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Original poster

IKEA Kitchens

21 replies

glasshouse · 19/05/2009 08:40

I'm thinking of getting an IKEA kitchen and have a couple of questions I hope you might be able to help me with. I've looked at the Adele in Yellow White but it looks a bit 'dirty' coloured in the store. This may just be the lighting in that store though? Also I'm not keen on the worktops, has anyone got the IKEA carcasses and used another worktop, say from B&Q/Homebase/Wickes? I'm a bit hopeless when it comes to design!

OP posts:

GooseyLoosey · 19/05/2009 08:43

I put an Ikea kitchen in my last house and used solid wood worktops from a local supplier. It was no problem at all.

Can't help with the colour of the specific one you are looking at.

Are you doing it yourself or getting someone else to put it in? I only ask as Ikea kitchens are hugely labour intensive to put in as each carcass needs to be assembled. Its not difficult, but you might need to allow more time than you think.

LittleMissNorty · 19/05/2009 08:44

I've got an IKEA kitchen but bought my worktop (and appliances - except the cooker hood, built-in microwave and sink) from a local independent shop. The shop gave me some samples and I took them to IKEA and lined them up along the display kitchen so I could choose the one I wanted.

The cupboards are great - quality and finish very good - but thought their worktops were crap.

robino · 19/05/2009 08:51

We are just getting our kitchen done as I type. When we mentioned an IKEA kitchen the guy we use (he did our bathroom 2 years ago and did a cracking job)suggested that we didn't use one. He said that unless your walls are completely straight and the right angles are just that then IKEA cupboards are a nightmare to fit. Something about not being able to adjust the back of them at all? My knowledge about kitchen cupboards is nil so can't help any further I'm afraid - just thought I'd mention it!

oopsacoconut · 19/05/2009 08:58

When we booked our kitchen fitter the first thing he asked was where the kitchen was coming from. He refuses to fit Ikea kitchens as the parts are all made in different countries and they are a nightmare to fit together especially if you live in an older property or need to fit awkward spaces.

LittleMissNorty · 19/05/2009 10:35

To be fair, we had our own fitter who had no trouble with our (small) kitchen and we had a few extras to get into the bottom cupboards such as waste disposal unit, sink going across 2 units, water filter etc so backing and dividers all had to be cut to fit.

Original poster

glasshouse · 19/05/2009 11:30

Thanks very much for all your help. Its going into a new build so hopefully no problems with walls etc. To add to the problem, the house is in the west of Ireland and we'll have to get the kitchen from Belfast. Hopefully they'll have most of it in stock otherwise it'll be a lot of too-ing and fro-ing!

OP posts:

jeanjeannie · 19/05/2009 13:51

We've put in IKEA units/cupboards/drawers in our utility room and we're currently making a polished concrete worktop. To be fair, we are strengthening it all before we plonk it on top!

My DP is a builder/carpenter and he's been quite impressed with IKEA quality. However like Robino said there isn't much room for allowances if you've got wonky walls - that's his main gripe though. He feels they are a much better quality than say Howdens or B&Q. But if you've got a new build then that won't be an issue.

LittleMissNorty · 19/05/2009 14:52

You can check stock on-line before you go

FelineFine · 19/05/2009 14:54

We have the White one at work. They donated it. It's very nice. It's white white. Not dirty white or creamy white. White white.

Fizzylemonade · 20/05/2009 17:07

My sister has the yellow/cream adele kitchen you are referring to and it is a very yellow cream. I like the white version

There isn't a "service" channel at the back which means that the cupboards are deeper internally so that is why there is a lot of problems fitting them in older properties.

Any good joiner can fit them, they are very solid and the range of internal fittings is fantastic.

Can you not order it on-line yet? I know they were rolling out their home delivery service for large items.

LyraSilvertongue · 20/05/2009 17:10

I've had mine about 6 months and it's fabulous. We've got the solid oak one with a stone-effect worktop and it looks amazing. The whole thing was about £1,800 (large kitchen) and I got it fitted for about £1,000 but not by Ikea.

