Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

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leeks
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Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by leeks »

Many families we know with young kids and recently-purchased old houses are renovating with all-Ikea stuff in kitchens and bathrooms because it is so affordable and has an aesthetic that is popular with urban-minded people. This is true even among NYC neighbors in >$1 million rowhouses.

Have any bogleheads used Ikea fixtures and cabinets in bathrooms?
How have they held up? Are they more durable than their furniture lines (ie not expected to break within 5 years)?

We need to renovate all three bathrooms in a house (another state, not NY) that has been a vacation home this year but will soon be our primary residence for at least a year. It may be our forever neighborhood but it is not our forever house. My best guess is that we will buy a "forever" house (in that city or another) in the next 3-6 years. The current house will then become a rental property or be split into a mother-daughter setup to house a relative and an airbnb rental. The house is worth about $400K (might more in the current crazy market) in medium-cost-of-living area. It is in a city neighborhood built in the 1920s where there is a wide range of condition/quality of homes.

Is it worth using Ikea stuff to minimize cost, or is the quality so poor that it is not worth bothering with?
JS-Elcano
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Re: Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by JS-Elcano »

For a main bath remodel I used wall-hung vanities from IKEA and Odensvik sinks also from IKEA. That was 5 years ago and they are like new. Really happy. I also used them because at that time it was still hard to find wall-hung vanities and modern sink setups so that is why I went there. Note that their sinks have only one hole so you will also need to use a modern fixture with a single lever rather than the traditional two knobs. when I did my renovation people were still doing granite counter tops and undermount sinks so IKEA was almost the only place to go that had something more modern. These days it's much easier to find these types of things outside of IKEA, so maybe IKEA wouldn't be my first choice anymore.
Normchad
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Re: Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by Normchad »

The IKEA cabinets are surprising durable. I haven’t used them in a bathroom, but have had them in my garage for 20 years, and am pretty hard on them. They hold up great.

If the style suited me, I wouldn’t hesitate to use them in the bath or kitchen.

And if the style doesn’t suit you, there are places in the web that make different doors and drawer fronts for the cabinets.
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A440
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Re: Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by A440 »

We installed the cabinets in our laundry room/pantry and they have held up great. They get slammed by our kids several times daily when they graze on snacks. They were very easy to install.
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shunkman
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Re: Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by shunkman »

I stick with the big names when it comes to kitchen and bathroom plumbing fixtures. Ikea's may be fine but my concern is with parts availability and getting parts quickly five years or so from now.
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leeks
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Re: Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by leeks »

shunkman wrote: Sat May 08, 2021 4:57 pm I stick with the big names when it comes to kitchen and bathroom plumbing fixtures. Ikea's may be fine but my concern is with parts availability and getting parts quickly five years or so from now.
I don't think Ikea is going out of business anytime soon - they are the world's largest furniture company. Why wouldn't parts be available?
Inframan4712
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Re: Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by Inframan4712 »

leeks wrote: Sat May 08, 2021 7:36 pm
shunkman wrote: Sat May 08, 2021 4:57 pm I stick with the big names when it comes to kitchen and bathroom plumbing fixtures. Ikea's may be fine but my concern is with parts availability and getting parts quickly five years or so from now.
I don't think Ikea is going out of business anytime soon - they are the world's largest furniture company. Why wouldn't parts be available?
There is info on the web about IKEA’s 25 year guarantee being worthless because they do discontinue product lines and people have not been able to replace a damaged cabinet door or drawer etc out of an entire kitchen. That’s a problem.

I put an IKEA medicine cabinet in my master and I love it. Wouldn’t dare do a kitchen.
shunkman
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Re: Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by shunkman »

leeks wrote: Sat May 08, 2021 7:36 pm
shunkman wrote: Sat May 08, 2021 4:57 pm I stick with the big names when it comes to kitchen and bathroom plumbing fixtures. Ikea's may be fine but my concern is with parts availability and getting parts quickly five years or so from now.
I don't think Ikea is going out of business anytime soon - they are the world's largest furniture company. Why wouldn't parts be available?
Sure take your chances five years from now and order the replacement parts from Ikea, and get them whenever, or go to your local plumbing supply house and get the name brand parts today. It's your choice.
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leeks
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Re: Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by leeks »

shunkman wrote: Sat May 08, 2021 9:16 pm
leeks wrote: Sat May 08, 2021 7:36 pm
shunkman wrote: Sat May 08, 2021 4:57 pm I stick with the big names when it comes to kitchen and bathroom plumbing fixtures. Ikea's may be fine but my concern is with parts availability and getting parts quickly five years or so from now.
I don't think Ikea is going out of business anytime soon - they are the world's largest furniture company. Why wouldn't parts be available?
Sure take your chances five years from now and order the replacement parts from Ikea, and get them whenever, or go to your local plumbing supply house and get the name brand parts today. It's your choice.

