Installation Costs and Your IKEA Kitchen – Part 1

Part One in a three-part series about understanding IKEA cabinet installation costs

One of the top comments we receive from our customers is that it’s hard to understand IKEA kitchen installation cost, and folks would be very appreciative if we could explain it for them. Happy to oblige!

In this three-part series, our team will introduce you to a few of the IKEA cabinet installation cost scenarios you’re likely to face with your IKEA kitchen remodel. Part One will focus on installation costs priced per job.

Why is this so important? As you’ll see, cabinet installation prices vary and there’s good reason for that. For starters, there are multiple issues for IKEA cabinet installers to consider when pricing the assembly and installation of your IKEA cabinets.

These are costs that a new IKEA remodeler, or even an experienced DIYer, might not necessarily consider when the project begins — but a professional IKEA installer does.

Ron Malka, owner of Kitchen Assembly in Miami, FL, explains:

“[Installation costs] are like an optical illusion. The customer may be impressed with the overall cost of the kitchen but they don’t see the hidden costs associated with installation because it’s a ready to assemble (RTA) product that involves more labour.”

Other factors such as the materials chosen and whether the space is measured properly can also affect the installation costs. (Pro tip: Keep the size and configuration of your layout in mind as well.)

So, customers looking to better determine installation costs and stay under budget for their IKEA kitchen will surely appreciate some expert insights to help them along. Right?

Let’s take a look!

IKEA Installation Prices

Understandably, most IKEA customers want to simply know “How much will my installation cost?” Well, getting an exact figure for your IKEA kitchen cabinet installation may be tough initially. Factors vary. However, there are some loose rules of thumb to consider.

Michael O., owner of IBEABuilder based in the San Francisco Bay, CA area, explains:

“The range of installation costs for a kitchen is about $150-$200 per cabinet, and that’s for the cabinets, doors, drawers, cover panels, kick panels, filler pieces and pulls — not appliance installation or electrical work or demo.

There’s also a difference in the way that I quote a job compared to the way IKEA quotes a job. My prices usually end of being about 10 percent less than IKEA. IKEA breaks down every little item and I price by the job.

But before I give an exact quote, I need to see the customer’s plans. I look [to see] if there’s an island and whether it’s being fastened to a wood floor or concrete floor (which takes a couple of hours more to do).

There are a lot of tiny little factors. These include whether there are corner cabinets and whether the design calls for stacking wall cabinets, which take extra time, he says.

Also, the price of your installation will go up if the cabinetry you select is custom or modified from a third-party cabinet manufacturer like Semihandmade.

“The biggest price difference in parts and labor (excluding appliances and countertops) is definitely fronts,” Michael says.

On average, fully renovating a 10’×12’ kitchen typically costs around $26,000-$38,000. By contrast, a typical IKEA kitchen costs $13,500-$19,000 depending on your kitchen size and the type of cabinets as well as other accessories and appliances you select.

According to Remodelingcalculator.org’s website, most homeowners report spending $14,500-$16,500 on a complete kitchen from IKEA. Remember, the average IKEA kitchen has about 20 cabinets.

For a smaller IKEA kitchen, you can expect to pay on average around $2,500. Larger IKEA kitchens would bump up that price to closer to $3,600 or more.

Going It Alone

If you’re an ambitious DIYer and decide to assemble and install your IKEA cabinets yourself, make sure you know your stuff.

According to the installers we spoke to, this is where many IKEA customers run into challenges, and unfortunately, unnecessary costs.

“Most [IKEA customers] don’t have the knowledge [installing IKEA cabinets] and make mistakes,” Ron says.

“They don’t know when you assemble the cabinets you have to really push the back piece of the IKEA cabinets into the groove and make sure the box is square. Most people don’t do that and the drawers and doors come out crooked.

Clients think they saved money but then I need to redo the whole thing and they wind up paying more.”

Michael adds:

“A quarter of an inch can really throw off a job. You might have to get a new cabinet and then the cabinet’s not in stock. Then you have to reschedule your countertop service provider to take new templates so it becomes a chain reaction.”

He continues: “There’s no way that you’re going to get the same quality kitchen as if you paid [a professional installer]. You could be the most experienced kitchen installer in the world and have never done an IKEA kitchen.

Even if the cabinets are already assembled, they install completely differently because IKEA’s cabinets are on a railing system.”

So, when you commit to your IKEA kitchen remodel, you’re really committing to minimizing unexpected installation costs and delays.

That includes planning properly and finding the right installation professional to work so that your IKEA installation is executed properly.

Pitching In

There are actually things that you as the IKEA customer can do to reduce costs with parts and labor — and save yourself time and stress in the process.

One is to make sure your IKEA cabinet boxes are not placed far away from the kitchen. This will cut down on delays on the installer carrying boxes to the kitchen before actually starting assembly and installation.

Secondly, it’s better to let the installer rely on the actual inventory list rather than you organizing the cabinets in your own system,which can lead to confusion.

Lastly, make sure the kitchen is ready for installation in terms of the location of the plumbing, electrical, and that all drywall is completed.

As you can see, there are many factors involved in achieving a fair price when installing your IKEA kitchen. We hope this information has provided a base to better understand these issues and steps you can take to make your job go more smoothly.

Be sure to check out Part Two of our series when we discuss installation costs generated by the cabinet box. See you then!