I like the Fagerland doors a lot and wouldn't hesitate to use them. Even if the doors get a bit dinged over time, that will fit in well with a rustic look. If they get too bad in, say, 10-15 years, you can paint them or - and this is unique to Ikea, as far as I know - you can *replace* the doors and drawer fronts just by popping off the old ones and popping on the new ones.

As for Scherr's doors, I'm about to order them tomorrow for my new Ikea cabinet boxes. I've been dealing with a man named Larry at Scherr's. If you decide to go this route, *don't* go through the process of filling out the online form for a door quote. Instead, send Scherr's a list of all the cabinets you need, using the Ikea numbers. Don't forget things like cover panels, moulding, and something to use as filler. (If you're having Scherr's finish the doors, I mean. Otherwise, you can get generic stuff from a lumberyard and finish it as you do the doors.) Scherr's will send you back a quote for everything you want. They ship about three weeks from order time.

Good luck!

I like Fagerland too, but the stain color is just a tad brown for my taste--you definitely should see it in person of course.

The Scherr's people are really nice to work with, although I didn't end up buying from them. Very good to answer questions!

>One of the benefits is we could buy a cabinet as we need it/have room

Just curious--why can't you do this with ikea, too?

Hi,

I like the Fagerland door, but just so you know, you don't have to limit yourself to IKEA or Scherr's for your doors. Any woodworker or cabinet company can make doors for IKEA cabinets. I know, as I am doing the same thing.

Depending on the style of door you like, you can find many different vendors. You can google "replacement cabinet doors" and find a slew of them to browse. Once you find a door style you like, contact the company to see if they can bore the hinges for you for the Blum Inserta hinges. That is the IKEA hinge. The boring pattern is Blum Pattern B. The most important measurements are 3" on center, top and bottom, and 5mm from the door edge. The two pinholes flanking the hinge cup hole are 5mm on the IKEA doors, but 8mm standard. Some companies only do the 8mm insert holes, but you can buy standard Blum Inserta hinges and they will work with IKEA cabs. I have both hinges, and the only thing different about Blum for IKEA and standard Blum Inserta are the insert pins' size, otherwise they look exactly the same.

Hope that helped a little.

Hi
I used Fagerland for my island. I Painted them though. They are holding up just fine (4 yrs old in Aug.)- I would have no problem using them 'as is' - if you wanted stained doors.

I have pictures linked on 'my page'

Thanks for the responses.

Writersblock: I can certainly buy IKEA a piece at a time, although it will involve multiple shipping charges that way.

joann23456 and shelayne: Thanks for the insight into other door options - very helpful!

fori: I have been planning hickory for so long, and DH and I agreed on blackish countertops based on the hickory. I take your point about it being too brownish. I'll order a door to see how it works with the counter chips I've been carrying in my pocket. DH and I agree on so little, that I don't intend to re-open that discussion.

pickles_ca: I love red. In fact, one of the pieces I found is a batwing red sink, which I think sold me on a corner sink layout. Is the cream hutch comprised of IKEA pieces, too? Your interior trim is beautiful!

>it will involve multiple shipping charges that way

Oh, if you're too far from a store, that is a problem. Still, I think if you possibly can that you should make a trip to see the cabs in person before you decide. Do get a door or drawer front (usually cheaper than a door) to see what the finish looks like in *your* lighting situation--they can look very different in the store from what they look like in more natural light. If you can get to a store, try the As Is room.

And make sure you're comparing apples to apples in terms of pricing. IKEA's cabinets come standard with either Blum soft-close hinges or Blum Tandembox full-extension drawers with auto-close. That is a significant upcharge with other lines.

Yup - all of the cabinets are IKEA. We did a little customizing. I also used their butcher block for the area betwen the stove and the fridge - the rest of my counters are a bit higher.

I'm considering Fagerland and really like the profile but would want to re-stain with Minwax water-based+poly to something with richer tones than the antique finish. Would I need to sand out the antique stain color first using the cup hole color as a guide, or just roughen the surface slightly (what grit #'s?) Thanks.

Jeff, you should consider posting your question to Ikeafans.com. They are very helpful and are all things IKEA over there. :^)

I also want to make a correction to my measurements, it should be 3 1/8" on center top and bottom. D'OH! *slaps forehead*