Why couldn't I just go to Ikea the day I needed the parts? Do you mean that they don't sell replacement parts in their stores (which would be annoying)?
rascott
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Re: Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by rascott »

I don't understand replacement parts....a cabinet is a cabinet.

It's a box of wood. As long as the wood quality is decent why would you need to worry about anything else?

For the cost savings over custom cabinets, you could likely replace them 3x and come out even.
Prahasaurus
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Re: Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by Prahasaurus »

shunkman wrote: Sat May 08, 2021 4:57 pm I stick with the big names when it comes to kitchen and bathroom plumbing fixtures. Ikea's may be fine but my concern is with parts availability and getting parts quickly five years or so from now.
Sitting in Europe and smiling that Ikea is apparently not a big name in the USA…
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adestefan
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Re: Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by adestefan »

I put an Ikea vanity in the bathroom my kids use almost 10 years ago and it’s perfectly fine. My girls destroy the sink in only the way girls can and it still cleans up like new.
shunkman
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Re: Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by shunkman »

rascott wrote: Sun May 09, 2021 12:59 am I don't understand replacement parts....a cabinet is a cabinet.

It's a box of wood. As long as the wood quality is decent why would you need to worry about anything else?

For the cost savings over custom cabinets, you could likely replace them 3x and come out even.
Maybe to some, "fixtures" and "cabinets" don't mean the same thing?
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leeks
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Re: Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by leeks »

shunkman wrote: Sun May 09, 2021 7:38 am
rascott wrote: Sun May 09, 2021 12:59 am I don't understand replacement parts....a cabinet is a cabinet.

It's a box of wood. As long as the wood quality is decent why would you need to worry about anything else?

For the cost savings over custom cabinets, you could likely replace them 3x and come out even.
Maybe to some, "fixtures" and "cabinets" don't mean the same thing?
I think of fixtures as the stuff that is fixed in a room (not correct?) - built-in stuff like showerhead, tub faucet, sink faucet, vanity, medicine cabinet, towel bar, toilet paper holder, lighting fixtures, etc. I don't think Ikea sells toilets/bathtubs/tile. But it looks like you could get everything else for a bathroom there.

I think the concern about replacement parts is most applicable to the plumbing parts - like if a faucet needs a new aerator or starts leaking and needs a new rubber thing or whatever else is inside. But a vanity could also need a replacement hinge or drawer slide parts.

If Ikea doesn't sell parts directly at their stores - and you have to order (if they still make the product), that would be a concern. I have never looked at their plumbing section.
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jabberwockOG
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Re: Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by jabberwockOG »

We have an architect in the family who is married to a high end general contractor. They choose IKEA cabinets for their new kitchen.
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MJS
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Re: Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by MJS »

The Ikea Hemnes bathroom vanities are solid wood. Ikea drawer slides are very good, and easily replaceable with other Ikea hardware. My Ikea sink-vanity survived having a bag of rocks thrown in it, so my niece could wash her pretty finds.

My cat dislikes the Ikea faucet because it is too stiff for him to push up when he wants a drink. The kitchen faucet -- Moen? -- is much easier for a cat to push open. Feature or bug, of course.

I mix Ikea-bits with Craft-fair/Etsy-bits to get a personal look.
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stan1
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Re: Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by stan1 »

I'd have no qualms with the IKEA cabinets. For faucets and pulls/knobs I'd probably shop around. Decorative pulls/knobs are the cheapest way to make a simple cabinet look unique and special whether for your enjoyment or a potential buyer.
phxjcc
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Re: Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by phxjcc »

I have done 4 bathrooms, 2 kitchens and 2 wet bars with IKEA cabinets. They get shamed here in the US, BUT the quality is good.

I did MY master bath with Cabinets To Go and like the quality. Started by the Lumber Liquidators guy.

For pulls/knobs/handles I did Amazon.

Both have good CAD services to design your space.

