Anybody have an Ikea kitchen installed a while ago?

rendul

Bronze
Feb 24, 2002
623
11
18
rendul.tripod.com
Just curious if anyone has had an Ikea kitchen installed a while ago and whether the cabinetry may warp given the humidity and heat? It would be good to know, as well, if you are located near the coast or inland? We are thinking of overhauling our place on the North Coast and I like the sleek design and cleanliness of the Ikea kitchens but the weather in the D.R. is a whole lot different than in Sweden!
 

tim514

New member
Nov 12, 2011
30
0
0
Ikea cabinets

Just curious if anyone has had an Ikea kitchen installed a while ago and whether the cabinetry may warp given the humidity and heat? It would be good to know, as well, if you are located near the coast or inland? We are thinking of overhauling our place on the North Coast and I like the sleek design and cleanliness of the Ikea kitchens but the weather in the D.R. is a whole lot different than in Sweden!

I have Ikea kitchen cabinets (Akurum finish) installed for a year and it is still brand new.
 

DRob

Gold
Aug 15, 2007
8,234
594
113
Ikea furniture lasts in all sorts of environments, assuming it's taken care of.

Some people tend to think that their products are as flimsy as wet cardboard, when it isn't. On the other hand, Ikea does a good job of meeting it's primary goal, which is selling inexpensive furniture aimed towards younger folks on a budget. It serves its function quite well, and most people I know - including those in tropical climates - are fine with what they have.

Quality wise, it's just ok, but again you could get a loft full of goodies at Ikea for the cost of one heirloom piece at an upmarket store.
 

CaptnGlenn

Silver
Mar 29, 2010
2,321
26
48
Over the years IKEA has added some higher end lines to it's merchandise too. It still specializes in the young budget market, but it also wants to sell to those that WERE young budget minded 20 years ago and now have more to spend.
 

keepcoming

Moderator - Living & General Stuff
May 25, 2011
4,732
2,491
113
Hmmm, have friends that bought a condo in Bavaro (won't name) and they had the same type that Ikea has. YES it does feel the effects of the enviroment so to speak. I was there this weekend and they showed me parts that have "peeled". The cabinets do NOT close/shut the same as before, this after 3 yrs. I remember my brother looked at this complex and the very reason he did not buy here was because of the kitchen cabinets etc.. He told me when we looked at the place, "just wait a couple of years it will warp and peel".
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
341
83
dr1.com
If it was 3 years ago, it wasn't IKEA kitchen cabinets.

The whole IKEA peeling and warping is overblown. They sell 1,000's of kitchens all over the planet every year, in more extreme environments than the DR and I don't hear or see droves of people complaining they are falling apart.

Get an IKEA kitchen, they are fine for the $$$. IKEA support their product and guarantee it, which is more than 95% of kitchen installers will do in the DR.
 

Rep Dom

Bronze
Dec 27, 2011
1,237
0
0
Hi instead of buying Ikea, why not try to find a (nice) dominican guy who could build a fine kitchen with wooden doors. Could be cool to give job to a local instead of buying from a multinational...
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
341
83
dr1.com
Hi instead of buying Ikea, why not try to find a (nice) dominican guy who could build a fine kitchen with wooden doors. Could be cool to give job to a local instead of buying from a multinational...

Problem is, most of these guys are only used to dealing with pine and those typical gordy looking cabinets.

If find someone that knows how to make modern cabinets, utilizing modern fixtures and fittings, it does not come so cheap.
 

Pete Mercedes

New member
Jan 9, 2012
8
0
0
A, A
ikea has a 3 year guarantee on the furniture and kitchens in the dr its also a bit more than double the price than in the us so they better guarantee it longer almost everything else they sell is about the same price if not a dollar more than the us
 

rendul

Bronze
Feb 24, 2002
623
11
18
rendul.tripod.com
Thank you for all the replies. I have had some cabinets made of mahogany by a local carpenter but they were costly, which was no surprise but on the scale of renovation I am looking at it would be a very costly endeavor. Not good that others have found the peeling and warping after three years. I would hope that they would come and do some repairs, maybe at a cost, after the three year warranty. I cannot see how the weather and climate of the D.R. would not be a factor in the life of these cabinets.

Again, thank you for the replies. I think I will contact Ikea and ask them about follow-up repairs in excess of the warranty deadline.
 

james

Active member
Jan 14, 2002
407
16
38
Rendul, Please note as Robert said that 3 years ago they were not IKEA cabinets. IKEA was not open here in the DR at that time.
 

Criss Colon

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
21,843
191
0
38
yahoomail.com
As with many things in life,it depends on what you can afford.
I put all "Caoba" wood in my home here in Santo Domingo over 15 years ago..It has stood the "Test-of-Time",and even more important,the "Test-of-Dominicans"!
Not only that,I happen to love the look,and feel of "WOOD",and am not "into" modern styles.
"Caoba" can be "refinished" as many times as needed.
As has been said,you need an "Ebanista",not a "Carpintero"!
Someone who has modern day tools,like a "Saw",a "tape measure", a hammer, a drill,a screw driver,you get my "Drift"?:rolleyes:
And you need a lot of money!
CC
 

belgiank

Silver
Jun 13, 2009
3,251
103
0
I have no idea of the Ikea prices for kitchens here...

I only know that, in Belgium, they were extreme good value for their money. A kitchen built by one of the major kitchen manufcturers (including state-of-the-art appliances) would have costed me 25,000 to 35,000 euro. The same kitchen by Ikea, installed by them, costed me 10,000 euro. There were some minor issues with the installation, but they corrected them without any questions.

I did not have the house long enough to tell you about endurance, but the first 5 years went without a glitch.

I went for Ikea, because I reasoned that, if necessary I could have 3 new kitchens for the price of one. And, if you like modern looking kitchens, you have to renew anyways.

Having said that, I have seen some nice modern looking kitchens, built by local tradespeople, in solid wood. No idea of the cost.
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
40,964
936
113
Problem is, most of these guys are only used to dealing with pine and those typical gordy looking cabinets.

If find someone that knows how to make modern cabinets, utilizing modern fixtures and fittings, it does not come so cheap.
Everything, including machine tools, has to be imported...