DIY Kitchens: IKEA,Bunnings,Masters,others...?

[cruisindub]

Hi Swaggers,
looking at a new kitchen for our old house renovation, finally at the big stage of the bigger expensive project of the new kitchen. Everything complete,starting from completely gutting the space we have.
there's been another thread on the miscellaneous section just in Buns-vs-Masters, and a brief one before, but just specifically looking at kitchens.
Any swaggers done the same project? Comparisons between the three?  Or another alternative.?

We only havve Bunnings locally and last time I did the bathroom was quite disappointed with the level of service, the quality of it and also the price.
Are we comparing apples with apples or are they all just as bad as each other or is that as good as it gets?
Happy to hear of experiences and comments/opinions and take advice.
Its a big project and an equally large cost for us, so want to make sure I get best value, but also best opportunity to do it right,first time


Looking forward to hearing from you all.
Cheers in advance.

[spargo]

IKEA.  25-year guarantee, can't go wrong.

[Bird]

When we had ours done 4 odd years ago, we looked at the bunnings gig at Frankston, but the quality just isnt there, but its not $billions either. And your sorta stuck for what you get.

The other advantage of non bunnings is any problems are theirs to fix, not yours at extra cost.. specially modifying stuff

if your sellin the joint, I'd go the Bunnings, but I have no plans to move, so we went with a kitchen place...

Cost heaps, but they had ideas of what we could do, and what could fit where we wanted things...

GOod luck, its an investement.

[GeeTee]

Hi Crusing dub, I have investigated (but not yet done) this with a home unit but I kept in mind that 'level of service' is something you should expect from an architect or specialist kitchen tradesperson, not a cheap import warehouse staffed by uni kids...

[dazzler]

We did our kitchen using bunnings kitchen system. Happy with everything but the counter tops.

[uncyspam]

google flat pack kitchens. there are heaps of mobs out there that do them, and some are pretty good.

http://www.diyaustralia.com/

that mob do all the premium brands like blum and ceaserstone, and custom make to your size, but send it flatpacked for you to install yourself...

[GeoffA]

google flat pack kitchens. there are heaps of mobs out there that do them, and some are pretty good.

http://www.diyaustralia.com/

that mob do all the premium brands like blum and ceaserstone, and custom make to your size, but send it flatpacked for you to install yourself...

x2

I used this mob.......http://www.melboards.com.au/ ........for the flat-packed carcasses, doors, drawers and fittings, and got specialists in for the stone tops and glass splash backs. Have a look for similar in your area.

[luxabout]

How about Drifta?   

The fitouts at the bottom of this page look pretty sweet! http://www.drifta.com.au/VanFitOut.php

[D4D]

2 people I know have fitted Ikea kitchens themselves and have been very happy with them.

[noel_w]

I have fitted out my garage and PC/Electronics workroom with Ikea kitchen stuff. Cheap enough but the only issue I was worried about is the wall cabinets only have 2 fixings at the top and with lots of stuff in them I was worried about them pulling out of the gyprock. This I presume would not be so much of an issue with a kitchen.
My fix was to use angle brackets and screw into the carcase and into a stud (through the gyprock). Haven't moved a bit and some of them are loaded pretty heavily with power tools, old HDD's etc. Bought some cheap plastic boxes to store stuff in and put them in the cupboards. Close the door and all gone. Neat as a pin.
Very happy with the build of them and being flatpack they were no trouble to put together. I can say this as my 16 yo did them 
Will be a selling point also for when we sell the house.

[britts]

Go with a custom made flat pack most good kitchen manufacturers will do this for you they are happy to get some of your money than none at all, and they can be built to suit the space you have available.

[MDSimpson]

It is the chipboard that is used that makes it last, some places import cheap Chinese stuff, not good..

My wife is a scrapbooker, so we converted our formal dining room to her scrap room.
Used Ikea. Used their software to design it and work out the shopping list.
The only bad thing was, you cannot order online, but they do deliver.
Good quality, so great features, VERY easy to put together and install.

[GeoffA]

It is the chipboard that is used that makes it last........

HMR board.........Highly Moisture Resistant........very important if there's any water about.......

[Hdn96]

I make and fit glass splashbacks  I fitted one the other day I said to the bloke who made your kitchen thinking it would be one of the cabinet makers who I do work for he said it was from ikea I was impressed with the kitchen

[GUEY]

As a cabinetmaker I think there all sh$t....
But if your going down that road go Ikea as they have better hardware.

