Opinions - Ikea Kitchens & Laminate Countertop Companies in Ottawa

[eshax]

Has anyone in Ottawa ever used Ikea for their kitchen remodels?

At this time I am only looking to get my laminate countertops replaced and they seems to have good prices for both the linear foot and for mitres and end caps.

So has anyone ever had Ikea install a laminate countertop?

And I guess since I'm making this post does anyone know of a reputable laminate countertop company in Ottawa that has good prices? Ikea is about $17 per linear foot and Home Depot has their prices starting at about $20.

Thanks!

[1yellowdog]

The only thing that bothered me about Ikea was they had limited selections to choose from. HD can pretty well order anything you want.

[WalnutCrunch]

I recently redid my kitchen with Ikea cabinets and I cannot be happier. IMO, they give the best bang for the buck in the price range. In fact, I would argue you need to pay 2x or more to get something better from a big box store like HD or Rona.

The best feature of Ikea cabs are the hinges and drawer slides, which are produced by Blum http://www.blum.com/ . The drawer slides are full-extension and the drawers themselves are a version of Blum's TandemBox. Both doors and drawers are fitted with Blumotion soft-close bumpers. You simply can't get this kind of hardware without paying 2-3x the price at a place like HD (they quoted me over $100 PER DRAWER to upgrade to full-extension with Blumotion).

I know Ikea furniture in general can be a mixed-bag in terms of quality, but their cabinets seem really well-designed and should last a long time. I have a heavy quartz countertop on them and they're holding up just fine. The frames are 3/4" thick and each leg is rated for 275lbs. A lot of people knock them for the particle board frames, but the reality is almost all cabs are particle board in this price range, and most of them are only 5/8" thick.

I was able to hang most of them myself. Their suspension rail system is pretty much fool-proof. Their legs are really easy to level.

As for flexibility, I find they have almost as many different types of cabinets as any other non-custom cabinetry brand. There are also lots of ideas for tricky situations at sites like ikeafans.com. And there are some people who just buy their frames and hardware and have custom doors made elsewhere.

Ikea also have lots of interior fittings to go inside the cabinets.

I know I sound like I work for them, but I don't. I am just very happy with what I was able to get for the price I paid. I was so impressed with the kitchen that I did my laundry room and another room with Ikea cabs too.

They're by no means the only choice but I think they deserve a serious look if you're looking to spend $5000 or less on cabinetry.

[eshax]

Great review on the cabinets! I will definitely keep them in mind when doing my next kitchen.

Now any comments on Ikea's laminate countertops or other laminate countertop suppliers/installers in Ottawa?!

[davebert]

I must agreed, Ikea cabinets are the best value for your money. I did my kitchen with Ikea cabinets and counter top from Reno Depot. Here are some pictures that I've posted in another thread.

http://i36.tinypic.com/jfvjp2.jpg

http://i38.tinypic.com/k33ig7.jpg

http://i33.tinypic.com/157fy9y.jpg

[Sgt_Strider]

OP, remember this. You do get what you paid for.

[Pete_Coach]

There are a number of counter top companies in the Ottawa area. I had some quotes from 4 of them and then went to Home Depot. Home Depot was the cheapest (by quite a bit) and when I went to pick up the counter top, I was surprised to see that it was made by the company that gave me the highest quote. I am not saying that this is always the case but it was for me.
I really believe that counter tops (laminate) are all the same. There is no one company that has a special technique or process that makes them better than the rest so I think you are really comparing apples when you get quotes. I don't know about Ikea, they do have some nice ones but I think they look best with Ikea cabinetry.

[WalnutCrunch]

Now any comments on Ikea's laminate countertops or other laminate countertop suppliers/installers in Ottawa?!

I find the Ikea laminates to be OK. They're nice and thick (1.5") and have a more contemporary look than the old school ones that have a rounder profile and a built-in backsplash. The laminate itself seems a bit thin though, but I haven't had any problems with it. I only got it for the laundry room.

