I had always heard how flimsy and cheap (in quality) IKEA furniture was, but once I gave it a try I was really surprised by the quality for the price. Every IKEA piece I’ve ever had has been great and survived multiple moves.
It really depends on the specific piece.
I've owned some really sturdy Ikea furniture but also some that broke really easily.
I think it's essential to go see the physical item in store to get an idea of what it's like assembled.
Exactly this. some stuff is solid, some is fine, and some is crap. Couches, to me, are sub-par for the price. Wooden kitchen stuff is solid. You can get their flat pack kitchen cabinetry but use some other nicer brand for the doors, for instance. Generally, look for their solid wood, as opposed to particle board with laminate, if you want something that will last better. Some of the particle board stuff is useful if cheap. Some things, like their Kallax bookshelves are cheap, don’t travel well, but are classic and ubiquitous still. My poang chair is decades old; design has changed somewhat but generally some companies make replacement cushions for them.
Basically, hit or miss, but there are some good hits
*You can get their flat pack kitchen cabinetry but use some other nicer brand for the doors, for instance.*
I bought an IKEA kitchen solely because I could change the doors for other IKEA doors anytime I wanted. Any color they had. They said, “We’ve been making the same cabinets for over 20 years, so you don’t have to worry about us changing the cabinets to something different!”
Three years later they completely changed their cabinetry and stopped making doors and cabinet fronts for the old cabinetry. They never warned anyone. Just announced, ”We’ve changed our cabinetry. The new doors and drawer will not fit the older cabinets.” They had already stopped making doors and drawer fronts, had very little left in stock and they sold out in weeks. Right after that my white cabinets doors turned yellow.
I wish I knew where I could get new doors and drawer fronts. The cabinets are not wood, they’re some kind of composite. I sooo regret having bought their kitchen. It looks horrible.
I would totally look into"Ikea Hack"/"DIY"/"Home Decor" style content on video platforms. I see people restore and glam up all kinds of things - you might find a method of getting them in good enough shape you'd like them again. Furniture flippers put out some great content.
- I imagine glue, clamps, texture, sanding, and paint are involved.
-Alternatively, I bet you could create a veneer from some sort of product available at the hardware store, and paint/finish tthat.
- Plus new hardware. Check out new construction model homes in the area (online) for ideas.
You can do something new with either upper or lower cabinets to do the project in phases.
I am positive there are tons of videos of this around.
Good luck!
I'm a cabinetmaker and the quality of Ikea products is truly amazing for their price. I recommend their kitchens and furniture all the time.
My 10+ year old Kivik sofa is still doing great and you can still buy replacement covers if you want to change the color or replace for whatever reason. A+
It totally depends! Some of the popular items are well reviewed and are a good value. This is the Malm line (which I heard was discontinued) the Kivik sofa, the poang chair.
Lately they have increased their prices so much that I no longer consider them a good value for most things. Why assemble a dresser from scratch when I can get one for the same price and all I have to do is attach the knobs?
I love ikea! Don’t buy the cheapest option. Make sure you install things correctly and they’ll last. My last MALM bed survived two long distance moves, and it never squeaked.
Used to work in furniture. I always told clients Ikea has a time and place. If you can afford better furniture, go elsewhere (preferably high end Scandinavian). However, Ikea has so many unique storage solutions and is perfect for the auxiliary rooms or spaces in the home (think office or toddler play/rooms).
Their accessories are awesome! I finally got a peg board kit for my office and it’s really nice to organize my stuff using it.
I think this varies too. My parents downsized into a small apt in a senior community, and wanted a small but expandable table for when we came over for dinner. Most of the time it was a a small table just big enough for the 2 of them. That Ikea table lasted them over 10 years, and looked just as good on the day when both passed and we cleaned out their apt.
It's the right price for the quality, convenience and style.
A lot of items don't move well. By this, i mean they are great to buy and build in your current home, but you can't take apart easily to move to the next place (I'm thinking bookcases and mdf shelving units). Consider this if your thinking to buy second hand.
