scubamama Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Hi Ladies - anyone have furniture from Ikea? Is is durable? Does it show wear and tear quickly? We're getting ready to retire our 23 year old sofa for a sofa bed and we also need a new kitchen/dining tableand chairs. Wondering how others experience with Ikea and family of littles has been! Thanks, Michele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Our book shelf units are fine. The desks - bits come loose and fall off. Right now I have the computer keyboard on top under the monitor as the pull-out shelf that is supposed to hold the keyboard pulled out right into my lap - there is a large hole with a missing screw to one side of the support bracket, which is hanging to the floor now. My oldest dd has a two-drawer dresser - I have had to reassemble it and refasten the connections with a screwdriver three times since August. Both our dds were in a $300+ bunkbed set ("real wood") from Ikea that BROKE (luckily no one was in it at the time) as the "real wood" proved to be many tiny slivers of wood held together by glue. The desks and dressers (have two full-sized dressers, too) we built IN the rooms were they would be used - it is iffy trying to move Ikea stuff since it feels like it wants to start coming unfastened when it is moved. I would hesitate to by a couch from Ikea. Look at Freecycle or Craigslist - we got a replacement couch for $75 a couple months age. Lots of folks are having to unload perfectly nice stuff in this economy. Help them out. Tables and chairs - you just have to really look at the samples in the Ikea showroom and see how well they are made. Table - maybe. Chairs - probably not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highereducation Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Hi there, We had two very basic sofas from Ikea when dd was small (we went with the black slipcovers so that all of the spills wouldn't show, lol). They did the trick. They lasted for about six years with constant use. I felt we got our money's worth out of them. Our bed is also from Ikea. My only complaint is that our mattress is too soft and it bugs my back, but that's certainly not Ikea's fault - we should have just gone with a firmer mattress! We're also going to get an Ikea table & chairs set once our kitchen is finished being remodeled, to match the buffet from Ikea that we already have (which has lasted about five years and held up just fine). I have family members who won't set foot in the place (nothing other than Raymour & Flanigan will do), but my experience with Ikea has been that it offers decent quality for a reasonable price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I've had the same experience with Ikea drawers as JFS, but I do have 2 really cheap Ikea sofas (the $175 ones). They've held up to almost six years of the kids jumping on them because they're in our playroom. The removable/replaceable covers are very handy, but they cost about $50 so they're not cheap. These are not the most comfortable sofas to lay down on, but they're our favorite read-aloud spot. I also have a nicer Ikea kitchen table made from birch butcherblock. It's also held up well and the extension mechanism is sturdy. This was one of their relatively expensive tables, so that might make a difference. I've been satisfied with my Ikea purchases, but I did lose one dresser in a move (it was dropped, so I can't really fault Ikea, but still). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura R (FL) Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I looked at IKEA furniture when we moved. Book shelves and DVD racks are of good quality. We have bought a lot of little things here and there...like lighting. We bought a computer desk and office chairs that we are happy with. The desk is for my 14yo and she hasn't had any problems with it at all. We bought a single bed for my 12yo that is pine and it is sturdy. I looked at IKEA dining room tables and didn't care for them. They were either way too small or too expensive and the wood is soft and easily marked. We ended up looking at Craig's List. We bought a used comuter desk for the office in good condition for a good price. We found a suitable dining room table and chairs for $75 until I find what I really want. When we bought new living room furniture years back, we bought some clearance furniture from Ashley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valerie in MI Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 We have some black colored wooden kitchen chairs and they are very light-weight. If you drape a jacket over the back they sometimes tip over backwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keptwoman Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 (edited) Almost our entire house is Ikea Bookcases: have all been excellent. We have Expedit and Magiker and Bonde Desks: So-so. We have the Vika Amon/Curry tables which are very sturdy but the foil top is very thin and has scraped on one desk. We also have a Gustav which is excellent and a Mikael that the keyboard slide is a bit iffy. We also have their office chairs and credenzas. Dining Chairs: White Ingolf. Only a year old but excellent so far. They are very sturdy. Sofas: Leather that are 3 years old and still going strong. Very little wear and tear at all. They still look great. And a Ektorp sofa bed with slipcovers also 3 years old (as is most of our stuff). As a bed it's a bit hard and needs a soft topper. As a sofa it's a bit hard compared to their Ektorp non-sofa beds. The slip cover velcro has stuck to the back of the cover during washing and it doesnt stick down well but it still looks great. It gets heaps of wear and is showing no signs of damage. We have Pello armchairs which look a bit ratty but they were cheap and you get what you pay for. We also have beds and dressers and wardrobes and and and and.... I think with Ikea if you go for the really cheap stuff it won't last long but their higher priced items are very well made. For furniture like tables that is in use regularly I would avoid a foil finish and go for solid wood. Edited April 14, 2009 by keptwoman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I know someone who bought an Ikea sofa and has been pleased with it. Her only regret is she didn't buy extra slip covers for it and the model is now discontinued. So, if you get a sofa, spring for extra slip covers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Maybe with Ikea it is the stuff with moving parts like drawers that just do not hold up - sounds like non-moving part stuff is working well for most folks. I just can't get around how short a time (2 years) our over $300 "solid wood" bunk beds lasted. To us - $300 was and is NOT cheap!!!! Grrr!!! We have not had an Ikea sofa....after the bunkbed disaster I would hesitate to get a sofa from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 It really depends. Some things hold up great (we have a sofa and love seat that are 10 years old and still look basically new), and other things self-destruct after three years (in my experience dining tables and chairs, dressers with drawers, bookcases -- other people seem to have better luck with the bookcases, but I'll never buy bookcases from Ikea again, if I want them to last more than three years). That said, we just put in Ikea kitchen cabinets, and they seem as well made as anything at Home Depot, etc, that we looked at. I would *not* *order* Ikea furniture. I would buy in the store, after I inspected the samples. It's generally pretty clear which things are going to hold up and which are less stable... