IKEA furniture any good?

I like the straight simple designs and the pricing is great. But will their stuff dissolve like an Alka Seltzer inside of 6 months?

My Lovely Wife bought a bookcase for the daughter a few months ago. Decently priced/built, and a step up from the Sauder stuff. So far so good...but I detest the cam locks.

We have a lot of Ikea stuff. Even with them, you do get what you pay for. Take their Lack tables for instance. They will keep your stuff off the floor, but they're made of a honeycomb of cardboard with a laminate or veneer on top. We have some (carrying two homes right now) that have lasted for a few years and some that have delaminated after 6 months or so. Still good for a sub $15 end table.

Their higher priced stuff is better built and still good value for the money.

We've had good luck with their stuff but I agree that you get what you pay for. Friends of our did their kitchen with Ikea cabinets and I'm impressed with the way it fit together and the quality of the fittings. The price seemed decent too.

I like some of their stuff (we probably have 15 of their bookcases, and two couches/chair in our living room), but definitely check out what you're interested in. I don't love their dining room stuff (bolts in chairs make me nervous), and some of the cheaper stuff is, well... cheap

You won't be passing it to your grandkids, but we're just hoping ours will last until the kids stop spilling on a daily basis (washable couch covers is NICE!)

some of their stuff is great..

Their kitchen cabinets are very very good.

You really need to go to the store to check it out before you buy.

davidjs wrote: I like some of their stuff...and some of the cheaper stuff is, well... cheap You won't be passing it to your grandkids, but we're just hoping ours will last until the kids stop spilling on a daily basis (washable couch covers is NICE!)

That last is plenty of reason$$ to go cheap. The Ikea stuff will get the kids thru High School; then you can get better as you desire

I have had a lot of Ikea stuff (they're unsurprisingly fairly popular in Europe) and the more expensive stuff is generally of good quality. Some of the cheaper items tend to have a limited lifespan, though.

What I tend to go for these days are mainly items made out of solid wood as they seem to survive moves better than the cheaper items.

Oh, and that reminds me that I need to go to the nearest Ikea and buy some more Ivar shelves.

My wife and I have decorated in Early Salvation Army. A five year old and living in the woods require that until she (the five year old) is grown. We do have some Ikea stuff. I use glue on the joints and loctite on any bolts.

porksboy wrote: My wife and I have decorated in Early Salvation Army. A five year old and living in the woods require that until she (the five year old) is grown. We do have some Ikea stuff. I use glue on the joints and loctite on any bolts.

I can identify with that! A kid with ADHD teaches patience and thrift if nothing else. And a little glue goes a looong way in making a chair last longer.

when we moved in together after college, we had about half a paycheck to furnish an apartment. Couch, Chair, Ottoman, and Coffee table were purchased used from the list. Everything else was from Ikea...its all holding up quite well.

I see some cool things when the wife and I go there, but it just seems like the stuff is built on a small-ish scale. I do see their organizational stuff like book cases as worth their cost.

Ikea stuff works great when you buy it, assemble it and don't move it. Those pre-drilled screw holes don't take odd forces well however, so gluing would probably help. Yes, its pretty much a particle board with laminate, but its probably one of the better products I've seen done that way. Its the best I've seen at the price point, so I'm a big fan (I have a coffee table, TV stand and dresser from them)

+1 to everything here. The particle board stuff is among the better presswood stuff you'll ever see, but it's basically disposable. It won't take a move or a disassembly well, but you get a lot of style for a very reasonable price.

We just bought a bunch of stuff there and the place really does give you a lot of bang for your buck. We got a Karlstad couch and the darn thing actually seems overbuilt.

Now, going to an IKEA on the other hand, that's a whole other story. I like guns,and I own several, but I do not have a carry permit. The reason I do not have a carry permit, is because if I carried a gun, people would get shot. Mostly people at IKEA.

jg

I use IKEA for when I can't wait for a garage sale/estate sale to come through with what I need. Good for college where we're gonna destroy it no matter what.

We have had these chairs for 10 years, and they're like new.

I'm going to have to split up a lot of furniture here soon and was going to redo the JensenMan BedRoom with their stuff, if I thought it would last for a while. I like the Malm line best. Even if it barfs in 5 years, I won't be too bad off. It's a damn sight less expensive than the other furniture stores around here, too.

The kid's keeping her stuff no matter what (it's pretty nice).

The bookshelves are OK. Not bad if you like the ultra modern look

We have a few pieces of Ikea, no problems or complaints at all. I get a big kick out of the instructions. All cartoons, no verbiage at all. Very easy to understand, hard to mess up. Not like some of my car projects. And all necessary parts have always been there. Now if you want to hear a horror story, I'll tell you about putting together a WalMart gas grill. 6 hours.

hotlinked

the tv stand and dresser that I just bought at IKEA was actually made of solid pine. Glued up little pcs but still solid wood and not particle board..

http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/ just for fun. I like the idea of using Ikea bookcases with some molding and making a "built in"..

JG Pasterjak wrote: Now, going to an IKEA on the other hand, that's a whole other story. I like guns,and I own several, but I do not have a carry permit. The reason I do not have a carry permit, is because if I carried a gun, people would get shot. Mostly people at IKEA.

A-men. Or Walmart. We didn't check if there's a waiting time for gun purchases in NV, it might have been too tempting.

Anyway, as a suggestion, keep your eyes peeled for the non-pressboard stuff. The solid wood (usually birch or pine) lasts a lot better.

We've had good luck with IKEA stuff. So far we've furnished 3 rooms with it.

The stuff for our 3 year old son's room was solid wood. Bed, chest of drawers and nightstand. Not sure about the items in our "inlaws sweet" because my Father-in-law put that together while I was away on a business trip. Looks great though. Just bought the monster 6' x 6' expedit book case. Particle board construction but no cam locks just pegs and bolts. Looks really nice and very sturdy once attached to the wall, but no so much while free standing.

All the stuff has been really easy to put together. For folks that rebuild engines and such it's a no-brainer.

It's hard to beat them on style for the price. I guess you have to like modern furniture. Luckily my wife doesn't go for the "country crocker" style.

JG Pasterjak wrote: Now, going to an IKEA on the other hand, that's a whole other story. I like guns,and I own several, but I do not have a carry permit. The reason I do not have a carry permit, is because if I carried a gun, people would get shot. Mostly people at IKEA. jg

Another +1 - We went to the store in Toronto once and a guy walking the wrong way in the store slams into my wife and then calls her a stupid b***h. I went after him, but the crowd was so thick I could not catch up.

I am sitting on an IKEA sofa as I type this. Had it for 3 years and its holding up great. Also have a bunch of their bookcases and a desk. Their stuff also works well with pieces from Crate & Barrel / CB2 / Chiasso if you want higher end main furnishings with affordable accent pieces.