Adjusting doors and drawers is almost the very last thing to do in a kitchen. You don't do each one as you go along. You do them all at once.

Can you post a picture of your counter and the gaps that you are seeing? Natural stone very often isn't perfectly flat and level itself and does require some shimming from time to time. The key thing was the levelness, side to side, and front to back, of the cabinets before the stone install. Then, is the counter top level now? Side to side and front to back?

Hi livewire - the cabinets are done, so the leveling should have been done, because the guy said he's done his job. The counter guys are different guys that just do counter/sink/dishwashers.

Should we be expected to do the levelling ourselves?

I'll try to post a picture or two...

The gaps about 1/4" is that within acceptable limits?

Here's the fake drawer fronts in the sink cabinet:

No you are not being picky - and it is their job to complete, not yours. You are the customer and the payer. They are the service providers and earners.

Hey snookums - that's how I feel, but I've also seen it said that there's no such thing as a perfect install.

Every time I have a question I feel like they want to help less and less, answer less quickly and delay, delay. I'm starting to feel I'm the problem, though the things I'm concerned with are valid.

They are taking advantage of your manner. If they are uncooperative, you have the company owner or ikea to help get it done. Dealing with the installers yourself doesn't sound like a good idea. They are unprofessional and will try to get away with as much as they can, and are trying to dump it all on you. Get their bosses involved.
Don't pay the balance until you are satisfied.

If you know your complaints are valid, they probably are.

I don't know what I'm looking at in picture #1, and in picture #2 all the gaps look identical. Not saying you don't have problems, I just can't see them in the pictures you've provided. Where is the 1-inch uneven gap you mentioned?

Maggie81:

You have all the symptoms of a sub being paid by the box. The faster he gets 'em in and gets out, the more money he makes per hour.

The only cure is the sting of a callback. When this guy gets a call from IKEA that you're not coughing up the balance until he levels the cabinets and adjusts the doors and drawer fronts, he'll be back and won't pull this stunt on the next customer.

Maggie--is the countertop a laminate one with a built-up front edge & integrated backsplash?

If so, the installers have to use spacers underneath the counter to fill in the parts of the counter top that is not built up....because Ikea cabinets are frameless. If the counter sat directly atop the cabinets then the front edge would hang down in front & the top drawers would not open. The spacer can be either parallel to the cabinet walls or perpendicular. And most likely will have gaps here & there...the gaps won't matter as the counter top can easily bridge gaps.

The integrated backsplash will 'gap' along the back wall (when viewed from the bottom side) as it is designed with extra depth so it can be scribed to fit snugly against wonky walls.

Hi all. Thanks for your comments. Here's a better picture of what I'm talking about. We took a level to the counter and it now appears there are two issues. Besides the drawers and doors being uneven, the countertop has a bend in it.

The counter is made by another company that sells their laminate counters through Ikea locally. Full pmt was required before delivery.

Tomorrow the cabinet guys are coming to install the crooked counter. The installers are from the first company. I don't know what will happen....

This post was edited by Maggie81 on Mon, Oct 20, 14 at 0:19

Further to a couple of comments, no the counter doesn't have an integrated backsplash.

The third pic shows the counter spacing better. The point I didn't make is that, in the center, the counter sits even with the cabinets, but then sways up toward both ends.

"Should I expect all of this to be fixed, or am I expecting too much?"

I would certainly "expect" no gaps between my cabinets and the countertops!

The installers will be able to take the bow out of the counter when it gets screwed to the cabinets. In the meantime, you could flip the counter over, face side down, and weight the center.

Multiple reasons that it is bowed. Could have been stored on end (if it's been fabricated for some time.) The other reasons all have to do with moisture/ humidity/ heat variations. Prolly more info than you want. Laminate furniture usually has the back side laminated with a 'backer laminate'--plain brown laminate that doesn't have a printed face--that addresses the bowing problem but I've never seen that done on countertops. (With the exception of the two 'good' faced pre-fab slabs that Ikea sells.)

IOW's you have very minimal issues, IMO. Esp. if the very slight gap variation in the false drawer fronts is the worst of it.

I would certainly "expect" no gaps between my cabinets and the countertops!

Jellytoast--the OP has now made it clear that the countertop has not been installed yet...that it is just sitting atop the cabs.

OP did imply that the counter top was installed..."The biggest thing - my countertop arrived, was placed on top of my supposed levelled cabinets, and there are major gaps under it in places (over an inch on one end). He used a laser leveler."

The bit about the using a laser leveler led us all astray. I now assume that he was checking the cabinets for level when he used the laser rather than 'leveling' the counters.

Based on what we now know, it's not a Big Deal. At all.

When folks start spending a lot of money, it's natural to experience angst. So far, in this situ, it looks to me to be time to take a big breath & relax because these are very minor things that will get resolved as the project gets nearer to completion.

"Jellytoast--the OP has now made it clear that the countertop has not been installed yet...that it is just sitting atop the cabs.

I realize that. I guess I should have clarified by saying, "Once the countertops ARE INSTALLED, I would expect no gaps between the countertops and the cabinets."

My response was based on her verbals, as I wasn't clear on the first photo.

True, things get resolved as the work goes from unfinished to completed but apparently he thinks he is done.

" the cabinets are done, so the leveling should have been done, because the guy said he's done his job. The counter guys are different guys that just do counter/sink/dishwashers."

I really would not care who did the install, when or how; I would want all the doors to be level with each other, all the drawers installed without kinks or gaps and all cabinets lined up evenly. Sloppy work drives me nuts. Insist on symmetry.