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Like Sandra, we have a lot of Ikea stuff. For the most part we love it all. I think you have to purchase knowing that most is not going to last lifelong. But I have found it mostly to be good quality and I'd rather not have heirloom quality stuff with little guys around. There is a range and the more expensive stuff is better quality. I agree with abbeyej about looking at it in the store. You get a good idea I think about what is flimsy and what will last longer. We have a leather sofa and armchair from them that are great. Spills wipe off, they look wonderful. The boys jump on them a lot and they have held up fine. We have Expedit bookcases which I love, with storage cubes that fit inside and pull out. They are very sturdy. We have other bookcases as well, but most are old and I don't remember the model. My 5 yr old's loft bed is from Ikea. It is very sturdy. My dresser is from Ikea. I had an Ikea desk in medical school. It lasted through three moves and for 10 years, that was good enough for me considering how inexpensive it was. We used all their stuff when we remodeled our bathroom and kitchen. Both have been great. We also have tons of lamps from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosy Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I agree with the others who have said you'll be fine with the more expensive stuff. The finish tends to scratch off easily with most of the stuff we've bought, and the doors don't always hang properly, but for the price we've been relatively happy with almost everything we have bought from them. We have a bed and a dresser that both fell apart within a couple years, but they were the cheap particle board furniture. We have the Markor line in our living room and love it, and we bought one of their kitchen cabinets for my craft area in our old house and it held up very well. I won't do a dining table there because they don't have one big enough for our family + guests. Another option is Cost Plus World Market--they have great stuff at good prices, and they have good sales frequently too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubamama Posted April 14, 2009 Author Share Posted April 14, 2009 Thanks everyone for the fast replies! I'm busy squirreling away information so I can make a good decsion when i get to our new place. we gave most of our "newlywed/elderly aunt's furniture" away this weekend to our nephew who's jsut starting out...I didn't think it would survive the trip :tongue_smilie: It's been around the family many times and now it's time to move on to the next recipient. A little bit of family recycling action goin' on. Michele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann@thebeach Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 We LOVE IKEA! We have 2 lounge chairs with footstools that get used daily and there is no wear/tear on them at all. They even have the leather cushions which have held up great. The dressers are sturdy and built quite well-we do get the mid line though-not the cheapest. They've lasted a few years so far. We also have a large entertainment center w/ shelves and drawers that has the kids toys on it-it's over 5 yrs old and it's still just as sturdy as when we got it. Nothing has broken on it. We don't have a kitchen table from there (yet) but 2 of my friends do and one has had it for at least 2 yrs-the other for maybe 10 yrs? and they've held up great and look very nice. We have lots of other things like footstools, shelves, storage containers, etc too and we've always been happy with them. Many of their shelves and furniture seem to have "good, better, and best" selections. We've usually gone with the "better" selection. Some of the "good" stuff doesn't seem quite as sturdy or durable from the floor models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I looked up our broken bunkbeds - they were the (now $399!!) Hemnes line - "Solid wood, a hardwearing natural material." (cut and pasted from Ikea.) The "solid wood" was smaller bits glued together. The bed broke along zig-zagged lines - the smaller strips of wood were glued like you would make a brick wall, not all lined-up but varied. So the wood bedframe - the largest support wood sides into which the metal piece that holds the slats goes - broke along the glued ends of the pieces of wood in a zigzag line. Not repairable. Not SOLID WOOD either!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheWillFly Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Almost our entire house is Ikea furniture. We've had our dressers for almost 9 years. We've had to fix the drawers but that is because my husband over loaded the drawer with jeans. The drawer was so heavy! The kids' beds are from Ikea as well. We've had issues with the slats breaking so we replace them with something more sturdy. They honestly would not have broken if our kids didn't jump on them or take the mattress of to build forts.;) Our kitchen table and chairs are also Ikea. The tabe is not lasting as I had hoped. It is only 4 years old but the finish is starting to show some serious wear and the trim pieces are getting loose. I'm please with our chairs but I didn't have high expectations for them since we purchased the cheapest of the cheap for them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highereducation Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I looked up our broken bunkbeds - they were the (now $399!!) Hemnes line - "Solid wood, a hardwearing natural material." (cut and pasted from Ikea.) The "solid wood" was smaller bits glued together. The bed broke along zig-zagged lines - the smaller strips of wood were glued like you would make a brick wall, not all lined-up but varied. So the wood bedframe - the largest support wood sides into which the metal piece that holds the slats goes - broke along the glued ends of the pieces of wood in a zigzag line. Not repairable. Not SOLID WOOD either!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JFS, Just out of curiosity, did you contact Ikea and let them know what happened to your bunkbeds? I would hope, especially in this day and age with so many companies competing for our business, that Ikea would have a policy or guarantee in place that would offer you compensation since the product didn't perform to reasonable expectations. IMO, it never hurts to ask! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 JFS, Just out of curiosity, did you contact Ikea and let them know what happened to your bunkbeds? I would hope, especially in this day and age with so many companies competing for our business, that Ikea would have a policy or guarantee in place that would offer you compensation since the product didn't perform to reasonable expectations. IMO, it never hurts to ask! I tried - but since I could not find the receipt (the beds were at least two years old by then) I was out of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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