Drove to Ikea 30 minutes away. Their kitchen designer was able to locate my drawings but had to save to her login. It was the last day of the sale and I wanted to show my husband before placing the order. Had to wait til November. (2.5 hours)

November 11, 2011 - Didn't want to loose my drawings again so back to Ikea. We wanted to see to see the price difference between the Abstract and Applaud cabinets with 30" & 39" wall cabs. Modified drawings and needed assistance from Ikea designer to add materials such as toe kicks, fillers, end panels, etc. Another couple walked in upset; their drawing had been lost too. (5.5 hours)

November 13, 2011 - Visited the store for final decisions and cost. Ikea designer found a few problems that the previous Ikea designer included/excluded. Couldn't get into initial Ikea designer's email to rectify issues. Instead prepared a list. This was difficult to comprehend for an educated and experienced designer much less the average homeowner. (5 hours) It took additional time to compare the old drawing to the list; still we missed 3 items that would have resulted in major problems had the kitchen been purchased that day.

November 20, 2011 - Arrived when doors opened to order kitchen. Found and made necessary corrections. Placed order. Ikea short 1 - 96" countertop. Arrived at Pick-Up after 1.25 hour wait for order to be picked. The clerk verified 1 countertop was backordered. When I returned to pick up the 5th and last cart, I was told there were a few other items not available in stock. I was asked to return to Pick-Up for gift cards or be issued a store credit. Upon my return to Pick-Up, I was told I needed to stand in the Returns Line. I explained we had been there since 10AM and it wasn't our fault they didn't have the items we purchased in inventory; plus it would take me another 1/2 day to return to pick up the items that weren't available.The young girl slipped to the return counter and arranged for me to be waited on next. (5.5 hours)

November 26, 2011 - Two installers arrive at 9AM to assemble 14 cabinets while I unboxed cabinets (boxes were labeled and categorized November 20th), flattened boxes, glued wooden pegs and placed cams in cabinet sides. (9 hours)

Would I do it again? Frankly, I hire kitchen designers to plan my clients' kitchens. I wanted the experience to have an opinion for the quality, ease vs. headache, cost, etc. Let's just say that if you value your time and time is worth money, keep your hair from turning gray by purchasing from a kitchen showroom. If you're on a budget like most people in this economy, the Ikea price is great.

A few suggestions:
1 - If you're hiring outside help to install, make sure it's a contractor or someone with a good knowledge of construction.
2 - Make sure you and your help has an abundance of patience and energy.
3 - Before unloading inventory from your truck into your house, label your cabinet runs (North Wall, South Wall, etc) on the drawings; then label each base cabinet (1,2,3... or A,B,C...), then each wall cabinet (continue with the numbering/lettering system. Don't start from 1 or A again or you'll be pulling your hair out).
4 - While working off Ikea Shopping List, place all pieces of Cabinet A in it's own location, etc. Use a big Sharpie to label each piece (this saves a lot of time when your eyes begin to glaze over)
5 - Keep in mind inventory from the Kitchen Center vs Pick-Up Center are different. We tore the house apart looking for 6 drawer glides to find they were backordered.
6 - Give yourself 1-2 weeks time in between purchasing the cabinets and installation in case parts are back ordered. If you're not in close driving proximity, you'll be driving daily to pickup a part every day of the week. When hiring someone to install the cabinets, it will be less expensive to get them in and out rather than returning. Time is money to them and it'll cost you.
7 - The installers were initially frustrated about the picture drawings (laptops were moved to another residence during the renovation so didn't have the ability to check the website) and lack of detail, but after assembling 3 cabinets, the frustration lessened.
8 - When calling the 800# DO NOT ASSUME you're speaking with a kitchen specialist. The first person you reach will attempt to answer your questions but if you don't understand how kitchens work, you'll be receiving info from someone who hopes to be a specialist and isn't. This could cost you so be adamint to speak to a kitchen specialist.

We've had years of experience working with Ikea kitchen cabinets as well as high end brands. When it comes to it, Ikea has great cabinets and they are nice and affordable. You can easily get great results for just a fraction of the cost

In case you are interested, we provide online IKEA kitchen design services. Check out my profile for more information.

I don't have ikea cabinets so I can't vouch for them but Im going to go out on a limb and agree with most commenters here that you should just go ahead and use them. Unless you plan on living in that house for the rest of your life than forcing your kids to live there after you die its pointless to get heirloom quality cabinets. chances are the next owners are just going to rip them out anyways no matter how high the quality is.

I installed our IKEA cabinets 20 years ago back when they only had european/metric measurements. The were the polyester coated ones and some of the wooden ones. They still look great and have held up well. At the time my 20 ft of cabinets cost $2500 and were gorgeous. It was even easy to reconfigure some of them to fit around steel columns in my loft apartment.

I also used two bolted together cabinets to make several aquarium stands for 90 gallon tanks and they were solid as a rock. I did however make 2x4 bases for those.

We are now redesigning the kitchen again and are back at IKEA and they still have a better selection than all the other places (for the money) I had been and it's available now. Of course, the rates have gone up. The quality of the drawers and interior slider technology is far superior as well. As the measurements are now American, not metric, we need to get new bases (not just the doors) but the base cabinet cost is not that significant. It is either a $5000 IKEA kitchen or the next stop was well over $15,000 custom.