LyraSilvertongue · 20/05/2009 17:14

You go into the store to order all the bits with a kitchen planner and Ikea deliver it. You don't have to cart it home in the car.

NotSoRampantRabbit · 20/05/2009 17:17

We've just fitted an Ikea kitchen - Abstrakt Gloss White since you ask!

I am in love with it - although anything would have been an improvement on the 70's yellow pine jobbie we had when we moved in.

It looks very modern and clean and the finish on the doors is great.

It was a labour intensive fit though. My very non-handy DH and his very handy kitchen fitter friend did it together. To cut costs DH did all the carcass assembly and fitter fitted.

When DH comes in from work he opens and closes cupboards and checks out his soft-closers. It is rather sweet but could become annoying sometime in the next couple of weeks.

Btw the delivery was great - not a single thing missing. Have heard B&Q very hit and miss on this.

LyraSilvertongue · 20/05/2009 17:17

Robino, your guy was just being lazy. Mine wasn't a nightmare to fit at all (30s house) but the putting together of the flat-packed carcasses did add an extra day or so.

procrastinatingparent · 20/05/2009 17:18

The yellow white is very yellow. I have the Adel white and it is not a stark white at all. It almost seems to take on the colour of its surroundings; it is much less white than the dishwasher, for example.

I think we bought the cheapest Adel panel we could to check the colour in the room itself, and we hated the yellow white but loved the white.

I'm really pleased with the quality and fittings.

NotSoRampantRabbit · 20/05/2009 17:20

The planning process is a little erm...idiosyncratic.

You need to plan it as best you can at home. Then go into the store and make an appointment to see a "checker". They are supposed to just faff with your plans a bit, but the software they use is rather clunky so in our case they just redid the whole thing!

Then they print out an inventory and you get it delivered. Would definitely not advise you trying to cart it across Ireland yourself.

noddyholder · 20/05/2009 17:22

I have part ikea units in mine and they are fine.Pure white and I have some oak worktops from them too.Having said that the other parts of my kitchen which aren't ikea but made locally are better quality but more expensive too.Builders don't like them as there is little room for plumbing behind and they can be a fiddle.I have fitted a few in renovation projects and they looked great.

procrastinatingparent · 20/05/2009 17:24

I meant to say we got a worktop from somewhere else, no problem.

Joggler · 20/05/2009 17:25

I have adel white.
They are deeper than nromal ones so your worktop will nto be deep enough.I wish i had known this

GrapefruitMoon · 21/05/2009 11:41

I have the Adel Yellow White and love it - but the kitchen is north facing so plain white might have been too stark iyswim. It is a very rich cream in my kitchen. I had some existing cupboards which I have painted in F&B New White which is a good match (don't know if you can get hold of F&B in your area but may be an easy way of checking what the colour will look like in your house?)

I have oak worktops from there and I think they are still not deep enough.... but they do look lovely with the cupboards.

Can you get it delivered from Belfast? If not can you can hang till the Dublin store opens? Our delivery was great - nothing missing. But I did go back to the store myself to change a few things.

Innat · 21/05/2009 22:10

DH (very handy) and I (not so handy but good at putting flatpacks together) have fitted 2 ikea kitchens. The first was in a 100 yr old flat with very wonky walls. I do seem to remember dh swearing a lot when fitting the wall cabinets but it was fine when finished.

Our current kitchen is a mixture of oak units (we got free from someone!) and we bought a few adel yellow/white ikea units to fill in the gaps. Our current house is much squarer so no probs there. We think the units look good together and we got a worktop form elsewhere (B&Q i think). Our worktop fits fine.

One annoying thing when we bought the kitchen was they didn't have any of the legs we wanted for the units. We decided to change to different legs plus plinth so we could build our kitchen rather than wait.

I would also agree that you should plan what you need before you go, otherwise you will be there for hours!

Good luck

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