Ikea kitchens require careful planning — and a lot of assembly

  • By Elizabeth Mayhew Special to the Washington Post
  • Wednesday, April 30, 2014 2:10pm
  • Life

Ikea has enough door styles, countertop materials and hardware designs for a homeowner to create affordable looks from modern to country.

But the low price means you’re on your own for assembly and installation.

Ikea cabinets are like much of the store’s furniture: You have to assemble each and every piece, which can make even a well-trained woodworker wary.

Furniture maker Scott Shaeffer recounts the ups and downs of his experience in an entertaining and very honest three-part video series, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting Ikea” on his San Juan Carpentry YouTube channel.

His advice to the novice: “Take your time, have patience and expect several return trips to the store to exchange or purchase additional items.

Be forewarned that professional Ikea installers travel within a limited distance from the stores.

The Kitchen Couple (www.thekitchencouple.com), a duo who not only install but also design Ikea kitchens, offer some original ideas to consider:

Turn a drawer front on its side (vertically) and hinge it to create a narrow tray storage cabinet next to the oven.

Create wine racks in a leftover six-inch space next to a refrigerator by manipulating cabinet parts.

So how do you accomplish the “wow” factor of an expensive kitchen on your own? Start by upgrading your appliances, the Kitchen Couple says.

A stainless-steel restaurant-style stove and a quiet, top-control-panel dishwasher will make the entire kitchen look more expensive, but the appliance that will make the biggest impact is the refrigerator.

A cabinet-depth model, which will sit flush with your cabinet fronts, gives it a built-in look without a built-in price.

Upgrading cabinet hardware will also improve the look of your cabinets, but may need time-consuming adjustments, making installation substantially more labor-intensive, the Kitchen Couple warns.

Another design trick is double-stacking crown molding at the top of the cabinets for a richer, more traditional look.

Finish the cabinets with soffits that connect them to the ceiling.

No matter which direction you take — DIY or hiring a professional installer — keep in mind that Ikea is a box store, where you will need some guidance to make the right decisions.

Ask for help. A poorly made quick decision will only cost you more money.

Buying tips

Take your time: Do proper planning. Jumping right in is tempting when Ikea is having one of its sales.

Be meticulous: Do your research. Take exact measurements. Design the layout. Decide on flooring, appliances and countertops, and make sure you check lead times on all materials.

Make your mess first: Demolish the existing kitchen, then update the electrical and the plumbing.

Finish the ceiling and floor before installing cabinets. Ikea cabinets sit on adjustable legs, with toe boards that clip on so they are easily removable. This means that moisture can find its way under the cabinets; exposed subflooring will only lead to problems down the road.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.