[oldmate]

As a cabinetmaker I think there all sh$t....
But if your going down that road go Ikea as they have better hardware.

Could not agree more with this statement.!!!!!

Also. With the bun,mas,ikea stuff you have to buy set size cabinets. Depending on you kitchen layout you can end up with a lot of wasted/not utilized space, as opposed to a cabinet maker who will use every possible m2
And if you do go down that track make sure cutting or planning you use dust protection. Who knows what is in that board.

Sent from an overpriced, overengineered, outdated gadget that can make phone calls, sometimes.

[bowser]

we put some ikea cupboards in our laundry, got the gloss white ones with soft close optional hinges.
Very impressed with the quality, I put them together with some glue also and they are rock solid, bloody heavy too.
Highly recommend them. plus the staff were really helpful when I went to buy them, they picked up on a couple of bits that I also needed but didn't include in my fit out (under bits and spacers) can post some pics if you want?

[Nomad]

Cruisin,

The kitchen and bathroom in your house are the barometers of your renovation. i.e. anyone who looks at your place with a real estate eye will use these areas as their main judge of quality.

Ikea is the best by far, B and M look ok to start with but are woeful after a few years.

If the budget permits get the cabinetry done by a professional cabinet maker, even if you install it yourself, they understand that everyone is trying to save coin these days.

There are some really nice laminates around these days that will far out perform cheap 2pack look a like and cheap Shitty stone. You can always do 2pack cupboards with laminated tops and then upgrade them down the track when the budget permits.

White 2pack is timeless and I have seen 20 year old kitchens done in this that still look good today.

Best of luck with it all.

Cheers Nomad.

[Bird]

As a cabinetmaker I think there all sh$t....
But if your going down that road go Ikea as they have better hardware.

x eleventy

[Black Diamond]

I've bought an assembled a few things from ikea over the years and haven't had any hassles. All built to a price though

BD

[Rumpig]

We did our kitchen using bunnings kitchen system. Happy with everything but the counter tops.

i've fitted a heap of Chinese imported kitchens into units at work and the cabinets looked good (only time will tell how long they last though), but i could never get the stone bench tops looking like the pro's do  i'd stump up the extra ponies for a pro to do the bench top as it stands out heaps, do the cabinets yourself and let a pro do the tops.
when it came to our own kitchen here at home, i got a cabinet maker friend to do it, better quality materials and a better job then i'd ever do also.

[prodigyrf]

Some experiences I've had with various kitchens. noel_w picked the major problem with Ikea with their lack of 16mm solid backs for anywhere fixing and hence those special Ikea brackets fixed to the carcase sides seldom aligning with studwork. Not a problem with base cabinets on the floor and wallmates in plasterboard but ceratinly problematic with overhead cupboards. Bunnings win on that score and nailing on those rebated masonite backs is a pain. Also be aware that if you just nail the thin rebated backs on they can push off to some degree in situ with rough use and there's no way of fixing that withoutb total removal?? Gluing them as well will stop that but then it's hard to control unsightly glue inside the cabinets. Stick with solid 16mm carcases all round is my advice and on that score locally made carcases with reputable brand material is a safe bet re some of that very variable import stuff which both Bunnings and Ikea seem to avoid.

Quality hardware (Blum, Hettich) is important too and expect to pay for quality soft close drawer hardware and the like. Just one point to note with those double action corner doors, I have come to appreciate the piano hinges between leaves on my 20yr kitchen as I've yet to see any of the other types hold the corner doors in alignment for long. When that occurs with kids using then they're going to knock the door finishes around just like they do with knives etc with the cutlery drawers predominantly. Also be aware that no moisture resistant melamine board is waterproof so be circumspect about water drenching. On that score I always silicon the bare backs of laminated bench tops before tiling just like you do the benchtop joins and if you're really keen glue the bare edged carcases together with clear silicon too for a top job. Just don't try and wipe off the excess after screwing together but wait until it's dry and trim off carefully with a dull knife. It's the bare edges that will swell with accidental soaking remember.

As for door choice of finish the newer vinyl coated doors are the toughest in the business but are not repairable like touching up 2 pack paint like mine. However our choice of fancy routed edges and similar inset routing at the time to suit an older Tudor home meant some sharper, vulnerable edges as well as harder cleaning and flush panel doors with rounded edges or subtle taper plus round edges are clearly a winner on that score. The 2 pack has generally stood up well to offspring abuse but to have them painted again would be more than the cost of new doors unless I do it and well you know how it is.

