Kitchen installation by IKEA contractor

Does it really mean quality?

Few people know this, but IKEA hasn't had its own assembly service for several years. Several contractors, such as SuperSoused or TechWood, do all the orientation and assembly work. Each of these companies has several assembly teams. Usually 2 to 4. And these teams are responsible for making your kitchen look good. The biggest problem is that 2/3 of these teams are not professionals!

Complaints, repairs and again...

When we worked with one of the contract installers, we were surprised at the large amount of repairs we were sent to. Damaged drawer fronts, drilled through cover panels, countertops cut too short, etc, etc. Sometimes it was quite obvious that the contractor's installation team simply did not have experience with IKEA's technology guidelines. They simply didn't know how to do some things, so they did it the best way they could think of. Unfortunately, this was all too obvious to the clients.

IKEA will, of course, pay for any repairs. But remember, you paid a hefty sum for a perfectly assembled kitchen, not to have it repaired! Repairs also take time. And if, for example, an inexperienced worker messes up your bespoke worktop, the repair time could be up to two months.

See photo 1. This is how the SuperSoused installation team, an IKEA contractor, prepared the kitchen for the worktop installation. No joining of cabinets, no leveling, nothing... That means + 3 hours of work to assemble the worktop.

In photo 2, another IKEA contractor's installation team has come up with this modification to the hole under the sink. Although the IKEA instructions state that this hole must be treated with silicone. The foil was damaged when they placed the sink in the hole. This means that in six months time water will get into the hole and the customer will have to replace the worktop.

Photo 3. Focus of a cladding panel from Techwood, also an IKEA contractor. According to the laser, the height of the panel should be 515 mm. Made after measuring by a Techwood expert, the panel, as you can see, was 570 mm high. This means adjusting a 3 m long panel in height, and that side will no longer be trimmed in order.

Photo 4 shows work from the SuperSoused installation team. No one knew that worktops could be joined in such a beautiful way.

Photo 5 shows us another great job by SuperNeighbour. The team probably cut the worktop too deep, so the sink was installed a few inches deeper. And the client wasn't at all happy with the vent that looked down on her from below.

Photo number 6 would have very sad consequences. The team just didn't drill the hole for the water overflow. The client could have closed the sink, let the water run, and forgotten about it...

We have too many photos from our own experience to prove it: about 2/3 of the assembly teams working for IKEA contractors are amateurs. They are „hot-shop assemblers“ from people who have learned to hold the cheapest Parkside screwdriver just to be able to assemble an IKEA chest of drawers.

So if you order an IKEA installation, you have no guarantee that it will be done by professionals. Yes, IKEA guarantees to take care of the repairs. But remember, you're paying for a perfectly assembled kitchen, not a repair!

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