Seven years of the Ikea kitchen – what is the Metod system really good for?

Seven years ago, the family council decided that the old kitchen had to go and a new one made. Namely from Ikea - because of the modular Metod system and the reasonable price. After seven years of use, it is now time to take stock. What is good, what not so good and what could be done better.

Because of the endless amount of components, we booked a consultation in the Ikea store. This saves you from having to operate the planning tool yourself, is pretty quick and you always have an insight into the costs that have been incurred so far. So far so good – you should not confuse this selection aid with advice from a good kitchen studio. You have to do the conceptual planning of the kitchen yourself. Gross misalignments – for example, due to the fridge door swinging open – are either not detected or only detected accidentally. You have to do your own research here, otherwise you might not be able to open the doors later.

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You have to plan yourself

The same applies to measuring the rooms. To be on the safe side, we had the kitchen measured for a fee. Unfortunately, the details of the data were not correct after all. In the next election, we would work with a laser ourselves.

In terms of price, the Metod kitchens cover a wide range. The basic cabinets – bodies – are always the same price or cheap. The fronts, however, are not. Elaborate fronts make the kitchen significantly more expensive, especially if the kitchen is peppered with pull-out systems.

Delivery and assembly

In principle, the assembly works like the assembly of an Ikea cupboard - but on a hundred times the scale. The quantity leads to problems of its own. Even with a good amount of Ikea experience, you will reach your limits with a kitchen with a front of about ten meters. It starts with the sheer volume. Even in a very large apartment, it is hardly possible to store the vast number of packages in a structured manner. And a filing system is definitely necessary so that you can actually find the parts you need afterwards. During construction, a huge heap of cardboard waste is produced. It also has to find space if you can't temporarily store the packaging on the terrace like we can.

There was a problem with our delivery: it was not complete. And it wasn't missing a handle or a drawer, but a central cabinet element - a so-called corpus. After several hours and repeated rearranging of the heaps of cardboard, it was clear that the body was really missing. The hotline was no help and would have taken more than a week - if at all - to deliver a new one. That's how long you would have to survive with a full apartment and no kitchen. But this also shows the advantage of the Ikea principle. The standard body is available in every branch, we could simply pick it up. But with troubleshooting, hotline and body purchase, the first working day was lost. The courtesy of Ikea: a voucher for two hot dogs.

Boxes without end

Otherwise, the same rules apply as for all Ikea structures. You have to understand the instructions and follow them, then everything will be fine. Anyone who improvises or thinks that the wrong or superfluous screws and fittings were delivered is usually wrong and should take a step back. Because of the sheer volume of construction, however, concentration and perseverance are required. The twelfth drawer also needs to be screwed together with the same love and care as the first.

Be careful with the door fittings: they have to be drilled through the fronts. A drill stand, wood drill with a center point and using the Ikea template are recommended. And attention. Assembly errors in the inner pre-drilled holes can be repaired. A cabinet front that has been drilled through incorrectly can only be thrown away.

Ikea quality

First the weaknesses. We shouldn't have installed the sink that was delivered. The material has survived the time very well, but was not very stable in itself. The material had to be stabilized with wooden slats screwed from below so that the faucet didn't tremble anxiously every time it was used. We wouldn't recommend the relatively expensive worktop either. The coating has survived seven years of service surprisingly well despite a few mishaps. But the plate is sensitive to water and swells. It's not noticeable yet, but it will be completely replaced in a year or two. On the advice of the Ikea employee, we took the more expensive electrical appliances in the Ikea range. The verdict is mixed: We don't regret it with the self-cleaning oven, the cooling combination and the extractor fan. The dishwasher, on the other hand, is noisy and cleans mediocre at best. The ceramic hob cracked without external influence.

But that's only peripheral, the actual Metod kitchen has come through the years perfectly. That was already apparent during assembly. As an older semester, I still know the metal fittings from the early Ikea days. Back then, everything was in the "cheapest is usually the worst" category. Today's door fittings, on the other hand, are top-notch, there's hardly anything better in furniture construction. In seven years there hasn't been a problem with a single fitting or pull-out. The same goes for the gray "Bodbyn" kitchen fronts, they don't show a single scratch. As expected, the bottoms of the drawers and cupboards are not coated as well. If you want to avoid scratches here, you should use cushioning pads in the compartments in which heavy and hard things are stored.

No regrets

The conclusion is easy to come by: Apart from the appliances and the worktop, we would choose an Ikea kitchen again in a heartbeat. In any case, the comparatively attractive price is not bought with poor quality. On the other hand, only experienced do-it-yourselfers should dare to assemble a large kitchen. A simple kitchenette is still possible, but with an all-round solution, inexperienced people should have the assembly done. In addition to Ikea, craftsmen also offer this service.