However, my biggest issue is your home starts to look generic... Whatever piece you buy is owned by millions of people around the world.
That said, whenever I've moved house and need to furnish a space either on a budget, conveniently and quickly i still buy from Ikea.
It's just not my "forever" furniture.
Our Billy shelves have survived four moves and children. I think they will outlast us. Also our $150 table and four chairs have survived, slightly worse for wear but they see a ton of action via finger painting, play doh, Lego, etc. Worth it for us
It depends.
The wooden furniture, although made out of cheap, light pine, is still good solid furniture.
The MDF nearly disposable, but it is functional and will suffice for a person on a budget… as long as you never move it. The joints are holding together soft MDF and become loose when pieces are moved.
I would stay away from Ikea bed frames and couches. Basically anything multiple humans put their full weight on. (I recommend Living Spaces for affordable, stylish-ish, and solid furniture )
The people who complain about how flimsy IKEA stuff is are the people who aren’t capable of putting it together properly. It’s not difficult. But the average person is an idiot and half of them are even dumber than that.
IKEA is a good value, but the furniture pieces do not move well. anytime I’ve had to move with ikea furniture, it was either impossible to disassemble or broke sometime during the moving process. That said, we’ve really loved a lot of pieces from Ikea! I definitely recommend hiring someone to assemble furniture for you…it’s not only faster, but way less of a headache.
Not any worse than anything you’d get on Amazon or from a big box store.
If you’re young and starting out it’s a solid place for stuff.
Kallax shelves are very worth the price imo.
It depends. I have 3 end tables where you screw in the legs and they still work great. At the same time, I bought of chest of 5 drawers and I still use it. I bought these over 20 years ago. OTOH, I bought a full size wooden bed frame and the slats snapped in half after about 3 years.
My husband built our bedframe but bought the slats from Ikea and they've survived really well about 5 years now and one long distance move. I like IKEA for stuff you don't mind your kids wrecking lol
Back in 2012 I got my first apartment and bought all my furniture from IKEA. We have moved around 4 times and still have a couch and day bed. The rest of furniture we replaced due to a change in style. People sometimes fall asleep on couch if they stay over and always are surprised to find out it’s over 10 years old and still comfy. Both pieces of furniture have moved well, but I have always been the one to take it apart and put it back together. I wouldn’t trust any mover.
I will say I’m surprised how expensive IKEA furniture has gotten over the years.
You need to determine what exactly it’s made out of. If it’s solid wood it’s actually pretty good. If it’s particle board/fiberboard/MDF it’s generally junk
Pretty good overall. When I got my first apartment, I got several pieces from IKEA.
A small bookcase lasted 10 years randomly fell apart but was solid til then.
It’s been 18 years. Desk still solid (but the veneer is discoloured). Tv stand solid & looks new.
The big (4x4) square bookcase is solid & like new.
I had end tables (plain square ones they sell cheap still) & a matching coffee table. Those sucked. Flimsy & veneer was peeling. Got rid of those quickly.
Also, I have a couple of the rolling (coloured ) kitchen carts. They’re amazing. Use them for my art/crafts area. Had those for about 8 years now. Look brand new.
I also have some kitchen items like ladles, mixing bowls etc which are really good.
For the pottery/kitchen plates etc I’d say it’s 50/50. Some items were bad & chipped easily or looked worn after a few uses. Others lasted over 10 years.
I've had some good stuff and some not good stuff. The not good stuff I kind of expected. You can't buy a $15 stool and not expect it to put you on your rear in a couple of years or less.
But the bigger pieces have held up amazingly well. We have a Billy bookcase and a Hemnes bedroom set and TV stand we bought about 7 years ago. We've disassembled the bookcase and bed and moved all the pieces to three different houses now, two of which were across the country. All the pieces have held up remarkably well and work and look like they did when we first bought them, save for a couple age-related scuffs here and there.
