Can anyone really beat IKEA on price for their kitchens?

[said]

I find most kitchens boring and I'm trying to avoid the tedium of sitting with kitchen planners. I only really like the look of the IKEA ones (of those within our budget) so is there any point in looking at others if they're going to be more expensive anyway?

[KarenBrockman]

There have been some comments on here about units not taking a standard dinner plate in the units.

I would go back into the Glasgow branch and ask a Manager to order your Fatum kitchen sink unit.

[JessieJayne]

We're renovating our kitchen and after a fair bit of research have decided on IKEA. We've not chosen solely on price as we're willing to pay more for quality but we're not willing to pay 20k for a John Lewis kitchen which looks only slightly better than one costing a third of the cost.

We've looked at IKEA hinges and carcasses etc and taken in to account that Howdens and Magnet kitchens' high units won't even take a full size dinner plate. So, taking all in to account we've gone IKEA.

[seb1]

Ikea faktum info is readily available half way down the Ikea kitchen home page

[mikehaseler]

Yes - it's a total disaster! Instead of £20 for a new cupboard unit, we are looking at several thousand pounds - and because the new sizes just won't fit, it can't be Ikea.

Faktum has been around about 25 years and everyone will just assume it is a simple replacement. It is not - and it now looks like we could be without a kitchen sink for about a month because we going to need to order new bits.

It's no laughing matter and people need to be made aware that Ikea have fundamentally changed their sizes so that no one else makes the mistake of starting a job they cannot finish.

[mikehaseler]

Update - after removing unit, I've discovered that there are additional pipes and a skirting board - neither of which fit beneath Metod units.

And even worse, the standard 60cm 2foot) worktops we just got, fit snuggly on top of faktum but not Metod.

So basically the new Ikea Kitchens are incompatible with UK kitchens. Here's a list of what you are likely to need to do to fit Ikea:

1. Get in a plumber to redo all your plumbing in the kitchen - because the plumbing now has to fit your ikea cupboard..
   
2. Buy a new work surface (custom made) to fit the required 61 cm (not usual 60cm) worktop size.
   
3. Remove all skirtings from the kitchen - and/or get a 62-63 cm worktop surface.
   
4. Get in a VERY HELPFUL AND WELL TEMPERED carpenter to fit your ikea cupboards as there is now so little space underneath to run pipes.
   
5. Buy spare cupboard fronts - particularly for any near sink as you can't guarantee they will stand up to water and you can't guarantee you will get matching units in three years time.

[123itsjustme]

and you felt the need to reopen up a thread from 2011 and direct us to a screw fix thread from 2005/6 to support your negative comments about a product that's only been available in UK for 4 weeks because you are cross presumably that your cheap kitchen didn't last longer than 15 years. get over it . it's time to get a new one anyway .

[mikehaseler]

Can anyone beat Ikea on price - BEWARE THE NEW MOTED RANGE may cost you more than you think!

Bought a new sink and worktops. Thought it would be a quick weekend's work to replace - except the Ikea Faktum sink unit was water damaged and it wouldn't last.

The original units (apart from the sink unit) are 15 years old, so we were thinking it might be time to revive them. So we were considering buying new doors and drawer fronts at some time.

But back to the kitchen unit - went to Ikea told them we needed a new sink unit to replace the Faktum - told very empathically that it was no longer being sold. So with no other choice bought the new Metod to see how much work would be needed to use it.

It turns out:

1. The door is 10cm taller (we knew that)
   
2. The hinges and so hole fixing are entirely different.
   
3. But the unit it 1cm further out from wall
   
4. It is 2cm higher.
   

So basically they are entirely incompatible.

So, started looking to find out whether we might get an old carcass from ebay - and by a strange turn - found the Netherlands site - saying that they were still selling Faktum in Amserdam (and the US). But they were being told it would be available for two years after Metod was being sold.

Knowing other countries were being told this, I eventually tracked down a very hidden page that said the same about the UK (except I had been explicitly asked for Faktum and been told it was not being sold - in other words I was lied to by Ikea Staff in Glasgow).

