Kitchens are the heart of the home. It’s where everyone gathers, where snacks are served and meals are prepared. My kitchen is a busy place. It often has cars and toy screwdrivers scattered everywhere. It is my favourite space in the house, especially now that it is renovated!

I’m all about creating a Christian home and while a nice kitchen won’t impact your Christian life, it has made things easier in terms of cooking and storage!

That being said, kitchen renovations are no joke. If you are planning to do one, be prepared for stress and a long timeline. I am so happy we did our kitchen, it finally feels like ours, but it’s been a long process.

When we bought the house we knew every room would need updated. The kitchen especially needed some TLC and reconfiguration.

IKEA Kitchen Renovation

After exploring a few options we settled on an IKEA kitchen. We had a contractor to install everything but the majority of the build came from IKEA.

So this is our experience with the IKEA process. I’ve given a ranking out of 10 for the different elements we encountered. Everything from the quality of the product to customer service!

First Step

We started with a kitchen planning appointment ($39CAD for 2 hours). We took measurements of the kitchen ahead of time and they put them into their online planner so we could see the kitchen in 3D.

We spent two hours with the planner (while Baby B napped on my shoulder). She was knowledgeable about all their cabinets, the sizes, drawers and the functionality of everything.

We decided on the Enköping door fronts and black handles. Along with the entire IKEA cabinet system with drawers and cupboards. We also did our counters through IKEA (more on that later.)

If you ever are doing an IKEA kitchen I 100% recommend going in for a planning appointment. IKEA has so many options and you really do need help to order everything correctly.

IKEA Kitchen Planning Appointments: 10/10

Preparing for the Renovation

Once we had it all figured out it was just a matter of getting our ducks in a row and starting.

We did a few prep things ahead of time like removing the exterior door next to the stove. Thankfully we were able to find brick that almost matched perfectly to our outside brick. The opening was closed in with drywall and we got closer to ripping out cabinets.

Just to note, we left the layout of the kitchen more or less the same because we had to accommodate the attic access which is located in the closet/new pantry.

Ordering Everything

When it came time to order everything we went back for a final appointment at IKEA. The design was finalized and the associate helped ensure everything was ordered correctly. We had a short window of time for delivery (we had to have it delivered within 3 weeks of the order being placed).

We even paid extra to have the order delivered between 9 and 12 in the morning on a certain day so we would have extra help bringing the 112 boxes in the house.

This is where we ran into issues. Since IKEA is such a big company and they have so many moving parts, their system didn’t seem set up for hiccups. We had a $6 000 order being shipped to us and two days before it was set to come they called with an issue.

A sink stopper ($2 item) was out of stock. Because of this, the entire order had to be delayed. Of course, we had planned to accept the order on a specific day and this threw everything off.

They tried to make the order go through but it didn’t work. We waited around all morning, received emails stating the order had been shipped but nothing came.

We phoned and were told there was nothing they could do as it was an issue with the store it was being shipped from. So my husband ended up driving to the store to talk to them in person.

They sorted it out and he was able to pick up some items while they changed the delivery date for the rest.

Every associate we encountered along the way was exceptional. They all were helpful and if they couldn’t help they found someone who could. However, we were less than impressed with the delivery of our very expensive order.

Associates from IKEA: 9/10

Delivery service: 3/10

Building the Cabinets

My husband built the majority of the cabinets in our basement to save our contractor time (and us money). We pretty much had the entire kitchen set up in the basement, plus extra cabinets here and there.

Like any IKEA item, the instructions were all pictures and it got frustrating. We even encountered cabinets that had been manufactured wrong and we had to do some troubleshooting. But my husband was able to do it in the evenings over the course of a few weeks.

Cabinet Construction: 6/10

Installation

I can’t speak to the installation as we weren’t in the province when most of it happened but as far as I know everything went in as it should.

Quality of Product

I love our cabinets. So far they seem easy to clean and are decent quality. However, these aren’t high-end cabinets and we already have minor dents from the dishwasher door banging a cupboard door.

That being said, we couldn’t beat the price. It would have been double what we paid and we simply couldn’t afford it. We want a nice kitchen and to still be able to pay the mortgage on the house! We were thankful we were able to do an IKEA kitchen, because the cost and quality of the product can’t be compared.

Cabinet Quality: 7/10

Cabinet Quality for the Price: 9/10

We are having issues with the sink though. We bought the apron front sink directly from IKEA. The overall look of it is beautiful but it is tricky to clean and scratches easily.

We also are using the IKEA drain stoppers specific for that sink. However, they don’t work very well and leak. I can fill the sink, get called away to the living room and return to almost no water. It’s infuriating. We haven’t found a solution for it yet but we need to get one soon.

IKEA Sink 6/10

Counters

We used IKEA for our counters. We did laminate counters in our pantry, which came directly from IKEA. For the rest of the kitchen we opted for quartz countertops which meant IKEA had a third party to install. We ran into issues with this process.

I’ll be clear, the countertop company was great and the counters are everything we hoped for. However, there was some miscommunication when it came time to contact the company itself which resulted in delayed counter installation. I ended up with plywood and no sink for 3 weeks because of this.

So if we were to do it again we would find the countertop company on our own and contact them directly. This eliminates the middleman and playing phone tag with two companies trying to get things sorted out.

IKEA Managed Countertops 6/10

IKEA Laminate Countertops 8/10

Non-IKEA Items

The vinyl flooring and backsplash came from a tile store and the tap was purchased at Home Depot. We also purchased new appliances from an appliance store. We wanted everything to match and look new (if you’re redoing your kitchen, you might as well make everything the same). I am glad we did because it finishes the look of the kitchen.

It took a total of 3 months to complete. It would have been done in 6-8 weeks if not for the delayed counters and being short 3 backsplash tiles 🤦🏻‍♀️ Thankfully we were able to be in a functional kitchen for the last month with only minor details (like outlet covers) not being in place.

Summary

All in all I am happy with the finished product. There were hiccups along the way but that is to be expected with a renovation.

In terms of IKEA, I would use them again. I do have some suggestions for anyone doing an IKEA kitchen renovation:

• Use the in-person planning option to ensure everything is ordered correctly
• Find your own countertop company (unless doing the laminate from IKEA)
• Be ready to make trips to the store
• Keep your receipts for returns

Overall Experience with IKEA 8/10

Going the IKEA route saved us a lot of money but we had to stay on top of things. It really is more of a DIY option, even with a contractor. But if you are needing to cut costs, this is definitely the route to go for a beautiful kitchen!

I am so glad it is done and look forward to many years of cooking and baking in this kitchen!

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