Plumbing fixtures-- all MOEN.
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unclescrooge
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Re: Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by unclescrooge »

December 2018 I ordered 3 closets worth of shelving. They delivered only 80% is the pieces. I told the delivery guy they were missing pieces and he just shrugged his shoulders.

I should have sent back everything. I thought IKEA would make good on their missing pieces. They did not. Emails and calls went unanswered. Reaching out to store managers on linkedin resulted in nothing. I contested the charges with my credit card and someone at IKEA responded and said all the pieces were delivered.

Eventually I just ate it, but very surprised at their lack of professionalism.
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ClevrChico
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Re: Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by ClevrChico »

I have an IKEA Kitchen and Bath.

The cabinets are great, and I'm very happy with them.

- I'd avoid their faucets as I couldn't find replacement cartridges for them, so they're disposable after a few years. Get a Delta instead, and you'll get free cartridges for life.
- The bath sink came with a weird offset drain to maximize space, which led to terrible clogging. I ended up changing it to an "American" style drain and drilled a hole for it in the sink shelf.
- I'd go with better quality kitchen countertops, like quartz. The particle board countertops do not tolerate leaks well.
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lthenderson
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Re: Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by lthenderson »

IKEA cabinets are all about the time frame you will be using them for. Short term, they are just as good as any other cabinet. Long term, they have some drawbacks to consider.

IKEA furniture uses compressed wood chips and adhesives to form their boards that is sealed over and painted. As long as the paint maintains its integrity and the wood isn't exposed to water, it should hold up just as good as a cabinet made of solid wood. Usually this is only a problem with lower IKEA cabinets that sit on the floor especially in a bathroom or kitchen environment where the likely hood of them seeing water at some point is likely. If the water penetrates the paint/finish layer, the compressed wood swells up like a sponge and turns to mush. When it dried out, it almost turns to sawdust with any pressure. Many lower end cabinets (non-IKEA) use the same stuff. Higher end cabinets will use oriented strand plywoods which hold up a lot better to moisture exposure. (Hint: One way to make lower compressed wood cabinets last a lot longer is to pour some epoxy feet or attach some non-wood feet to the bottom of them so they sit up off the floor just a little bit and avoid exposure to all but the most major of water spills.)

Many years down the road when you are looking to redo your cabinet, IKEA cabinets will only stand up to a very limited amount of sanding before refinishing. Once you get below the paint layer and into the compressed wood chip layer, it is very porous and in order to get it smooth again, you will have to use some fillers and sealers before painting. You never will be able to go to a semi transparent stain like you might with a solid wood cabinet or a plywood cabinet with a thick veneer layer that you might find in higher quality cabinets. IKEA cabinets are meant to always be painted.

Working with compressed wood chip products as they age can be difficult at best. Say sometime down the road a hinge breaks and that line was long ago discontinued by IKEA. You only option might be to buy different hinges which have different mounting points. Plugging up old mounting points well in compressed chipboard so that you can redrill the mounting points is very difficult to do well. In solid wood it is no problem at all.

I've torn out many a solid wood cabinet 50+ years old that with some sanding could be easily reworked and put in a new house. I've never successfully torn out a set of compressed wood chip cabinets and if I did, they are essentially worthless as nobody wants to mess with trying to refinish them.
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Re: Ikea bathroom fixtures/cabinets

Post by hightechburrito »

I looked into using IKEA for a bathroom refresh last year and decided against it, but noted the following, which might influence your decision.

1) One line had a solid wood cabinet, and the other had a particle board cabinet. I believe the wall hung cabinet was the particle board frame.
2) The finish of the drain was only offered in chrome. No brushed nickel, oil-rubbed bronze, etc.
3) They have a clever trap design to allow full depth drawers. This means that the if you ever need a replacement trap, you won't be able to get one at the local hardware store. So if it end up leaking, you can't use the sink until you get one from IKEA. I've also heard plumbers say that the trap design looks like its more likely to form clogs than a standard sink trap.

Overall, the value for the cabinet seemed better than the similar priced cabinets from the local big-box store. The main reason I ended up not using them was that the height of the drain stub-out in my wall was too low. Would have required much more renovation that I wanted at the time.

I ended up going with a vanity from Costco, which I found to be a very good value compared the big-box offerings. Solid wood cabinet, quarts counter with undermount sink, soft-close hardware for around $600 for a 30" cabinet.
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