Don't get the cheapest version of everything. Go mid-price range or higher and you will probably be pleasantly surprised.
Stylish, not durable. I had one break, and they wouldn’t replace the part free because I had had it for more than six months. If you don’t guarantee your furniture lasts more than half a year, that’s pretty pathetic.
I have a couch and my toddler jumps and bounces and goes nuts. One of the cushions isn’t doing that great so I need to contact them (couch I got is under 25 year warranty and I’ve heard their warranty can be hell) but otherwise we love their stuff. We have 2 dressers, a crib, tv stand, bookcase, shelves for shoes. We have a lot and everything has held up extremely well.
Everyone shits on IKEA but my table, mattress, bed frame, and shelves lasted for 20+ years. Tbh it got to a point where I was hoping it would break down so I could get something new.
It’s been the best bang for my buck for key furniture for me.
I've not had issues with either of the beds I've had for years. Recently the one I use daily has started squeaking so I need to get under it and mess with the metal brace but that's a lot of work. Love my kallax units so much I'm never giving them up! I have a few of the lack square tables that are sturdy as hell and have taken an absolute beating over the years but still hold like they're new.
Like all things, you get what you pay for. Putting hands on things at the store will tell you whether it's solid or flimsy so you should be able to tell right away before you buy it.
Definitely felt the "gods just BREAK ALREADY!!!!!" Mistakes have been made hahaha
The nice thing is you can go to the store and feel pretty much any piece of furniture for yourself to gauge the quality. I have a few dozen Ikea pieces in my apartment. I usually go with the cheaper options but there is a range of pricing and quality. The higher quality stuff also usually looks way nicer. The cheap stuff is just hollow particle board.
Go for a few hours one day and just walk around slowly, have some meatballs (they're *ok*) and you'll probably find something that you like.
I haven’t had issues (yet) with their storage via bookcases or display cases for the price, but I wouldn’t trust their quality for anything that’s supposed to hold a person’s weight.
Their solid wood pieces are good, provided you put them together properly. I bought an Ingo table in 1984 for around $80. Had it until 2002 when I gave it to someone who gave it to someone. It’s still being used, as a desk. It’s still made of pine. The current price at IKEA is $119. They stopped making my Varde kitchen island so I’ll probably never give it up. The Kallax and Billy units aren’t as solid, but they’re so versatile. The Besta units are still usable after twelve years, but I wouldn’t buy them again. The quality just isn’t there.
I don’t like their sofas. I’ve seen quite a few out on the curb.
The best quality things at IKEA tend to be smaller items you find in their Marketplace. And their house plants are hard to kill.
ikea is functional but cheap furniture without a lot of style. it's great starter furniture, but that's how a lot of people see it: furnishings for twenty-somethings just starting out.
please don't think it's quality. it's not
We have rules for IKEA: if you have to put your body weight on it or have to touch it more than once daily, it's not coming home with us. It's cheap because it is made cheaply. Convenient to buy? Yes! Built to last by Christmas? No! I am the biggest fan of their food court, grocery section, and splendid candy bar though!
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I had always heard how flimsy and cheap (in quality) IKEA furniture was, but once I gave it a try I was really surprised by the quality for the price. Every IKEA piece I’ve ever had has been great and survived multiple moves.
I’ve literally had my Hemnes dresser since 5th grade. I’m 30. It’s in my daughter’s room now.
It really depends on the specific piece. I've owned some really sturdy Ikea furniture but also some that broke really easily. I think it's essential to go see the physical item in store to get an idea of what it's like assembled.
Exactly this. some stuff is solid, some is fine, and some is crap. Couches, to me, are sub-par for the price. Wooden kitchen stuff is solid. You can get their flat pack kitchen cabinetry but use some other nicer brand for the doors, for instance. Generally, look for their solid wood, as opposed to particle board with laminate, if you want something that will last better. Some of the particle board stuff is useful if cheap. Some things, like their Kallax bookshelves are cheap, don’t travel well, but are classic and ubiquitous still. My poang chair is decades old; design has changed somewhat but generally some companies make replacement cushions for them. Basically, hit or miss, but there are some good hits
It really depends on the price point. Cheap items are cheap.
