Alrighty then, I live somewhere where we don't have an IKEA. I've been into one twice. I don't understand the virulent disdain that so many on here have for them.
What's the beef?
[OP]
Member
Alrighty then, I live somewhere where we don't have an IKEA. I've been into one twice. I don't understand the virulent disdain that so many on here have for them.
What's the beef?
It came to pass...
"Curiosity is the ultimate power tool." - Roy Underhill
The road IS the destination.
Member
It's imported landfill. Least around here you can get anything they sell off the free listings on CL. I guess there is a need for disposable household goods but it is all they seem to sell
Contributor
None from me. IMHO they have the absolute best products available at the price points they sell. Who can compare, maybe Walmart or Kmart crapola. If I were just starting out afrer college, my first appartment would be furnished by them. Having said that, I don't think many of their items would survive a move once assembled.
I did buy some of their book cases for my kids bedrooms as they were cheaper than I could build, even if I used sheathing. They look nice, have real beech veneer, and even some hardwood. If you look close, a table that seems to be made from solid beech will have legs that are some cheap core with veneer on all sides, very well done, but veneer.
I read they they hire very good designers who design trendy items to a strict price point. Like, the best coffee table for $39.
I bought a kitchen table to use as a desk for the kids room. I was solid butcher block beech, beech veneered rails and legs. About 30" deep by 50" wide. Price, $60. I bought and modified it to fit a 40" open because it was soo much cheaper than buying wood and building from scratch. AND, because all this furniture is temporary. the kids go to college soon and we won't have this furniture once they are gone.
Member
"Virulent Disdain", thats a good one, I'm going to have to remember that.If veneer is what someone wants, thats fine for them but I can build a much finer set of cabinets that will be superior in both apperance and craftsmanship to any of the mass produced brands.
I think most of the guys that are knocking IKEA are just calling a spade a spade. They can detect true craftsmanship and have a bit of disdain for anything thats not. The mass produced cabinets look good from a distance, they are designed to catch the eye but when you get up close you can see the difference if you know what to look for.
Member
Nothing wrong with Ikea..
Folks who are starting out .. have no money..
Woodworkers tend to respect quality construction.. Ikea is landfill with a photo finish.
If folks cannot afford much.. Ikea is awesome.
Member
The kitchen stuff is really nice for a non-custom cabinet, better than most of the HD or Lowes stuff. The best part is the hardware - everything is Blum and Blumotion. Due to the huge volumes they deal with, you can get Blum hinges and drawer glides for soooo cheap
Or... you can buy the kitchen cabinet carcasses for just a ridiculously low price and make your own doors. The particle board used in Ikea kitchen cabinets is the higher grade material. It's also great for garages, laundry rooms, and just about anywhere.
Non-kitchen Ikea merchandise - really check it out first so you know what you are getting.
Contributor
It all ships flat that's what makes it easy to transport; a big plus. I bought some when I was on active duty and was transferred to Italy and needed easily shipable temporary furniture for 3 to 4 years. Assembled it in Italy. It worked out fine. Looked nice, sold some to the local Italians when we left. Kept some, and that was 20 years ago. I still have it in the garage where it doesn't take much traffic and heavy use (lightly reinforced by me). But permanent long lasting stuff, no way. Reasonably nice veneer, if you don't have heavy wear on it, it will last a while. Nothing with a solid core.
We bought a bedside lamp from there recently. Was just the right design/fit for what my wife wanted. She's a Swede and we were there getting Swedish meatballs and Lingonberries when she saw it.
Member
Exactly..... I couldn't buy the materials to make cabinet drawers for what I could buy the entire Ikea cabinet. And the're pretty good quality - certainly good enough to last the 20 years that most cabinets need to last before they're ripped out for remodeling....Originally Posted by chris beserra
The kitchen stuff is really nice for a non-custom cabinet, better than most of the HD or Lowes stuff. The best part is the hardware - everything is Blum and Blumotion. Due to the huge volumes they deal with, you can get Blum hinges and drawer glides for soooo cheap
Or... you can buy the kitchen cabinet carcasses for just a ridiculously low price and make your own doors. The particle board used in Ikea kitchen cabinets is the higher grade material. It's also great for garages, laundry rooms, and just about anywhere.
Non-kitchen Ikea merchandise - really check it out first so you know what you are getting.
Member
A month or so ago I saw a Cragslist add, Ikea...Furniture assembler.
50 bucks a hour. Two hour minimum.
Hey, that's great. I mean whats your overhead? A screwdriver?
Tough times.
Per
"all men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night....wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible."
T.E. Lawrence
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My wife and I bought a bunch of Ikea office furniture over 25 years ago [before I even knew what a circular saw is]. The stuff is still in great shape. It's been moved twice by commercial movers (who did not break the stuff down). Still standing. The finish is still in good shape. I have no idea of what their is stuff is now but I would imagine it hasn't changed much since they are still in business.
If sawdust were gold, I'd be rich!
Byron Trantham
Fredericksburg, VA
WUD WKR1
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Per,
Assembly usually requires an allen wrench. And... it's provided with the furniture.
-Jeff
Thank goodness for SMC and wood dough.
Member
Like a furniture happy meal, new tool included!Per,
Assembly usually requires an allen wrench. And... it's provided with the furniture.
-Jeff
Hmm.. sounds like most of the projects I build anyway ... honey, you know that edge profile you love so much for that table? I'm off to the store to get it just for you
There are 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
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I think it's the difference between furniture you buy for today vs. furniture you buy for a lifetime and more. Ikea has attractive well designed well built disposable furniture.
I think it's bad for the soul to live in a disposable world.
Like others have said, their prices are incredible for what you get and that pushes down the price people think furniture should cost. It is frustrating when I can't get materials for what they sell a whole piece for.
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A huge amount of the goods we buy that are disposable now weren't 50 years ago, but I don't think that all that much has changed in furniture. What we see of the good old days is the well-built stuff that managed to survive. What we don't see is all of the very cheap furniture that was made for factory workers, etc that is long-gone. Houses are like that as well: very few people lived in Victorians, but sometimes it seems that way because most of the ramshackle buildings that the majority of the people inhabited are long-gone.
Contributor
^^ Very good points, Greg. It's like all the people I know who inherit fine antiques and exquisite jewelry from relatives. I used to wonder why I never inherited anything like that. Well, I eventually figured out my family members never had any money. All the stuff they owned wore out and was thrown away. There was nothing left to pass down, which is OK by me. I do have some very beautiful pictures of my ancestors.
Come to think of it, I probably wouldn't want that aquamarine, naugahyde couch and faux marble coffee tables my grandparents had anyway.
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