Lastly I'd say you can't beat laminate benchtops for longevity so long as you train kids to use chopping boards only. Don't get bullnose because spills run back into the cupboards and half round is best. Lastly those granite and ceasar stone tops with sink bowls underneath look great in the showroom but drop one heavy frypan or pot on their edge and welcome to the real world. You can't beat stainless steel drainboard and sink in one on that score so don't try and reinvent the wheel. Just make sure the SS sink is of suitable gauge as they all used to be before variable imports. Oh and don't bother with extravagant flick mixers just a basic 5 yr warranty one (around $70-$80 mark) and replace the whole unit when it starts to drip. Replacing cartridges is uneconomic and those flexible hose connections won't last forever and you get new ones with a new mixer so blowoff valves are unnecessary.   

[britts]

If you are planning on staying where you are stay away from the vinyl door products they are great short term but will delaminate over time, melamine rolled edge is the go for durability and tart it up with handles rolled edge bench tops come in different edge radiuses now from about 8mm and look great, remember you can change the doors and tops down the track for a quick reno down the track if you use decent carcasses now.

[GeoffA]

Some experiences I've had with various kitchens. noel_w picked the major problem with Ikea with their lack of 16mm solid backs for anywhere fixing and hence those special Ikea brackets fixed to the carcase sides seldom aligning with studwork. Not a problem with base cabinets on the floor and wallmates in plasterboard but ceratinly problematic with overhead cupboards. Bunnings win on that score and nailing on those rebated masonite backs is a pain. Also be aware that if you just nail the thin rebated backs on they can push off to some degree in situ with rough use and there's no way of fixing that withoutb total removal?? Gluing them as well will stop that but then it's hard to control unsightly glue inside the cabinets. Stick with solid 16mm carcases all round is my advice and on that score locally made carcases with reputable brand material is a safe bet re some of that very variable import stuff which both Bunnings and Ikea seem to avoid.

Quality hardware (Blum, Hettich) is important too and expect to pay for quality soft close drawer hardware and the like. Just one point to note with those double action corner doors, I have come to appreciate the piano hinges between leaves on my 20yr kitchen as I've yet to see any of the other types hold the corner doors in alignment for long. When that occurs with kids using then they're going to knock the door finishes around just like they do with knives etc with the cutlery drawers predominantly. Also be aware that no moisture resistant melamine board is waterproof so be circumspect about water drenching. On that score I always silicon the bare backs of laminated bench tops before tiling just like you do the benchtop joins and if you're really keen glue the bare edged carcases together with clear silicon too for a top job. Just don't try and wipe off the excess after screwing together but wait until it's dry and trim off carefully with a dull knife. It's the bare edges that will swell with accidental soaking remember.

As for door choice of finish the newer vinyl coated doors are the toughest in the business but are not repairable like touching up 2 pack paint like mine. However our choice of fancy routed edges and similar inset routing at the time to suit an older Tudor home meant some sharper, vulnerable edges as well as harder cleaning and flush panel doors with rounded edges or subtle taper plus round edges are clearly a winner on that score. The 2 pack has generally stood up well to offspring abuse but to have them painted again would be more than the cost of new doors unless I do it and well you know how it is.

Lastly I'd say you can't beat laminate benchtops for longevity so long as you train kids to use chopping boards only. Don't get bullnose because spills run back into the cupboards and half round is best. Lastly those granite and ceasar stone tops with sink bowls underneath look great in the showroom but drop one heavy frypan or pot on their edge and welcome to the real world. You can't beat stainless steel drainboard and sink in one on that score so don't try and reinvent the wheel. Just make sure the SS sink is of suitable gauge as they all used to be before variable imports. Oh and don't bother with extravagant flick mixers just a basic 5 yr warranty one (around $70-$80 mark) and replace the whole unit when it starts to drip. Replacing cartridges is uneconomic and those flexible hose connections won't last forever and you get new ones with a new mixer so blowoff valves are unnecessary.

This pretty well sums up how we did it............

[GU Rich]

We have vinyl wrap doors, caesarstone top with an under slung sink set in the island bench. I wouldn't have anything else. Soft closing draw srunner and doors etc The kitchen is big investment.  Don't ask about the price of the tap.....

I worked in the kitchen industry for approx 17 years and I have seen may changes over that time. No longer in that industry.