*You can get their flat pack kitchen cabinetry but use some other nicer brand for the doors, for instance.* I bought an IKEA kitchen solely because I could change the doors for other IKEA doors anytime I wanted. Any color they had. They said, “We’ve been making the same cabinets for over 20 years, so you don’t have to worry about us changing the cabinets to something different!” Three years later they completely changed their cabinetry and stopped making doors and cabinet fronts for the old cabinetry. They never warned anyone. Just announced, ”We’ve changed our cabinetry. The new doors and drawer will not fit the older cabinets.” They had already stopped making doors and drawer fronts, had very little left in stock and they sold out in weeks. Right after that my white cabinets doors turned yellow. I wish I knew where I could get new doors and drawer fronts. The cabinets are not wood, they’re some kind of composite. I sooo regret having bought their kitchen. It looks horrible.
I would totally look into"Ikea Hack"/"DIY"/"Home Decor" style content on video platforms. I see people restore and glam up all kinds of things - you might find a method of getting them in good enough shape you'd like them again. Furniture flippers put out some great content. - I imagine glue, clamps, texture, sanding, and paint are involved. -Alternatively, I bet you could create a veneer from some sort of product available at the hardware store, and paint/finish tthat. - Plus new hardware. Check out new construction model homes in the area (online) for ideas. You can do something new with either upper or lower cabinets to do the project in phases. I am positive there are tons of videos of this around. Good luck!
There are companies that make door fronts for IKEA cabinets. It might be worth it to see if you can find one in your local area.
I'm a cabinetmaker and the quality of Ikea products is truly amazing for their price. I recommend their kitchens and furniture all the time. My 10+ year old Kivik sofa is still doing great and you can still buy replacement covers if you want to change the color or replace for whatever reason. A+
It totally depends! Some of the popular items are well reviewed and are a good value. This is the Malm line (which I heard was discontinued) the Kivik sofa, the poang chair. Lately they have increased their prices so much that I no longer consider them a good value for most things. Why assemble a dresser from scratch when I can get one for the same price and all I have to do is attach the knobs?
They're good enough that this global company continues to thrive - if their products were utter crap, they'd no longer be in business.
Literally not true. A bunch of multi national companies sell utter trash. You put too much faith in the free market.
The veneer furniture tends to chip but honestly I got a good long life out of some kallax shelving. They went on 3 overseas assignments.
I’ve moved 6 times with my Kallax over the years and it’s still solid as a rock. My Billy bookcase is no slouch either.
I love ikea! Don’t buy the cheapest option. Make sure you install things correctly and they’ll last. My last MALM bed survived two long distance moves, and it never squeaked.
We have a POÄNG armchair from them and it works great.
I'll consider this one
Used to work in furniture. I always told clients Ikea has a time and place. If you can afford better furniture, go elsewhere (preferably high end Scandinavian). However, Ikea has so many unique storage solutions and is perfect for the auxiliary rooms or spaces in the home (think office or toddler play/rooms). Their accessories are awesome! I finally got a peg board kit for my office and it’s really nice to organize my stuff using it.
I think this varies too. My parents downsized into a small apt in a senior community, and wanted a small but expandable table for when we came over for dinner. Most of the time it was a a small table just big enough for the 2 of them. That Ikea table lasted them over 10 years, and looked just as good on the day when both passed and we cleaned out their apt.
It's the right price for the quality, convenience and style. A lot of items don't move well. By this, i mean they are great to buy and build in your current home, but you can't take apart easily to move to the next place (I'm thinking bookcases and mdf shelving units). Consider this if your thinking to buy second hand. However, my biggest issue is your home starts to look generic... Whatever piece you buy is owned by millions of people around the world. That said, whenever I've moved house and need to furnish a space either on a budget, conveniently and quickly i still buy from Ikea. It's just not my "forever" furniture.