OP, remember this. You do get what you paid for.

I won't argue with this, but you will have to pay a lot more for something substantially better. For example, my Ikea kitchen was $3300 which came standard with full-extension drawers and blumotion. I was quoted $8000 at HD for a Kraftmaid kitchen, and that is only with 3/4 extension drawers.

Another advantage of an Ikea kitchen is that they stock most parts at their stores. I made a change to the design on the fly a couple of times and had no problems exchanging for different cabinets on the same day. Any parts that are not stocked took about 2-3 weeks. I was told 12-16 weeks wait for Kraftmaid and Thomasville at HD (neither of these had any custom parts).

[jjgoo]

home depot will have a better selection for you.

[CheapScotsman]

I'll 3rd WalnutCrunch and Davebert. We used Ikea cabinets when we remodeled our home in 2003 and I'd use them again when we get our next place.

The feature set in the Ikea cabinets (as the guys outlined) appear to be unbeatable at that (and at least 2x if not 3x) the price point. The full extension, soft closing, metal sided drawers are great.

The cabinets are strong enough to support anything and the adjustable legs make leveling very easy. The upper cabinets hang on a rail which makes installation a breeze.

I'd go almost exclusively with drawers on the bottom cabinets. Just much more functional.

[Kreez]

I must agreed, Ikea cabinets are the best value for your money. I did my kitchen with Ikea cabinets and counter top from Reno Depot. Here are some pictures that I've posted in another thread.

http://i33.tinypic.com/157fy9y.jpg

I used those same cabinets for my wetbar and built-in storage in my home theater room.

http://www.usertest.shawbiz.ca/hometheater/Finished/wetbararea.gif

http://www.usertest.shawbiz.ca/hometheater/Finished/dvdstorage.gif

http://www.usertest.shawbiz.ca/hometheater/Finished/screenwall.gif

[sillysimms]

Interesting thread. People seem to be happy with Ikea cabinetry. When we were designing our kitchen, we didn't look there because I'd had some problems with other Ikea products in the past, but from this thread, it looks like people are happy with them for cabinetry.

I have a heavy quartz countertop on them and they're holding up just fine.

Off topic, but wondering how you like your quartz countertops? We were looking at granite, but for a variety of reasons think we're going to go with quartz. Just wondering what brand you went with and how you like them/any problems?

[WalnutCrunch]

Interesting thread. People seem to be happy with Ikea cabinetry. When we were designing our kitchen, we didn't look there because I'd had some problems with other Ikea products in the past, but from this thread, it looks like people are happy with them for cabinetry.

Off topic, but wondering how you like your quartz countertops? We were looking at granite, but for a variety of reasons think we're going to go with quartz. Just wondering what brand you went with and how you like them/any problems?

Ikea definitely has a huge mix of good and bad products. But their kitchens are extremely good value for the money, IMO.

I got Caesarstone. I am very happy with it. The surface is highly polished and it's almost impossible to scratch. It performs as advertised. I'm sure Silestone, Hanstone, and other brands would be about the same. Just decide based on what colour you want and what brands the fabricator carries. I would highly recommend quartz if it's the look you want.

[sillysimms]

When we were renovating a condo a couple years ago, we looked at a couple of places to purchase the laminate countertop (installed ourself). In terms of quality, we didn't see a difference and the prices were fairly close. We just went with the place that had the colour in stock that we wanted (which at the time happened to be Home Depot). I would think if you like the price at Ikea, it should be fine to go with them.

I got Caesarstone. I am very happy with it. The surface is highly polished and it's almost impossible to scratch. It performs as advertised. I'm sure Silestone, Hanstone, and other brands would be about the same. Just decide based on what colour you want and what brands the fabricator carries. I would highly recommend quartz if it's the look you want.

Thanks very much! Caesarstone is one of the ones we're looking at, so glad to hear you're happy with it.