How is the quality of Ikea products?

[izod]

They look pretty flimsy to me. I'm looking to buy a bed but I don't really get the slatted foundation. Wouldn't it cause problems for your back because it wouldn't get enough support? I think this is especially the case if you use a foam mattress.

[sonic]

I just bought a slatted bed base (dble) i couldnt figure out HOW to attach those metal brackets that came with it...there were no PRE_DRILLED holes in the wood & the diagram suggested you use an Ice pick! :|

anywho..i didnt use them & the bed is fine, you dont need a box spring , so with just the foam mattress i found it too LOW to the ground ...i ended up putting my old dble mattress under my NEW foam mattress & its fine. its alot firmer than i had hoped .

[apetimberlake]

Hi.
Im a residential insurance adjuster and most ikea items are considered low
quality and depreciate quickly.
Not to say that Ikea does not have some good products that differ from the rest of there line.

[ifeature]

It really depends on the product. They have both ends of the spectrum and everywhere in between. Its common sense and fairly obvious really.

[Spor 13]

In my experience with their slatted bed bases...they ALWAYS came loose, and one slat would fall through..which in turn causes other slats to eventually do the same. Then it increases in annoyance and in the middle of the night, I'd feel a bunch of slats have one of the sides just fall through. This happened on a daily basis...even when I just sat on the bed. Eventually I gave up and just slept on my couch.

[Siefer999]

In my experience with their slatted bed bases...they ALWAYS came loose, and one slat would fall through..which in turn causes other slats to eventually do the same. Then it increases in annoyance and in the middle of the night, I'd feel a bunch of slats have one of the sides just fall through. This happened on a daily basis...even when I just sat on the bed. Eventually I gave up and just slept on my couch.
that is so true. it would happen on a daily basis for my friend. he ended up buying a bunch of 2x4's at home depot and filled the bottom rack with them so there is no space for them to turn. some of the slats broke too cause he is a large fellow but they seem so cheap that I think I would break them under regular use

[bionicbadger]

arent the slats about 2-2 1/2 inches wide and only have about 1/2-3/4" space between them?

I don't see how thats bad for your back. If you want box spring, get one. The foam matress is probably worse for your back than the lack of a box spring.
Try a spring matress.

As for quality, its Ikea. So its cheap/disposable. If you need something for a guest room that isn't used regularly, or a dorm room for a couple years its fine. Its not super high quality or high durability though.

I think some of their matresses come with a pretty long warranty though.

[izod]

I used to have the old slatted foundation but it broke apart on me after a couple months. Then I saw the new curry ones and thought they were better quality but i guess not.

So do you guys just recommend getting 2x4s and laying them across the bed? I have an Ikea frame so it won't break it right?

[mirek]

that is so true. it would happen on a daily basis for my friend. he ended up buying a bunch of 2x4's at home depot and filled the bottom rack with them so there is no space for them to turn. some of the slats broke too cause he is a large fellow but they seem so cheap that I think I would break them under regular use

I had the same problem with my double bed, however i got the same bed in queen size, and it works fine.

[sonic]

http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/50021627

Here is the bed i have...ive never had a problem with it...the slats dont have room to Shift.

[izod]

I thought they were connected by cloth and plastic? How can it not shift?

[sonic]

My slats are connected by 2 pieces of canvas tape...also I have 2 Mattress on my bed, so that probably helps it to NOT shift ;-)
might be something to consider? put a cheap mattress on the bottom, & good one on top.

[mrcantrell]

My wife and I bought a wrought (sp?) iron bed from Ikea that has slats on the bottom. We haven't had a single issue, and I've dismantled the bed and moved it to a new house. We've had it for about 3 years now. That being said we do have a box spring with a pillow top mattress (hey, you going to try to convince me your wife isn't the queen?)

We have all sorts of other Ikea furniture too, partially because I don't know where else to buy furniture. As someone else said, some Ikea stuff is better than other, you need to look closely at each piece. I don't want to worry about taking care of my furniture and making sure it looks perfect, so I buy mid-range stuff... so far so good. Also I should mention that we've moved twice with the majority of this furniture and it's held up just fine.

[nalababe]

While not ikea (it was similar), I had a slat based bed for about 20 years--kid through university. Eventually the slats shifted and I just screwed the slats into the frame (two slats had extra support that permitted this)...

[excel]

i was told that these ones are better than the normal flat ones. each piece adjusts to body weight and because there's so many it is better. is that true?

http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/10112554


http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/25844409

[BuildingHomes]

Remember, "Ikea" is Swedish for "Made in China" :cheesygri

[nopn]

in my opinion, they expect you switch new set every 4-5 years.

[CoffeeAddict]

I actually prefer having the flat slats. My bed came with the curved slat set but i went to ikea and exchanged it for the flat slats (plus a $100 refund!!!!).

I had the problem with both the curved slats and the flat slats popping through the frame as well but an easy fix is to shim a piece of wood along the center support beam to keep the slats from shifting towards the center of the bed.

