Kitchen Howdens/Ikea

mkaml

Hi.

In an effort to save money my new kitchen is howdens, supply units only.
I've shopped around for everything else.

I'm wondering does anyone have any experience of fitting ikea fittings into howdens units?
I know ikea units are different sizes (deeper) so I'd select the shallow option.

E.g. would this:
 "IKEA Exceptionell Drawer, low with push-to-open, white. 60x37 - 204.478.15"
Fit inside a Howdens unit for use as a cutlery drawer?

I'd like most of my units to have pull out baskets/drawers for easy reaching/mobility reasons - but the cost is high where ever I've looked.

Thanks in advance.

Doozergirl

The only thing you can do is try them, but I very much doubt it.  The holes will be in the wrong place even if the width is perfect.  Chipboard doesn't really enjoy messed with.  

I'm stating the obvious, but the sensible thing to do would be to buy Ikea units if you want the gubbins that go in them.  

ThisIsWeird

Not sure what you are trying to achieve, mkaml?
Which fascias will be on these units - Howdens or IKEA? 
Can it be done? Yes, absolutely, but only with very careful measurements. If doing a number of them, it could be worth making up a template to guide you. Provided the carcase thicknesses are the same - presumably 18mm? - then the widths, at least, should be fine. But everything else will need to be mm perfect.
Who will be fitting this? What's so special about the IKEA drawers? They are 'push to open' mechanisms, which in itself suggests accurate positioning so the drawer fronts are slightly proud of the cabinets to allow for this initial 'push'.
You'd need to ask whoever is fitting the kitchen if they'd be happy with this extra work - and 'extra' it'll almost certainly be.

mkaml

What I'm trying to achieve is saving money.
I thought the site was for this.

I need a lot of different internal things for my units. (Hidden Drawers/bins/larders ect) Howdens is very expensive & Ikea is very cheap.
These are things that multiple places sell and can be retro fitted to any kitchen.
I'm clearly not meaning adding proper drawers to a different sized unit/front.

I can buy everything elsewhere, but ikea has really good options for everything I need in one place.
It's not an 'extra' for fitting as my joiner is aware already. As I stated it's for easy reaching/mobility reasons.

I stated that I know ikea units are a different depth, the width is pretty standard however for all kitchen companies.

The drawer I used as an example is the 'hidden' type. 
No facia required, I have them in my current kitchen (non ikea/howdens) and they are great!

I was simply asking if anyone has done similar and can advise...... in an effort to save money.

jennifernil

There are also places on line that sell other branded drawer boxes and pull outs that come in several sizes.  Brands include Blum and Hafele, and one I cannot remember.  They come in several depths, so you would be able to find a suitable depth.   There are also drawer kits where you buy the sides and runners, but supply your own back and base material, so you can have any width you need, we have also used them.

However, to your original question, yes, if cabinet widths align, Ikea items can be fitted but may mean drilling different mounting holes in the carcase, we have done that in our 36 year old BritIsh made units.

In the Ikea units, although they are deeper, the drawer runners do not go all the way to the back.  There used to be a display thing in the stores where you can see how far back the drawers reached, don’t know if they still have them on display.  We used this to check the actual depth of drawers and runners, so measured our cabinets and compared the results.

ThisIsWeird

mkaml said:

What I'm trying to achieve is saving money.
I thought the site was for this. It is, indeed. My Q was actually as basic as it appears.
I need a lot of different internal things for my units. (Hidden Drawers/bins/larders ect) Howdens is very expensive & Ikea is very cheap.
These are things that multiple places sell and can be retro fitted to any kitchen.
I'm clearly not meaning adding proper drawers to a different sized unit/front. Well, excoooose me! :-)
I stated that I know ikea units are a different depth, the width is pretty standard however for all kitchen companies.
The drawer I used as an example is the 'hidden' type. 
No facia required, I have them in my current kitchen (non ikea/howdens) and they are great!

That's fair enough - yes, Ikea has a fab range of such items, and - yes - they can be fitted to any unit, and quite easily assuming that the internal unit widths are the same.

Ie, I'm assuming that both Howdens and Ikea have 18mm thick carcases?

I'm still not clear whether these drawers will be located behind doors, so that you first open the door, and then have access to the drawer or pull-out rack? If so, fill yer boots, as this should be easy to do, and no great precision required. (These drawer bodies will, of course, required their own fronts).

If your intention is to fit your existing fascias to these new drawers, then mm-precision will be required, but this should come as no issue to a competent fitter or DIYer. 

There are lots of companies that swap just fascias, for example, and they need to align them pretty much spot-on, tho' I suspect their fascias allow for tweaks.

One other thing I'd add - even tho' Ikea carcases are deeper than, say, Howdens', these drawers and racks might not go the full depth into the Ikea units, so do check whether you actually need to go 'short' depth, or could use 'full', and it still fit into the Howdens units. It would be a shame to compromise on storage space if it ain't needed.

Have a look at your current kitchen, for example - pull out a drawer. See how shallow it is in relation to the whole base unit? It would be a shame to go 'short' when full-depth racks and drawers will actually fit. So measure the actual available depth of your Howdens units, and then check that against the Ikea drawers and racks.

Who is going to be doing the work? You or a pro? For the latter, it would be worth running your ideas past them first, I think. For the former, we'll try and assist as best we can.

jonnydeppiwish!

Have you tried DIY kitchens? The quality is very good and the internals bits you want are all well
priced as well.
I would never have a Howdens kitchen again - quality is nowhere near as good as diykitchens.com, plus it all comes assembled bar the feet and handle

jonnydeppiwish!

£4,700 (not including worktops)

rach_k

The dimensions of Ikea fittings are all there on their website under the Weight & Measurements tab of the item info, so you should be able to measure what you have to see if they fit.  It tells you both the size of the unit they fit into and the width of the item.  

Personally, I wouldn't do it.  Ikea stuff is very different to other kitchens I've seen so all of the holes etc are going to be in the wrong place, even if the dimensions will work.  While I'm very happy with the Ikea kitchen I've had for years, I don't know how it (or any kitchen of similar materials) would hold up to modification.  It would be fine if you needed a new hole in a completely empty space, but if you needed a hole right next to or half way through a pre-drilled one, that's just asking for trouble I think.  

I also think it's a waste of space if you are having to use shallow fittings on units that are deeper.  Personally, I'd save up a bit and get ones that will fit properly... I feel like Ikea would be a false economy if you haven't gone with Ikea for everything.

Have you actually ordered your units?  If not, why not get Ikea everything and then you know it'll all fit?  You'd probably save some money too.