If you haven’t already, make sure to check out our YouTube video on all the pros and cons of IKEA Sektion cabinets — and don’t forget to subscribe to our channel as well!
Brutally Honest IKEA Kitchen Cabinets Review
Having had our IKEA Sektion Cabinets for about two years, we’ve learned a thing or two since installation day. If you’re subscribed to our YouTube channel, you probably already know that we’ve had a lot of positive feedback over our “Brutally Honest Ruggable Review“. We appreciate you guys letting us know that you like to hear both the good and the bad about any given product. While we posted an IKEA kitchen tour video and a blog post about our whole IKEA kitchen, there’s still some left unsaid. Here, we want to break down the good and the bad about the IKEA Sektion cabinets, specifically.
If you’ve already seen our previous IKEA Kitchen post & video, most of the “pros” section is going to be a little repetitive. (Although, there is still some new stuff in there.) If this applies to you, you might want to skip down to the “cons of IKEA Sektion Cabinets” section. It won’t hurt my feelings, I promise. 😉 However, if you’re new here, make sure to check out both the pros and cons of IKEA Sektion Cabinets — and why don’t you join us on YouTube, while you’re at it?
Pros of IKEA Sektion Cabinets
- Structurally Strong
- Standard Soft-Close
- DIY Installation
- Crazy Affordable
- Great Warranty
- Easy Replacement Parts
Cons of IKEA Sektion Cabinets
- White Interior
- Inside Peg Holes
- Ordering, delivery, & customer service is a nightmare
- Hard to find good professional help
- Lack of variety in fronts
- Trip to IKEA for replacement parts
IKEA Sektion Cabients – The Good
IKEA Cabinets are Structurally Strong
I don’t need to say much here except for the fact that we have two-inch thick pure concrete countertops sitting on our IKEA Sektion cabinets. We definitely had our doubts putting them on, but two years in, and we haven’t had a single problem. I climb on the countertops regularly to reach high shelves, too, and I’m about 130 lbs for reference. IKEA is notorious for products that extremely well-thought-out and designed products that can withstand wear & tear. Their Sektion cabinet system doesn’t appear to be any different.
Standard Soft-Close Drawers
While big box stores will charge an arm & a leg for upgrades like soft-close drawers and doors, IKEA’s cabinet system includes soft-close drawers standard. I didn’t opt for the soft-close doors the first time around, but I’m going to go back and add them. The upgrade isn’t expensive, and it makes way more of a difference than I anticipated. Plan on paying literally hundreds or thousands to upgrade to soft-close with box store kitchen storage.
IKEA Sektion Cabinets are DIY Installation Friendly
Ian is definitely the handyman and construction guy in our house. That being said, he hates… HATES putting together IKEA products. The process is just so different than what he’s used to. I, however, love the directions simplicity and lack of experience necessary. I’m not especially handy, and I installed every one of our IKEA Sektion Cabinets myself. I definitely recommend watching an installation YouTube video or two, but believe me. You can do it.
These Kitchen Cabinets are Crazy Affordable
Due to the modular nature of IKEA Sektion Cabinets, mass production is a breeze. Of course, with any smooth mass production operation, product price drops dramatically. Most box store (and all custom) cabinets are made to fit your space, specifically. Add the middleman, and you’ve got a ton of markup. IKEA Sektion Cabinets don’t only function well, but they’re also incredibly affordable for the market.
Strong Warranty
IKEA cabinets come with a rock-solid twenty-five year warranty (25 years!) upon purchase. Not that you’ll likely need to use it, anyway, since the manufacturing is so solid. The finish on our Bodbyn cabinets is much better than the finish on any of the box-store style cabinets that came with our house. We definitely don’t baby our kitchen cabinets from IKEA.
Replacement Parts are Easy
Although you’re not likely to need many (like I said before, we’re crazy happy with the durability of our IKEA Sektion Cabinets), replacement parts are a breeze with the IKEA kitchen system. Say, for example, you buy a house with previous owners who didn’t fix water leakage that dripped along the inside of the cabinets, and the hinges rusted out. Oddly specific? Yeah, we experienced this one. Now we need to spend extra time re-fitting new hinges since the ones from the previous owners are rusted out. If these were IKEA Sektion cabinet hinges, we could just order new universal hinges. Piece of cake. The same goes for door fronts, base cabinets, drawer sliders, and more. No sorting through brands necessary. There are so many advantages to this modular system.