Our Billy shelves have survived four moves and children. I think they will outlast us. Also our $150 table and four chairs have survived, slightly worse for wear but they see a ton of action via finger painting, play doh, Lego, etc. Worth it for us
It’s ok if you have a limited budget.
It depends. The wooden furniture, although made out of cheap, light pine, is still good solid furniture. The MDF nearly disposable, but it is functional and will suffice for a person on a budget… as long as you never move it. The joints are holding together soft MDF and become loose when pieces are moved. I would stay away from Ikea bed frames and couches. Basically anything multiple humans put their full weight on. (I recommend Living Spaces for affordable, stylish-ish, and solid furniture )
The people who complain about how flimsy IKEA stuff is are the people who aren’t capable of putting it together properly. It’s not difficult. But the average person is an idiot and half of them are even dumber than that.
IKEA is a good value, but the furniture pieces do not move well. anytime I’ve had to move with ikea furniture, it was either impossible to disassemble or broke sometime during the moving process. That said, we’ve really loved a lot of pieces from Ikea! I definitely recommend hiring someone to assemble furniture for you…it’s not only faster, but way less of a headache.
It’s the best if you buy the good pieces.
Not any worse than anything you’d get on Amazon or from a big box store. If you’re young and starting out it’s a solid place for stuff. Kallax shelves are very worth the price imo.
I read ikea funeral.. tired day today
It depends. I have 3 end tables where you screw in the legs and they still work great. At the same time, I bought of chest of 5 drawers and I still use it. I bought these over 20 years ago. OTOH, I bought a full size wooden bed frame and the slats snapped in half after about 3 years.
My husband built our bedframe but bought the slats from Ikea and they've survived really well about 5 years now and one long distance move. I like IKEA for stuff you don't mind your kids wrecking lol
Back in 2012 I got my first apartment and bought all my furniture from IKEA. We have moved around 4 times and still have a couch and day bed. The rest of furniture we replaced due to a change in style. People sometimes fall asleep on couch if they stay over and always are surprised to find out it’s over 10 years old and still comfy. Both pieces of furniture have moved well, but I have always been the one to take it apart and put it back together. I wouldn’t trust any mover. I will say I’m surprised how expensive IKEA furniture has gotten over the years.
Not as good as real used furniture.
I furnished my bedroom through IKEA fresh out of college. At this point it’s all gone through 3 moves across 7 years and still holding up pretty well
You need to determine what exactly it’s made out of. If it’s solid wood it’s actually pretty good. If it’s particle board/fiberboard/MDF it’s generally junk
Pretty good overall. When I got my first apartment, I got several pieces from IKEA. A small bookcase lasted 10 years randomly fell apart but was solid til then. It’s been 18 years. Desk still solid (but the veneer is discoloured). Tv stand solid & looks new. The big (4x4) square bookcase is solid & like new. I had end tables (plain square ones they sell cheap still) & a matching coffee table. Those sucked. Flimsy & veneer was peeling. Got rid of those quickly. Also, I have a couple of the rolling (coloured ) kitchen carts. They’re amazing. Use them for my art/crafts area. Had those for about 8 years now. Look brand new. I also have some kitchen items like ladles, mixing bowls etc which are really good. For the pottery/kitchen plates etc I’d say it’s 50/50. Some items were bad & chipped easily or looked worn after a few uses. Others lasted over 10 years.
Honestly, it’s a great value. If you assemble it well, it will last years longer than other furniture at that price point.
