Ikea or Wickes

polybear

I have an IKEA Kichen, purchased new in Oct 2007. Someone I know has a Wickes kitchen (Early 2009). I'd go for the Wickes kitchen.

IKEA cupboard backs are only hardboard, Wickes are thick chipboard. IKEA cupboards don't have a service void at the back so are a bit more of a fiddle to install. The upside is that each cupboard is 2" deeper, so for every few cupboards you effectively have an extra cupboard's worth of space.

I've just purchased an extra cupboard from IKEA - same range and same name as previously. Only the doors don't match - apparently they've changed supplier. Fortunately I've been able to order a couple of doors from the old supplier via IKEA, but will have to wait 6 weeks for delivery from Sweden (no big deal really). I do wonder about their long warranty on Kitchens though - will they be able to supply matching doors in 5 or 10 years time?

To be honest though, I'd price up both suppliers and assuming similar prices and no preference on style, go for Wickes if the service void and back panel issues mentioned above don't bother you. HTH

Brian

jennifernil

We have used Ikea ones in our Guide Hall, they are standing up well, been in about 6 years now. We have run the pipework below, in the plinth space.

CKdesigner

Hi

Has anyone actually read what the Ikea 25 year guarantee covers?

All it covers is defects in material and workmanship.

Wether a claim is covered is solely at Ikeas discretion, the guarantee is not transferable if you sell your house with the kitchen, and this is the best bit - you have to keep your receipt!

So basically if you try to make a claim and they say the problem is due to 'wear and tear' or 'miss use' then its not covered!

Talking about quality, Ikea kitchen drawers are tested for 200,000 cycles with 8.2kgs of wieght - ours are tested with a minimum of 40kgs!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you are better off with another DIY store type cheap kitchen. Its like most things in life you get what you pay for and if you can't afford anything better then what choice do you have, but as long as you know its no where near the quality of say a John Lewis or most German kitchen manufacturers, then that's fine.

CK

Basil1234

well i would go with ikea my kitchen £1750 same kitchen priced up in wickes £2500 guarnetees say it all really. best way you can see why is go visit ikea store kitchen dept see all the clever ideas they have come up with also in regard to the backs being hardboard yes they are but if the cabinet is against the wall solid how is it going to move also with units against the wall cuboards are really nice and deep no wasted space! mine has all gas dampers and soft closing draws etc.
parts made all around the world cabinets 18mm come from lithunia, hinges from austria if i remember right draw runners from germany and gas dampers from germany basically they have not scrimped on where there parts have come from if anything i would say they are better than the rest go have a look at there kitchen dept and have a physical look and feel i don't think you will be dissappointed.

Drea2904

I would go with IKEA any day, they can always get the old style doors and the guarantees covers it, albeit you need to wait for it to come from sweden, but these doors are still covered. The service from the planning, customer service (returns) and fitting (as I also had this which is also guaranteed and any problems the company come out to fix) was second to none.

SailorSam

There's no comparison, ask any kitchen fitter Ikea is far better for both price and quality,
My Mum; sister and i have all used them and would never go anywhere else.

shaz-ann

We went to Wickes last year out of curiosity for a quote to see how much they would charge for a kitchen. In the end even though we specified middle range units etc, it turned out far more expensive than it should have been, the built in oven, hob, fridge-freezer etc which were chosen by Wickes could be purchased for half the price on the internet.

It may be worth getting hold of a qualified kitchen fitter or joiner. Luckily we have one in the family who could get the units etc from a trade supplier (Howdens). The units, appliances and cost of fitting worked out less than half of what it would have been if we'd gone down the DIY showroom route. Admittely we saved some money by knowing someone in the trade, but if you're spending so much money on a kitchen you want it to last and it's probably best getting a professional in if you can afford to.

CKdesigner

Drea2904 wrote: »

I would go with IKEA any day, they can always get the old style doors and the guarantees covers it, albeit you need to wait for it to come from sweden, but these doors are still covered. The service from the planning, customer service (returns) and fitting (as I also had this which is also guaranteed and any problems the company come out to fix) was second to none.

Hi

Actually the guarantee doesn't cover it. They will only carry replacement doors for a maximum of 2 years after they delete a range. THE GUARANTEE ONLY COVERS DEFECTS IN MATERIAL AND WORKMANSHIP. Normal everyday wear and tear is NOT covered.

All this information is in the PDF document on their website. The guarantee is the usual marketing rubbish that's not worth a thing. But hey its still 25 years!

CK

Drea2904

I think you'll find that if the store can still order it from sweden and its after 2 years they will, All stock does not disapear within 2 years. Firstly they can source from any loose hand/orphan within stores, and you would be surprised at what customer services can source with regard to dis-continued products. This has been proven within the previous Nexus range, the ranges are very similar although they changed supplier 4 years ago and i received a door from the previous range 8 months ago.

Everyones experience is different, the op just wanted opinions, mine of IKEA has been good but i bet there are thousands whose havent!

polybear

Drea2904 wrote: »

..... and you would be surprised at what customer services can source with regard to dis-continued products.

You'll be amazed at just how difficult it can be to find someone at IKEA that knows how to do it though! I visited three separate departments (Customer Service, Kitchens, Supervisors) and all said it wasn't possible. I even had the part number of the doors I needed, but it didn't come up on their computers any more. Fortunately I found someone who wouldn't give up and eventually found the correct area on the IKEA website (www.aftersales.ikea.com) that held old numbers etc. for special order (note that this info is only available to IKEA stores I think - I tried accessing it at home but couldn't).

I did note that the display kitchen used the old style (colour) doors - only the individual door sample was correct, but this was about a hundred feet away from the display kitchen. Some people may have been a bit surprised when opening their new kitchens........

Brian