But the final straw was when I started looking for alternative to Ikea and found this forum community.screwfix.com/threads/ikea-kitchens.116747/

Here, professionals were talking about all the problems we originally had with the Ikea kitchen unit and the same ones causing me so much hassle now ... but worse, the Metod units are EVEN WORSE.

Many people will buy an Ikea kitchen - then ask a plumber to come in only to be be told "sorry love I don't work with Ikea kitchen units".

The problem is that they have been designed for Swedish houses which apparently don't have the same kind of plumbing in the Kitchen. UK kitchens are older with a lot of plumbing under the sink (we have double sink, dish washer and washing machine.

And I didn't mention that the Kitchen door is yet again needing replaced, because the newer doors introduced about 3years ago are nowhere near the quality of the original ones we bought 15 years ago.

In summary:: it might not seem expensive ... but a 25 year guarantee means nothing if a bit of water splashing out of the sink means you have to replace the whole kitchen because they just don't do the same units any more.

... and if you have any plumbing in your kitchen - get a quote from any trademen before you buy.

[LadyOfTheManor]

Uber Kitchens or Kitchens Uber. I have just got my kitchen fitted and it's fabulous and cheap.

Bought one for the home that we let too. Both came with ovens/hobs/hoods/sides/islands and cost 1k each.

[Lindax]

We just had B&Q Cooke and Lewis Clevedon (15 units) put in for less than £5.5k (excluding fitting as we know or know someone that knows most trades so only a couple of ££'s here and there). Over £2k of this was new appliances (integrated so part of the 15 units).

• If you know someone with a trade card they can get 60% of the price of Cooke & Lewis cabinet fronts - a massive saving as doors are about £120 each retail when full price.
  
• We bought rest retail as they also had deal on at time with 25% off carcasses, 20% off appliances and a free dishwasher. Got 2 years interest free credit on the retail part. (did a lots of surfing for appliances and the 20% off brought B&Q prices to around the same as the best internet prices I could find).
  

Included:

• oak effect carcasses (matched units and lot nicer than white)
  
• extra tall wall units (gives loads of extra space and look fab)
  
• integrated washer dryer (AEG)
  
• smeg integrated dishwasher (free deal at time as over £2k)
  
• zanussi integrated fridge/freezer
  
• bosch integrated microwave
  
• bosch induction hob
  
• we already had a bosch built under oven we bought last year when old
  

oven packed in

• Whirlpool cooker hood
  
• sink and tap
  
• AquaLoc flooring through kitchen and hallway (50% off with trade card)
  

It is by no means a top of the range kitchen, but very very happy with it (so far - waiting for plasterer now to smooth off walls so we can decorate). B&Q were great, free design (its a fairly straight forward small U-shaped kitchen) and everything delivered in time. They replaced a couple of slightly marked panels with no problems (took 5 days). Guys that fitted remarked that they thought quality of kitchen was very good. Hopefully it will stand the test of time.

(B&Q were also good and let us keep a faulty panel worth £150 retail as it made a nicer infill to the end wall and they also replaced our tap after it had been fitted/box lost as the one we picked didnt suit our low pressure water system)

Sis had Ikea kitchen fitted 7 years ago and cant wait to change it as it looks very shabby. It was great when first fitted, and I looked there first for mine, but really think the quality/feel isnt as good as it was when she got hers 7 years ago. Price and gadgets are still great through.

[SarfEasticated]

Oh kitchensandthings do tell?

[dadof2ofthem]

i'm a builder
i have fitted many ikea kitchens, i can say they are the best value for money.

but also, with more expensive kitchens, you maye have to wait weeks for some parts to arrive , the taps or the hob for example, with Ikea it's all there , in one delivery, and complete, , like you dont have to go back because there is a piece missing.

fact is, with any kitchen, there is more work in the prepearation than with the fitting.
if prepared well the kitchen itself should go in in a day, but before that the pipes and electricity , filling and plastering , thats more than a weeks work

[triskaidekaphile]

My kitchen is ikea and it is fab and cheap and cool. It is red and white with wooden worktops. The worktops are scruffy because of neglect but I like that. We ended up hiring a builder who was erm slightly less than the sharpest knife in the drawer, though had lots of good stories to tell, but even he managed to put the units together in the end. I don't think you can beat IKEA for the price.

