ban-all-sheds
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Interested in anybody’s experiences with these.
Good/bad/indifferent?
Useful fitting tips?
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timfoley
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Welcome to the forum Ban-all-sheds. Great name and a good sentiment.
The concept is nothing new although you could be fooled by this if you visit their website. The cabinets are flat pack and the price is only affected by the doors you choose – so
what’s new.
It always mystifies me how companies marketing kitchens decide to use an example that includes appliances, sinks and accessories in their adverts. Why show them when the price only
includes half of the things you see? They underestimate the awareness of the modern consumer and Ikea are no different here.
Cabinet specifications should be detailed for every cabinet manufacturer but invariably you find that only those who manufacture quality components, are prepared to highlight them.
Anyway, back to the point, no co-ordinated cabinets, seperate plinth frames, flatpack carcases – you get what you pay for and there is a world of difference between Ikea and Wentworth
for example.
Fitting tips ? Not much different to those than highlighted in the articles.
Let us know how you.
One thing I’m wondering here. Is Ikea classed as a shed?
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ban-all-sheds
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timfoley wrote:
Welcome to the forum Ban-all-sheds. Great name and a good sentiment.
The concept is nothing new although you could be fooled by this if you visit their website. The cabinets are flat pack and the price is only affected by the doors you choose – so
what’s new
Nothing’s new – it’s quite obvious what they are, particularly if you’re familiar with their other furniture.
Someone wrote:
Anyway, back to the point, no co-ordinated cabinets, seperate plinth frames, flatpack carcases – you get what you pay for and there is a world of difference between
Ikea and Wentworth for example.
Indeed – but sadly I can’t afford the likes of Wentworth 
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timfoley
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Sorry if I came across as a bit of a prude using Wentworth as an example but the point I was trying to convey was in evidence
by your response.
It’s ridiculous that you should have to make improvements to a cabinet in order that it becomes acceptable. It would seem that you have the capabilitiy to do so but I suspect many of
their customers do not and a greater number wouldn’t expect to have to
There are alternative suppliers that offer better value for your money and that, in esence, is what I’m trying to say. Unfortunately the ones I speak of do not have the marketing
budgets of Ikea and it’s unlikely they will appear on an a tv advert or in a glossy mag but they do exist albeit at a greater cost.
On the same rule, there are also high end suppliers whose cabinets are overpriced for the specification you would expect from your outlay.
I am fortunate enough to have worked in the business for 23 yrs and am able to recognise the difference but most of the visitors to this site are not hence the website tips on what to
look for when choosing a kitchen.
White cabinets with white doors will not present you with a problem regarding co-ordination but it is still an issue to many customers choosing alternative colours or shades and is
widely available elsewhere.
I respect and agree with your design comments regarding white appliances with coloured or wooden doors but have to say that they have, for a long time, been less popular than
stainless steel and don’t appear in many of the brochures I see.
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ban-all-sheds
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timfoley wrote:
Sorry if I came across as a bit of a prude using
Wentworth as an example but the point I was trying to convey was in evidence by your response.
Oh – don’t worry – I quite accept that you get what you pay for, mostly, and that there are also cases where you get a bit less than you pay for, unless you put a value on the name.
I haven’t shopped for appliances for a couple of years, so I hadn’t noticed a drop-off in white – maybe it’s those clinical Germans – mine are all Miele, and white was the
predominant colour, except for ovens, when I bought them.
Anyway – thanks for your help and advice – kitchen is next years project – I’ll let you all know how it goes…
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timfoley
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Some times the value is all in the name providing the name has earned a good reputation and has plans to maintain and inprove upon it.
Miele are a good example of this.
Keep us updated with your progress
Good luck.
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Captain Lockheed
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For what it’s worth, I’ve had quite a good look at the
Faktum kitchens as it’s my partner’s preferred choice for our new kitchen.
The cabinets seem to be pretty much the same as B&Q etc; white melamine faced chipboard, basic hinges, hardboard back etc. The advantage seems to be in the doors, as they tend to
use proper wood veneers (albeit only cheap ones), so they don’t look as cheap or plasticky as the ‘wood effect’ foils from most of the retail barns. One slightly odd thing is that
many of their base cabinets, apart from the ones for built ins, don’t appear to have any void at the rear.
I think their sizes are a bit odd; with beds, wardrobes etc. they seem to use european / metric standards, and I think it may be the same with the kitchens; their quoted installed
height is 860 mm, compared with most of the other catalogue’s 870 – 890.
In the catalogue they quote their prices as complete units with the door of your choice, but if you look in the store the stuff’s all priced separately; door, cabinet, hinges, etc,
which may make things a bit more flexible than the catalogue implies.
They used to have a terrible reputation for stuff not fitting together, bits missing, damage; all the usual flat pack nightmares, but I think they’ve got over that now; as you say,
other furniture I’ve had from them’s not been bad by the standards of flat pack stuff, and it’s certainly better value than some of the other retail barns – but at the end of the
day it is flatpack, and as Tim says you get what you pay for.