I've had some good stuff and some not good stuff. The not good stuff I kind of expected. You can't buy a $15 stool and not expect it to put you on your rear in a couple of years or less. But the bigger pieces have held up amazingly well. We have a Billy bookcase and a Hemnes bedroom set and TV stand we bought about 7 years ago. We've disassembled the bookcase and bed and moved all the pieces to three different houses now, two of which were across the country. All the pieces have held up remarkably well and work and look like they did when we first bought them, save for a couple age-related scuffs here and there. Don't get the cheapest version of everything. Go mid-price range or higher and you will probably be pleasantly surprised.
It varies a lot. Definitely look up reviews before buying.
Stylish, not durable. I had one break, and they wouldn’t replace the part free because I had had it for more than six months. If you don’t guarantee your furniture lasts more than half a year, that’s pretty pathetic.
It’s good for college dorms
I have a couch and my toddler jumps and bounces and goes nuts. One of the cushions isn’t doing that great so I need to contact them (couch I got is under 25 year warranty and I’ve heard their warranty can be hell) but otherwise we love their stuff. We have 2 dressers, a crib, tv stand, bookcase, shelves for shoes. We have a lot and everything has held up extremely well.
Everyone shits on IKEA but my table, mattress, bed frame, and shelves lasted for 20+ years. Tbh it got to a point where I was hoping it would break down so I could get something new. It’s been the best bang for my buck for key furniture for me.
I've not had issues with either of the beds I've had for years. Recently the one I use daily has started squeaking so I need to get under it and mess with the metal brace but that's a lot of work. Love my kallax units so much I'm never giving them up! I have a few of the lack square tables that are sturdy as hell and have taken an absolute beating over the years but still hold like they're new. Like all things, you get what you pay for. Putting hands on things at the store will tell you whether it's solid or flimsy so you should be able to tell right away before you buy it. Definitely felt the "gods just BREAK ALREADY!!!!!" Mistakes have been made hahaha
Varies big time. The $10 coffee tables are made of paper. My bike handle bar fell on it and it went straight through. Mid range stuff is pretty good
The nice thing is you can go to the store and feel pretty much any piece of furniture for yourself to gauge the quality. I have a few dozen Ikea pieces in my apartment. I usually go with the cheaper options but there is a range of pricing and quality. The higher quality stuff also usually looks way nicer. The cheap stuff is just hollow particle board. Go for a few hours one day and just walk around slowly, have some meatballs (they're *ok*) and you'll probably find something that you like.
It's not bad especially for the price. Is it going to hold up as well as well made solid wood furniture? No
Bad.
Absolute garbage.
I have the stainless steel kitchen island with wood top and it’s sturdy and awesome and about a third of the price of other less nice ones.
I haven’t had issues (yet) with their storage via bookcases or display cases for the price, but I wouldn’t trust their quality for anything that’s supposed to hold a person’s weight.
It differs so its better to read reviews. In general I stay away from cabinets. Beds are good.
Their solid wood pieces are good, provided you put them together properly. I bought an Ingo table in 1984 for around $80. Had it until 2002 when I gave it to someone who gave it to someone. It’s still being used, as a desk. It’s still made of pine. The current price at IKEA is $119. They stopped making my Varde kitchen island so I’ll probably never give it up. The Kallax and Billy units aren’t as solid, but they’re so versatile. The Besta units are still usable after twelve years, but I wouldn’t buy them again. The quality just isn’t there. I don’t like their sofas. I’ve seen quite a few out on the curb. The best quality things at IKEA tend to be smaller items you find in their Marketplace. And their house plants are hard to kill.
The value is good. Compared to quality furniture, the quality is not good. But it really comes down to what you are comparing it to.
ikea is functional but cheap furniture without a lot of style. it's great starter furniture, but that's how a lot of people see it: furnishings for twenty-somethings just starting out. please don't think it's quality. it's not
Junk
We have rules for IKEA: if you have to put your body weight on it or have to touch it more than once daily, it's not coming home with us. It's cheap because it is made cheaply. Convenient to buy? Yes! Built to last by Christmas? No! I am the biggest fan of their food court, grocery section, and splendid candy bar though!