[said]

Oo, trisk, do you have any experience of them/tales to tell?

[triskaidekaphile]

IKEA IKEA IKEA!

[said]

Thank you Fizzy. After another trip to IKEA today, that is the sort of decisive post I need.

And completely agree with the Aaaaaargh! aspect of just trying to get a damn price.

[Fizzylemonade]

Re corner cupboards, in our last house we had a 900x900 corner (3 of them) but instead of having a carousel or a pull out unit we had it shelved across the middle, so effectively an L shaped shelf. It meant we had loads of usable space.

Re Ikea, we have some of their units, our current kitchen is tiny with very few units so we improvised until our extension is built and found them to be very solid.

My sister had an Ikea Adel kitchen fitted a few years ago and it still looks as good as new. It even has solid wood worktops.

I like Ikea over other kitchen companies, reason being is no constant sales and discounts, no trade prices, no messing around. The price is what it is.

Most kitchen carcasses are flipping chipboard and to charge what other companies do is a cheek.

If you like the Ikea kitchen then get that one. Any fitter worth his/her salt can accommodate tinkering with cabinets to get them to fit.

[kitchensandthings]

The messing around with price is standard pratcice and annoying for thoise in and out of the trade. I do actually have firm prices now after years of looking for a sensible supplier.

[AMM3]

One of the most annoying aspects of this (being in the same place myself) is never getting a straight and complete price from many of the companies. Why can't they just say their price and that is it?
You never know whether you are getting a decent/fair price or not and how much discount to push for?
Good luck with it all

[said]

Our not are

[said]

Actaully, is there anyone you would actually recommend then? Are Howdens design shows some dead space in corners and we did, I think, a better job with the IKEA units. We've got an awkwardly shaped kitchen now but certainly found enough IKEA units to be able to design a decent looking kitchen so I'm not sure that IKEA do have a limited range and a fitter could adapt them anyway, surely??

[said]

Thank you kitchensandthings, very useful and certainly concurs with my experience of Howdens.

[kitchensandthings]

I hope no-one minds me contributing to this thread. I am a independent kitchen fitter and supplier. First of all I absolutely not interested in promoting myself, I'm way too busy. I just thought I might add my own experience as I know from my own customers how much pain they go through when choosing a kitchen.

I'll start with a negative. Avoid B&Q and Homebase like the plague. I talk to a lot of kitchen fitters in real life and online and those two are guaranteed to make professional fitters tear their hair out.

On to Howdens. They are OK, they have moved on a bit since the MFI days and they are a reasonable bottom to mid range kitchen. The cabinets aren't amazing but they do the job. Their great strength is the amount of stock they hold and even if they don't have it a nearby branch will. They do however charge accordingly for this as all that commercial space isn't cheap. Most builders and just about any tradesmen seems to have an account with them which is actually a disadvantage. It means that any old Joe can tell you that they fit kitchens as Howdens do all the survey, design and pricing for them. It very often means that people that can't really fit kitchens end up fitting them and sometimes badly. The biggest problem with Howdens is the cost. I have almost stopped supplying them (not done one in last 12 months) as they are too expensive. Their ridiculous discount system is actually very clever and they use it to their advantage. I can get a decent price if I go up the road to Magnet Trade, get a price from them (mentioning that Howdens are pricing it too) and then take that price back to Howdens who evntually give in. I can't be bothered with all that so I go elsewhere now.

Someone mentioned Benchmarx. I have no personal experience but other fitters tell me good things about them and they seem to be reasonably well respected in the trade. I think someone said that Wickes use Benchmarx and I think that's the case. Wickes are probably OK as well but I know that my local store only moves kitchens when they have a sale on. Wickes sales do tend to be real ones unlike B & Pooh.

