Natwerk Designs

How hard is it to install an IKEA kitchen?

I would like to remodel my kitchen by taking out the old cabinets/counter tops and installing new cabinets by IKEA. Can I plan on doing this myself, or is this something best left to a professional. I'm very good with setting up IKEA shelving and the like.

Public Comments

1. It will be challenging. An IKEA kitchen remodel is a little bit easier than a custom job, but it will still require some demo work, cleanup, and precise mounting of the new cabinets and countertops. I'd say go for it, and if you get uncomfortable, STOP and get a contractor. Don't go cutting pieces or breaking things trying to get them to fit - it will only end up costing you more in the long run.
2. Go to Home Depot and buy their 'Mills Pride' cabinets video,on "How to assemble and install".It will take @ 30 Min's. to an hour to build ea. cabinet.If you have some people to help you,it will go by faster.It is vitally important you follow the installation steps,correctly! It will be very time consuming.Plan on 2 weekends! Be prepared to eat out.
3. http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_CA/complete_kitchen_guide/kitchen_guide/index.html
4. I am a Kitchen designer in the Boston Mass area. You want to do something that is right for the house. If your house went on the market, what would it sell for? In my area, people spend about 15% of the the home's value on a Kitchen remodel. That number includes labor and all materials, including appliances. We find that 60% of our projects' costs are hourly wages. Doing a Kitchen right requires pulling a permit, because electrical and plumbing work will be done. Most homeowners drastically underestimate the amount of labor it takes to do a complete job. The easy part is hanging cabinets. The hard part is the detail work, moldings and trim, which needs to be done slowly, carefully, and with a great deal of precision. Nothing looks worse than an incomplete, or poorly executed example of finished carpentry. It will not add value to your home. IKEA cabinets are OK, if the value of your home is low enough that they are appropriate. Many rural areas have low enough land values, that nice, big, well-kept homes are worth less than they would be if they were nearer to a big city. You just wouldn't want to put them in an expensive house, where they would not be up to the standards of future home buyers.