[NorthYorker]

I'm self-confessed IKEA fan, but in my opinion this store is rare positive exception, which only supports general rule "you get what you pay for". IKEA's stuff is more than you pay for both in terms of design (which sets IKEA light years apart from 150 yo Victorian-inspired design of other Canadian furniture stores) and in terms of quality. If you take time to assemble IKEA pieces properly, it would serve you faithfully for a long time (entertainment center in my living room survived 2 kids, to relocations and still looks OK).

Regarding "falling slats" problem - go to Home depot, buy 7ft wood board and pack of cheapest wood crews you can find and attach board underneath the slats. 15 minutes and you have bulletproof piece.

[Jucius Maximus]

I have used my Ikea malm bed for ~1.5 years now. No structural problems. I also have no complaints about the Sultan Hasselback mattress. It's one of the pricier ones but I got what I paid for.

My only complaint about the bed is that the external corners of the frame of the bed at the foot are kinda pointy. My bedroom is tight on space so sometimes I manage to scratch/cut my shin when I walk too close to the bed.

[sockboy]

We have an ikea bed with slats, it has small plastic "knobs" at the top and bottom of the bed which the slats stretch between. These knobs make it impossible for the slats to shift. Is this not a standard item on all their beds? Or did those of you who have problems with shifting slats not use these knobs??

[izod]

I use the knobs. But they just shifted anyways over time.

[eelfliw]

I'm a big fan of Ikea products and I agree that their stuff is quite low quality when compared to some other furniture manufacturer's products.

That said, the other thing to remember is that Ikea's product quality is just right for 1 generation home use and priced accordingly.

I have a 15 year old Ikea sofa and it's still going strong. I don't jump on my sofa and I don't have 25 different visitors weighing from 100 lbs to 350 lbs every day sitting on the sofa. As such the sofa lasted me 15 years without problems. The poeng chair is going on 20 years. A little soft but still comfortable.

I also have a few chairs made of solid cherry that I picked up in an antique shop. The wood is beautiful and the chair is solid. And I believe these chairs are more than 60 years old. Each chair cost almost as much as my Ikea sofa.

If you're looking for heirloom furniture to pass down generations, skip Ikea. The quality isn't there. But if you're looking for something to use for 20 years at a fraction of the cost, Ikea is good value.

[Megan29]

I have bought lots of things like bookshelving, tables and a couple of chairs from IKEA.. not really things like a bed or sofa... I always tend to spend more on a bed to get a better quality :) That said though a good friend has a bed from IKEA and has had it for about 5 years and still loves it!

[The_Professor]

When my wife and bought our first condo years back and needed to furnish it, we were on a fixed budget and liked the style of certain IKEA products. We had a variety of pieces from tables to bed frames, dressers, etc. and all withstood the test of time and usage. Not once did any of their products break or wear.

We no longer have any IKEA furniture, but that's more the result of us being able to afford nicer and more unique pieces than anything else.

If you don't mind having the same furniture as your neighbors and having to bring it home and build it, you really can't go wrong with most IKEA furniture. I've never owned any of their sofa's or mattresses so I can't comment on those.

As someone mentioned above, it is a great place for first time home buyers.

[stevethewheel]

When my wife and bought our first condo years back and needed to furnish it, we were on a fixed budget and liked the style of certain IKEA products. We had a variety of pieces from tables to bed frames, dressers, etc. and all withstood the test of time and usage. Not once did any of their products break or wear.

We no longer have any IKEA furniture, but that's more the result of us being able to afford nicer and more unique pieces than anything else.

If you don't mind having the same furniture as your neighbors and having to bring it home and build it, you really can't go wrong with most IKEA furniture. I've never owned any of their sofa's or mattresses so I can't comment on those.

As someone mentioned above, it is a great place for first time home buyers.

Great summary of IKEA value. New home owners, students who have just graduated and gotten their first 'real job' etc.

I'll add that it is not designed to travel with you from home to home, and it is not designed to stand up against heavy use.

[Kestral]

I just went to a trendy designer store in Queen Street this weekend and saw these really cool looking modern storage units called The Partu by Bensen.ca which is a designer out in Vancouver:

http://www.bensen.ca/

If you can believe it, the storage unit is just over $4000! And you would think for that price it's solid wood but no, it's veneer!!

I was just flipping through the 2008 IKEA catalog and saw a storage unit that looks 95% like the Partu (except it's dark wood veneer instead of walnut veneer), it's even got the exact same handles. Price? $249.

I know it's "cool" to slag IKEA but value for the dollar, they really do deliver. If you get a few good pieces of IKEA I think that's great to mix and match.

For example, I have a few Herman Miller Eames fibreglass chairs that sit really well and look great as well as an Aeron chair.

That being said, there are some things (ie. the Knoll Barcelona chair designed by Mies Van Der Rohe) that will destroy anything IKEA could even hope to come up with, you're going to pay through the most for it (considering it's $4000-9000 each chair depending on the features).

[onebadmofo]

Quality standards are very low at Ikea. I'd NEVER buy an ikea bed because I value my body.