Ikea certainly polarises opinions and from research I have done in the past seem to be very cheap. Their range of cabinets is very limited compared to most, but for anyone on a budget you can't get near to them for value. I can't imagine they will actually fall apart and a lot of Ikea's bad repuation in the trade isn't to do with quality, it's to do with design. Their cabinets do not have a void at the rear for services (i.e plumbing pipes and electrics.) It's good for the end user as you get more space but not for the fitters. It's fine if you can run all your services below the cabinets which can be done. However most existing UK kitchens will have existing services behind the cabinets and these will all have to be moved if you opt for Ikea. The cabinets also don't allow for adjustments for concave or conxex walls. Normally if this happens you can trim the back of the cabinets to make sure that a 600mm worktop will still have sufficient overhang at the front. You can't do this with Ikea units.

Magnets has been mentioned. I don't use the retail side as I think they are ridiculously expensive and although Magnet Trade is cheaper, my local branch treated me like a numpty once too often and I have voted with my feet.

Anyway hope that helps. Re doors delaminating, it can happen with almost any supplier. I use a supplier that I would consider better than all of the above and you still hear of problems. Any vinyl or foil door can be susceptible to delaminating especially if it close to a source of heat or steam.

Re fitting, unless you have a really good personal recommendation from a friend, you're taking pot luck. Always remember that if you use a finance package to fund everything, there are disadvantages when it comes to snagging lists at the end of the job. They will already have been paid in full and there is no incentive for them to keep coming back to rectify faults.

If you can, ask to see someone's existing work. All of us say all the right things when we're touting for work but talk is cheap. Don't employ someone because they're a nice guy either, it doesn't make them a good kitchen fitter. The grumpy guy might be your real friend. He might only be grumpy because he's tired of women telling him what a nightmare it is having a kitchen fitted. We know and it's actually insulting.

Whoever you go with make them plenty of cups of tea and coffee, it's the best money you will ever spend and too often overlooked. Most of all don't treat your tradesmen like a servant, it won't get you a better job!!

Hope that helps even if it is not at all definitive. It's a nightmare!

Oh and I neally forgot, I use my supplier because they are incredibly reliable and offer a vast range compared to all of the above at a better price and quality. Before anyone asks I'm not going to mention them as it's a trade secret and I'm keeping it that way.

[Chooster]

Good luck with it pink olives... I've taken a look at ex display kitchen websites to see what they have to offer... big discounts and as we have a big-ish square kitchen we've quite a few options. I will also do as you say though and take our measurements into a store and see what they say....

[PinkOlives]

chooster - we are in the same position but I think I?m going for benchmarx now (same as Wickes) the kitchen is lacquered not gloss so there shouldn?t be any peeling, though we'll see. Anyway point being is we took our measurements to the guy and he did us a design on his computer there and then, it was really easy and he was great. First branch and Wickes wasn?t so fun but they still did a quick computer design and you can see how it really looks. So it?s worth going to one other place as a comparison. They don?t need to come to your house, you have your measurements and that?s then better for them, and you. I only went there and a quick look at IKEA, I saw b and q a couple of years back didn?t like anything and my fitter doesn?t have an account with howdens so I didn?t bother there.
I?ll be going over budget but I have an IKEA kitchen now that is peeling and bubbling so I want to try something new, and i've heard good things about lacquered. They have great timber kitchens too.

[jeanjeannie]

Cooke and Lewis is a brand owned and registered by B&Q - parent company Kingfisher.
Howdens' parent company is Galiform - who previously had the now defunct MFI. They aren't connected.

DH has fitted an innordinate amount of kitchens...he's been very unimpressed with Howdens...not the carcasses...they are fine. He's found dreadful problems about 18mnths later with the veneers peeling off like (his description) like nail varnish. They are nice and easy to fit though. He's got a lot of time for IKEA...really solid and we've got it throughout our utility room. Been brilliant and 3 yrs on - looks brand new.

One of the best things to do with IKEA is get a good local fitter to measure up with you - go through with them what you need - and bypass the sales patter and 'recommended' fitters.