Looking for an explanation of IKEA cabinet system

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

In another thread, I was narrowing down laminate countertops to update the look in my kitchen with honey oak cabinets (structurally sound but dated) and blah laminate counters that aren't in good shape. We think they were put in 35-40 years ago. New cabinets weren't in the budget so we wanted to do a low-budget makeover for now with new counters and a different paint color for the wall. Before we do this, I want to make sure new cabinets are truly out of reach right now.

I have been reading a lot of info on IKEA cabinets and how people commonly use Scherr doors and drawer fronts with them. The part I'm confused about is the sides on the cabinets that will show. I'm talking about things like an island, the end of a cabinet run or a cabinet that houses a wall oven, etc. How do you deal with all those areas to match the front (whether you use IKEA fronts or get them from elsewhere) so it looks like it all belongs together and hides the white IKEA cabinet lurking beneath? Just trying to figure out how this works. I did start an IKEA kitchen design on their planner last year that didn't get very far because I struck out on making any sort of a layout that made sense in my odd kitchen with wall limitations.

Our IKEA is 2 hours away so before we drive up there to look at some of this in person, I want to do some pricing from home to see if it's even in the ballpark of being a possibility, so I'm trying to figure out all the materials I would need at this point.

Featured Answer

Fori

7 years ago

You put a door panel or a plain (matching-the-doors) panel on ends and exposed bits. It's actually what's done with "regular" cabinets too except that you can sometimes order those with the sides pre-attached.

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User
Original Author
7 years ago
That makes sense. Ours here have lovely '70s paneling for that purpose on some of the cabinets (no kidding!) so I don't have a good example here to go by. I need to check out a nice kitchen elsewhere to try to visualize how it all is put together. Thanks.
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GH's link for a review: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/product-reviews/home-products/closet-organizing-system-reviews/diy-closet-organizers#slide-6 They review a few at different price points. I have purchased some awsome IKEA products. My favorite is a long bench I put on wheels and my kids use this everyday with toy bins underneath. It is laminated and very easy to clean and sturdy. If you near an IKEA spend a day and feel the products as every product is on display. I have seen some not so quality items but for the price.... Are you and IKEA family member? They give monthly discounts and offers via e-mail and you can log on to the website for the current offers at each store. Most of the systems are 2 person jobs though so make sure you recruit help. Good Luck with your decision!
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Many years ago, when the closest IKEA was 6 hours drive, we did this. I definitely recommend taking a road trip to see them in person before you order, though. The ones we chose from the catalog didn't look as nice in person, but some we had never considered were fabulous in real life, so we got those instead. The IKEA we used had a kitchen design staff (some do not) so we were assigned one person who helped us coordinate our order. I think this is important as there are so many little parts you might not realize you need. They shipped the whole order to us in a freight truck. It was a great experience. The cabinets were great. Make sure you allow LOTS of time to put them together, if you are DIY. If you're having someone install them, see if you can get a recommendation from Ikea for your town. Many carpenters have no clue how to use the Ikea system. We assembled the boxes ourselves (since it would have negated the savings if we'd hired someone to do so) but had the carpenters install. They could not understand the Ikea instructions and ended up just screwing the boxes to the wall. I would have preferred they'd used the Ikea hager system.... Hope this helps. Stacey
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htracey, I got the birch interior. Look less cheap to me than the white. That was my biggest hesitation about IKEA--I didn't like the interiors of the cabs that much and I don't really like the looks of metal drawers--admit I am a sucker for the wooden dovetail look. BUT, I decided the functionality--that birch melamine will be easier to clean than the icky plywood interiors we have now--and the metal interiors of the drawers allow for a ton of customization--IKEAs drawer dividers hook on the rails on the front and back of the drawers and so you can really customize your storage. Mine are all in boxes in the family room, so I can't give you too much realworld advice yet. I love the kitchen someone posted above (Brickman I think is username) and I'll post this one I saw the other day on IKEAfans. Look at what he did with the little drawers by the fridge--too cool. And he used two shades of gray on the cabs and LOTS of custom trim. You can really dress up the plain IKEA cabs with options outside IKEA. Susan Here is a link that might be useful: Cool IKEA kitchen with custom look
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I'm a DIYer and am all for customizing Ikea as long as it doesn't end up costing more. The ease of installation of the drawer system is one of the draws. Replacing the interior and fittings would drive the cost up tremendously especially since most want all drawer kitchens. If I were concerned with lost interior space in drawers I'd definitely price out a custom kitchen and compare costs to the Ikea kitchen with drawer modifications. Both trash/recycle hacks I posted above I did with all Ikea parts. I did not have to purchase an additional insert system. An island can be configured to many different depths without cutting down cabinets. Add a 9", 12", 15", etc to the sides of the 24" with the large panels on the long end and you can attain many different depths (33", 36", 39"... -not including counter overhang). Yes, if a person must have exactly 36" and back to back, you'd have to customize. All depends on how much you want to spend. I use the rail system for mounting, except for islands and special circumstances. The feet aren't for support but do make fine tuning the leveling quite easy. Also, the toekick snaps onto the feet. Sometime I use Ikea toekick, other times I use base moulding or a combination. The bottom line is to be careful with your labor and material quotes for the custom work if you aren't doing it yourself as it can drive the price of an Ikea kitchen up tremendously. With careful planning you'll be able to have the kitchen you want without too many expensive changes since you're trying to save money. The easy hacks I've done and see called for frequently that aren't widely known are the trash/recycle pullouts, pulling the fridge cab forward and using a larger side panel for full depth fridges, alternate ideas for microwave spaces, installing a non-Ikea farm sink, adding drawers to pullouts and pantries beyond their suggested configs, and using kitchen cabs in other spaces. Buehl's FAQ thread is a compilation of these and many others.
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DIY2Much2Do
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Here is a link to Ikea Cabinet Panels.

For an overview of the entire Sektion system, this is a useful document, especially the charts starting on page 34. Sektion Buying Guide
mabeldingeldine
7 years ago
There are tons of great Ikea kitchens on this forum to look at. Here are a few.
User
Original Author
7 years ago
Those links were helpful. It looks they they sure have some nice interior organization options in those drawers!
Lisa
7 years ago
Yes, as others have said you need to also purchase cover panels. It is good to figure out those details before you make your purchase because it can be confusing. The cover panels are not always going to be the correct size, so sometimes they need to be cut down. They are used for filler pieces also.

We bought our fronts from Scherr's. That doubled the prices of the fronts because we wanted to have them do the painting. Scherr's is only comparable in price to Ikea fronts if you get the fronts unfinished and do the painting/staining/finishing yourself.

So if you are trying to stick to a smaller budget, finding a door style you like at Ikea will help. However, doing cover panels at Scherr's can make things a little easier if you know exactly what sizes you will need because they will make them the correct size, where with Ikea, you might need to cut them down.

Yes, the Ikea drawer organization options are great! That was a big selling point for me. We did drawer lights also as a splurge and I love my drawers.
User
Original Author
7 years ago
I went back to the IKEA kitchen planner I was working on last year and apparently my design is gone so I'll have to start fresh, but I'm going to try to get a decent layout figured out and figure out a cost estimate. Thanks to all of you for the help.
Fori
7 years ago
IKEA really does have great interior fittings. If you are used to a 70s kitchen, you're in for quite the experience. Check out other cabinet places (even the kitchen section of Home Depot or Lowes) to get an idea of how modern cabinets are. They really are different!

Looking for an explanation of IKEA cabinet system

Fori

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