IKEA's recommended kitchen fitters - advice

TediousProcess

I posted the following to DIY but on hindsight may be better off here:

Hi all,

I am about to commit to a new kitchen installation with IKEA. Have been really impressed with IKEA so far and after doing some thinking, I am going to go with using their recommended fitters for the job itself.

I know nothing about DIY and I know I'm paying a premium for using their contractors but I trust they'll do a good job and I'll have some recourse with IKEA if there are any problems, which I imagine I wouldn't if I went with someone independent.

Does anyone have any words of wisdom or watchouts I should be aware of? Any advise would be much appreciate. I've been researching some basic DIY but I can't understate how little I know!

Thanks,
TP

Muahahaha

25 year guarantee on Ikea kitchens which is a lot more than you would get elsewhere.

One tip- make absolutely 110% sure the measurements you have provided to Ikea are accurate, if not they could show up with a kitchen that doesnt fit properly or over laps into a doorway, etc.

Also be aware that walls on older houses may not be completely flat and this can causes issues when fitting kitchens. Perhaps ask the designers how they overcome this problem if you have it.

Got an Ikea kitchen myself and am very happy with it. If you're on a budget just watch the upselling as costs can rack up quickly, eg the 30 euro cost of putting lights inside the drawers sounds okay at first hearing but then you realise you've 12 drawers and it would cost 360 just for lights alone. In the end I just put lights in the two most frequently used ones (cutlery and utensils) and that works fine for me, there was no need for all drawers to have lights as they were trying to upsell.

If you're tall like me ask about their adjustable legs. I used these to raise the kitchen countertops 10cm higher off the ground that 'normal' heights which I think is about 80cm from the ground. I used to get a sore back in 'normal; kitchens when I was chopping a lot of veg, I dont anymore as the kitchen countertop is now the perfect height for my own height.

Also shop around for other products aside from the kitchen, eg the tap I wanted was 200 in Ikea but I found something very similar on Amazon for £62. Same goes for appliances, some are good value and then others not so much so dont fall into the trap of getting absolutely everything from Ikea just because it is convenient, shop around and you will likely save money elsewhere. I got my oven, hob and extractor from sources other than Ikea

One final thing- for 7 euro they sell a washing up liquid dispenser that gets drilled into the countertop. You fill it from a bottle that hangs down beside the underneath of the sink. A genius and cheap way of avoiding washing up liquid bottles on your counter top. https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/p/knipen-detergent-dispenser-stainless-steel-70341722/

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Brothe got one from them a few years ago. Fitter did a great job.

Remember everything they fit has the 25 year guarantee. If you don't need it now , you might . Get it now.

Graham

The guarantee doesn't mean it will last 25 years. It means defects in materials or workmanship will be covered.

General wear and tear is excluded.

Muahahaha

Yeah general wear and tear would always be excluded from warranties like that, they're not going to cover 3 year olds slamming cupboard doors till they break.

Its still good peace of mind that they will stand over their kitchens for 25 years, it says a lot about how confident they are in their testing of them. Most I heard from local suppliers was 10 years and even then who is to know if they'll even be in business in 10 years time whereas you know Ikea arent going anywhere.

Another bonus with Ikea kitchens is you can easily change all the doors/handles/colours of them further down the road. I know there are some companies out there do this but they wouldnt have the wide range of Ikea and prices would be higher too.

Graham

Muahahaha wrote: »

Its still good peace of mind that they will stand over their kitchens for 25 years, it says a lot about how confident they are in their testing of them.

if they don't replace the entire range again.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin//showthread.php?p=109183183