some people" yeah only the professionals who see more than an aesthetic difference between the products. There is a HUGE difference in quality of construction, customer service and ease of installation.
How many cabinets have you actually manufactured? Because here is my take as a woodworker.
The idea that Ikea cabinets are lesser quality is predicated on two assumptions (1) that mdf is lower quality than plywood (which is certainly not solid wood) and (2) that the failure point of kitchen cabinet boxes is the wood.
The fact of the matter is that no one can really answer the question about mdf vs. plywood construction. They both have advantages and disadvantages, and if you look at hundreds homes who had cabinet problems related to wood failure, about 2/3rds would have the same problem whether mdf or plywood, and the other 3rd would be split rather evenly between problems that occurred because it was mdf rather than plywood and vice versa.
In the end, if your kitchen has a problem that is exacerbated by plywood, it is going to be the wrong choice, and if your kitchen has a problem that is exacerbated by mdf, it is going to be the wrong choice. I can tell you that all of my shop cabinets, which get far more abuse than home cabinets, are made from MDF.
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So the second problem is that wood quality is not the failure point of most kitchens. Water is the failure point of most kitchen cabinets and Ikea cabinets handle water beautifully. Water is very good at flowing downhill, so Ikea cabinets, which aren't glued together, are pretty good at just letting the water pass through them doing minimal damage on its way to the floor. Moreover, the water tends to move away from the cams and thus any damage is in areas that are not a failure point. Take a nice glued joint and it is just going to let that water set there.
Ikea then lifts their cabinets off the ground so that any water collecting on ground doesn't wick up through the wood. Spill a good sized mop bucket under your traditional cabinets and remove the toe kick a week or so after you cleaned up and look at the damage. Do the same with the Ikea cabinets and notice their is no damage. Please note, this would never really happen, if you spill under your Ikea cabinets, remove the toe kick and clean it up.
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I have Ikea cabinets in rental units and after 8 years of tenants the cabinets looked brand new. I choose Ikea for all my rental properties because I can remove a damaged cabinet and just put a new one in no problem.
However, there was a quality control issue in the finish on my doors, it was a known issue. Since Ikea no longer makes the Akurum doors they sent someone to the property to measure, they then removed the old cabinets and reinstalled the new cabinets, and since Ikea cabinets can be removed, a new cabinet inserted under the counter and lifted into place on the adjustable legs, they did it without damaging the granite or tile backsplash. One cabinet on each side had to be shrunk to accommodate the new sizes but I was also compensated for that change.
You may well have a different experience with Ikea warranty, but I think they are second to none.
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Another ikea kitchen with The Cabinet Face fronts. I like the open feel
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