IKEA Sektion Cabinets – The Bad
White Cabinet Interiors
Unfortunately, with all the Ikea Sektion cabinets pros, there are a few cons as well. For one, the base cabinet to the Ikea Sektion system is always white. So whether you pick white, green, gray, or wood-look doors, the interior base cabinet will always be white. Deal breaker? Nah. Especially if you choose white cabinets, like we did. However, it can look unfinished to some.
Visible Peg Holes
Speaking of unfinished, I know some buyers who are turned off by all the pre-drilled peg holes in Ikea Sektion cabinets, as well. I’m not a huge fan of them, myself. However, there are ways around it. Ikea does sell hole plugs for their cabinets, but I’ve also heard that you can just fill them with caulk for a more finished look. We haven’t gotten around to filling the extra holes in ours, and to be totally honest, we probably never will.
Order, Delivery, and Customer Service is Lacking
Without a doubt, the biggest con to Ikea Sektion cabinets is the work it takes just to get the product to your house. Although their handy kitchen planner tool will put all the products you need on a list, you’ll likely spend 3-8 hours at Ikea getting help and finalizing the order. Plan on items still being missing from the order, because you’ll experience the long return lines as well. The worst part, however, is the delivery companies Ikea uses. They will change dates, change them again, and when your delivery finally happens weeks after its scheduled date, you may get a few hours’ notice, if you’re lucky. This happens almost every time, so just plan on it. Remember that you’re saving a boatload of money for a good product, so the delivery and customer service nightmare is just all baked into the cake. It will be worth it when it’s over.
Good Installation Help Is Rare
Ikea Sektion cabinets installation is nothing like traditional cabinet building. Therefore, traditional builders are unfamiliar with the process, and often unenthused to help. If you decide to go with hiring help for cabinet installation, make sure you hire someone who specialized in Ikea Cabinet Installation. If your hired help hasn’t done it before, the process is so different than what they’re used to, it will likely take them just about as long to learn it as it would take too. And even then, I’ve read stories of them trading steps for their own methods, which can then void the warranty. This product is geared DIYers, and that’s where most of the savings come in.
Lack of Variety in Fronts
To me, the biggest downside of Ikea Sektion cabinets is the lack of variety in cabinet fronts. Go to any big box store, and you’ll have dozens and dozens of looks to choose from. Ikea has a handful of about a dozen different cabinet fronts, and that’s it. They did just come out with some cool new green looks, but new designs are rare. If you want a really high-end look with more customization for your Ikea Sektion cabinets, I always recommend going with Semihandmade cabinet fronts. You’ll end up paying a pretty penny for the look, but you still get the durability of the Sektion system bases. We don’t have any Semihandmade cabinet fronts, but someday we would like to.
Travel to Ikea Can Be Cumbersome
Depending on where you’re located, this Ikea Sektion cabinets con may not even apply. We ordered our Ikea kitchen system from an Ikea in Illinois, which is about 90 minutes from where we live. I ended up making about 4 trips total: one to order the cabinets, and 3 subsequent trips for returns and refunds. We were just about as prepped and organized as you can get, so plan on making about this many trips. The more people with Ikea kitchens I talk to, the more it sounds like this is standard. If you live hours from the nearest IKEA, definitely factor at least a few trips into play. Even if you get every measurement right, your order is almost guaranteed to be screwed up by the warehouse in one way or another. Fortunately the stores themselves don’t tend to put up much a fuss about swapping out for the correct items, but the commute can definitely add up.
Pros and Cons of Ikea Sektion Kitchens, In Summary
All in all, we couldn’t be happier with our Ikea Sektion kitchen cabinets. I read every blog post available before buying, and although I felt semi-prepared, going through the process itself left me a lot more aware. I hope these pros and cons of Ikea Sektion cabinets helped you a bit in your kitchen design decision making process, as well.
As always, please don’t be shy about leaving questions or comments below! Do you have an Ikea kitchen? Was your experience similar, or very different?
Disclaimer: We’re not professionals or experts on this topic, so all we can do is share our own personal experience in hopes that it helps you in your journey! We always recommend consulting with the pros directly.