[TheCheez]

I just bought a bunch of cheap Ikea stuff to furnish my first home. I know full well that most of this crap is probably gonna look ready for the dump within 5 years however for the amount of stuff I want to put in my home it's a choice between waiting 6-12 months to get nice things(or go into stupid debt) or get some Ikea now to fill the gaps so we can live comfortably while we save for nice things and upgrade when and what we choose.

[Regin8r]

Agreed, they have stuff all over the spectrum.

I have had bad experieces with some IKEA dressers. The bottoms of the drawers would give out and basically crumble over time. It's annoying when the bottom falls out after the drawer is closed and you can't open the drawer again. I don't have this problem with my current solid wood dresser (which I can jam as tightly as I desire).

That being said, I recently re-did our kitchen and I used a lot of the ideas from IKEA. The IKEA Rationelle kitchen drawer guides are made up mostly of Blum hardware. I used their drawers and retofitted solid wood drawer faces onto them. The end result looks great and has the functionality of the soft close drawers (with dampers).

[Kreez]

A couple of things you can do to prolong your Ikea product life expectancy:


Use Glue.
Don't disassemble them a lot.
Move them with the same care you would fine furniture.

For me Ikea book-cases and cabinets are A-ok. Once you assemble them with a little glue for that extra hold, you should be ok. (I've never bought a sofa or mattress from Ikea, and likely wouldn't, so I can't comment on their quality there - though they do have some new stuff warranted for 25 years that is pretty costly)

As has been pointed out previously, Ikea press-board furniture will never become heirloom furniture to pass down to your children, but for form, simplicity of design and functionality, they are pretty good.

[vidhoo21]

We have this bed frame and sultan mattress queen. With tax and a side table we paid $1100 for the package.
http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/S69849241

We are using this for 2+ yrs now with no issues. Once or twice the screws became loose (because of jumping on bed) and we had to tighten them to avoid the screeching sound. I have no regrets and some of their products are really good.

Tea cups, non stick cookware,2 book shelves, 1 dresser and some more misc are from ikea and I have no regrets.

[TheCheez]

Once or twice the screws became loose (because of jumping on bed) and we had to tighten them to avoid the screeching sound.

Jumping.
Uh huh....

[jumbojones]

Isn't Ikea Swedish for crap?

[teknoluv]

Isn't Ikea Swedish for crap?
Like some in this thread said, Ikea is a brand that brings together a VERY WIDE range of products, in terms of price (and inevitably quality). But to say that Ikea products are of low quality is definitely a mis-statement. I have bought and used more than 100 items (from beds to coffee cups) over the last 20 years, and have more than a dozen being with me for more than 10 years (and they are still "like new" even after being moved around from home to home).

It's as simple as using your common sense TO SHOP. You don't just buy *anything* in an Ikea store: some products are plain useless (stupid design), others are too expensive considering the quality; HOWEVER, MOST of them strike a very good balance between design, quality and price. To be frank, it's YOUR problem for not able to assemble a bed right. And I feel sorry for those who do not like Ikea because they are not able to fit with Ikea's style and philosophy AND refuse to admit that.

[jumbojones]

Like some in this thread said, Ikea is a brand that brings together a VERY WIDE range of products, in terms of price (and inevitably quality). But to say that Ikea products are of low quality is definitely a mis-statement. I have bought and used more than 100 items (from beds to coffee cups) over the last 20 years, and have more than a dozen being with me for more than 10 years (and they are still "like new" even after being moved around from home to home).

It's as simple as using your common sense TO SHOP. You don't just buy *anything* in an Ikea store: some products are plain useless (stupid design), others are too expensive considering the quality; HOWEVER, MOST of them strike a very good balance between design, quality and price. To be frank, it's YOUR problem for not able to assemble a bed right. And I feel sorry for those who do not like Ikea because they are not able to fit with Ikea's style and philosophy AND refuse to admit that.I stand corrected, its Swedish for nicely designed, mass produced, cheap crap, with instructions better used for toilet paper.

[teknoluv]

I stand corrected, its Swedish for nicely designed, mass produced, cheap crap, with instructions better used for toilet paper.
Talking about Ikea's famous "wordless" manuals: a few years ago, I was commissioned to study the feasibility of "translating" for a certain Canadian manufacturer (which has quite a substantial market abroad) ALL their manuals in the "Ikea" way.

[jumbojones]

Talking about Ikea's famous "wordless" manuals: a few years ago, I was commissioned to study the feasibility of "translating" for a certain Canadian manufacturer (which has quite a substantial market abroad) ALL their manuals in the "Ikea" way.Yes because it is cheaper than translating into other languages and less paper to print. Don't mistake frugality for good information design.

[teknoluv]

Yes because it is cheaper than translating into other languages and less paper to print. Don't mistake frugality for good information design.
I guess you TOTALLY missed the point here. That particular manufacturer was planning to spend AT LEAST the same budget on this "Ikea" translation, or else they would NOT hire someone to study the feasibility. And if you think designing a manual is less expensive JUST BECAUSE it includes no text, then you don't have a clue. Actually, part of the feasibility report was to determine whether the budget originally approved for their 6-language manuals was enough to cover the EXPECTED HIGHER cost of an Ikea-style design. Sigh!