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How about Ikea's kitchen cabinets? Perhaps you are thinking of getting your kitchen cabinets from Ikea as the price seems quite reasonable and sturdy. I installed IKEA cabinets in my kitchen,and in one word - AMAZING. Very happy with the quality, results, and price. Contrary to the other crap that Ikea sells, their kitchen system is very very solid. After using it for over 6 months now, this is my conclusion, we'll start with the bad first:
Cons: 1. Limited color selection. Different color may increase the price up to 2x.
2. Installation by Ikea contractor sucks. Friend had his installed by them, things not aligned, excessive gaps covered with caulk/silicone, just quite bad installation workmanship.
3. Fixed cabinet sizes, meaning if u have a remaining space to a wall, no cabinets might fit in that space.
Pros: 1. The biggest selling point for me was the BLUM hardware - hinges and drawer systems with soft close. All made in Austria, and sold for many times more at upmarket kitchen outfitters. The hinges come in Ikea packaging, but clearly marked BLUM on it. No normal kitchen installer would use Blum unless you specifically ask for it, and expect to pay much more for it, especially the drawers. Hinges and drawers (and countertops) bear the most wear on any kitchen system, so this is a big plus. And the 10 year warranty is good too.
2. Carcass/base unit material is as good as any u can find in the market, though its not waterproof. Conventional wisdom would state that you wipe up any water that gets on wood or wood products - and your wood would probably last a good long time. It is very well engineered though.
3. Engineered to work as a system. Very solid when correctly installed.
4. Modern design and works with a variety of other modern designed Ikea products.
5. Modular system allows you to add pieces as you go, or even change all the doors/color in the future. Removing a door takes less than 5 seconds without any tools.
6. When installed correctly, it is gap free, meaning cockroaches and lizards can't get in.
Pricing: I paid RM6k for all my pieces from Ikea (installation done by myself). I have 3 wide metal drawers, 1 high pull out pantry, 1 low pull out pantry, built-in oven & microwave(purchased separately), and a bunch of metal baskets. Comparison:
a. Signature Kitchen - RM18k - same metal drawers, good hinges. Includes comparable pantry but no metal baskets.
b. No-Name Shop - RM 11k - no metal drawers, china hinges, no pantry, no baskets. Just base cabinets with shelves.
c. Another No-Name Shop - RM 8k - no metal drawers, china hinges, no pantry, no baskets. Just base cabinets with shelves.
So all in all, I think it was really value for money. But I would only recommend it to people who will install it themselves. It took me 2-3 hours per day, maybe 6 days a week, for 5 weeks to finish it up. This includes cutting the countertop for sink and hob installation. Included also is engineering for a modified base to support the weight of my Granite Countertop on my island, sink & electrical work in my island, and preparing the plywood subbase for the granite top. And this was a one-man job without any helpers. By the way, I do NOT install kitchen cabinets for a living, nor am I a carpenter, and this is the 1st kitchen i've installed. |
Kitchen Cabinet Reviews 