The one thing that does slightly put me off is that they don’t do much in the way of odds and ends – edging tape, corner posts, trims etc., and this could be a problem – I spoke to
one guy in the Bristol store about this and he said they tend to cut down their end panels to make filler strips and the like – OK if you’re good with a saw & don’t split the
veneer!
It looks as if we’re definitely going for Ikea, so I’ll keep you all posted!
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timfoley
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No void at the rear is a major disadvantage and will further complicate fitting. The void is invaluable for accommodating
services and should be at least 40mm. The difficulty is that in addition to having to install crossing pipework inside the cabinets you no longer have the ability to scribe the unit
to out of plumb walls efficiently, without altering the cabinets to suit.
An installation height of 860mm may cause problems with the fitting of freestanding appliances unless accommodated for at the preparation stage i.e. raising the units to account for
washer, d/washer after flooring. Little tolerance and extra vigilance required by the fitter here to ensure salisfactory installation.
Kitchens are on the face of it very similar but one look behind the doors will educate you more on the difference between manufacturers. Sometimes what you save in cost you pay for in
time and effort and examples like I’ve highlighted above will cost you in both.
A lack of essential accessories like corner posts, edging etc. is a worrying factor if this is the case, and having highlighted all the misgivings I remain bemused at your decision to
buy from Ikea.
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Anonymous
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I have to
say I have the same concerns. Our kitchen layout will avoid the need for a lot of the trim bits and pieces, but it still won’t make life easy, and I’m concerned over the same
potential fitting problems. I may be wrong about the lack of a rear void but, apart from the high cabinets for built in fridges / ovens, the units I looked at in the showroom didn’t
appear to have them. Apart from the fitting problems I’m not sure that I like the idea of exposed pipework at the back of the cabinets.
We’re going to have play around with free standing appliances anyway, as in fact we’re going to stand whatever cabinets we get on legs, partly to give a higher than standard
worksurface for ergonomic reasons – we’re both fairly tall and already have bad backs from too much bending. I’m not very happy with the cabinet height, though, as it will present
problems with the double oven and possibly other areas; I don’t like the idea of a dropped line along the base of the units, if only from a ‘look and feel’ point of view, and I
think it may also cause problems with the bottom bracketry.
Normally I’d dismiss it if it was just a price thing – it’s very easy to buy cheap and then do the money you’ve saved in hassle. The problem is that given the birch wood look we
want, and the price we can afford, it does look a lot better than a lot of the competition, and my partner is very definite that it’s the particular kitchen she wants! I had thought
of buying the Ikea doors and fitting them to someone elses cabinets, but the height mismatch rules that out.
Thanks again for your comments Tim; – watch this space!
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timfoley
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Have you contemplated approaching a cabinet
manufacturer and asking them to build cabinets to your comfortable height specifications ?
At the same time you could ask them to manufacture the frames to suit the doors you require.
There are many cabinet manufacturers operating independently nationwide and I’m certain they would be happy for your business.
A google search in your area is one of the best places to start.
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albie
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Great site here… 
I am installing an Ikea kitchen as we speak. They are great , really nice and easy to put together. I bought one B&Q unit and put this together , it was not as easy, Ikea stuff
works , why dont the other guys just copy it…..
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brumster
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Ok, I’ll chip in here as I have just (almost) completed an installation of an Ikea Faktum kitchen (Stat white) so feel I can possibly add something. First
off, I am *not* a professional in anyway although people tell me I’m “okay” at the odd bit of DIY 
10. The instructions for placing of the integrated oven into the full-height unit are vague, and don’t provide enough information – so it was a case of “suck it and see” with that
unit, and a bit of jiggery pokery was needed before we got it as Ikea intended!
All in all, very very happy with it and it put us well under our original budget for what we had in mind.
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timfoley
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Brumster,
It’s great to hear that you have completed the work with the minimum of fuss and the maximum of satisfaction. You can quite rightly blow you’re own trumpet as I see it.
I’d be interested to learn whether you utilised the articles to assist you and if you installed the wall units before the base units, what was your opinion.
Enjoy your new kitchen and well done.
Tim
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brumster
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Hi Tim,
We did put the wall units on before the base units, yes, although I must admit I wasn’t aware of any guide that suggested this  . It just seemed the more logical/easier way of
doing it. Traditionally, then, is this not what is usually done?
It makes hanging and adjusting of the cabinets obviously much easier for access reasons. There was two of us so we managed without a dead-man and they fair flew up.
Cheers,
Dan
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timfoley
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It is the method of
installation I suggest through the website articles yet one that still cuts no ice with a number of people.
It is the logical way and provides a failsafe method of worktop protection during installation.
Worktops prove an obstacle if fitting the wall units takes place after fitting the base cabinets, unless of course you use them as a platform.
Not a method I would suggest and one that may raise the eyebrows of your client.
Horses for courses I suppose but logical nevertheless.
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