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nap101

Question about Ikea cabinets and weight limit for base cabinets

nap101
11 years ago

I haven't redone my kitchen yet.

I was hesitant at first but am now thinking about Ikea.

they have great design. Cost can't be beat. Great interior configurations. I might need a few custom things in the mix due to my unique and small kitchen, but I can deal with that due to the cost savings.

My concern:

I am planning on soapstone counters and the whitehaven cast iron sink. Will the standard Ikea cabinets support that weight and more? The reason I ask now is that I just replaced my kitchen window (pre-kitchen redesign) and had to stand on the countertop to do some work on the window (so add my 140lbs to the load bearing capacity), My current cabinets held it fine, but would this be an issue moving forward with Ikea?

Comments (15)

  • PRO
    modern life interiors
    11 years ago

    bump

  • iroll_gw
    11 years ago

    I have Ikea Ramsjo cabinets, Caesarstone counters and the Kohler Irontones sink, and everything is fine with the weight.
    I was concerned about the weight of the sink, so I bought the Kohler kit, but the counter guys didn't use it; they said the adhesive was fine by itself. (Of course, I'd had it so long by then that HD wouldn't take the kit back, but anyways....)
    I don't know that I would risk standing on the counter, but because I'm afraid of it cracking, not of the cabinets sagging.

  • steph2000
    11 years ago

    For what it is worth, the contractor we used for the outside of our house does a lot of IKEA kitchens. His advice? Don't stand on them. He went on to say no nooky on the peninsula... I can't imagine why he felt the need to spell that out for us.

    So, if nooky on the island is important, I'd say pass on IKEA...

  • brickeyee
    11 years ago

    "So, if nooky on the island is important,"

    The stone will be cold and hard anyway...

  • writersblock (9b/10a)
    11 years ago

    FWIW, if you use four legs for each cabinet, each leg is rated at 250 lbs, so that's 1000 per cabinet.

  • moomoosmom
    11 years ago

    Our 30" base cabinet held my 140lb son just fine when he wedged himself into it while we were doing the install.

  • herbflavor
    11 years ago

    a local granite guy mentionned when I was in looking at his products that he always runs a stringer or reinforces in some way the Ikea bases before any quartz or granite goes atop. He mentionned a couple jobs he knew where the load was not accepted and it all collapsed after it was installed. It's probably worth some extra reinforcement.....I can't imagine the Ikea quality is getting any better...it's okay stuff and good value,but working with it for longer better life doesn't hurt.

  • Matthew Graham
    3 years ago

    I know Ikea cabinets seem cheap because you put them together but they really aren't much different than most cabinets that you are buying at the store. The money savings is coming from 1. you are putting them together 2. The cheaper shipping cost because they are packaged compactly. My best friend designs kitchens and unless you are buying solid hardwood, dove-tailed drawers, etc they are the same as the majority of cabinets you are ordering at lowes/home depot kitchen design centers.

  • Bruce
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    IKEA sales -- and the third party kitchen installer -- guaranteed that the Sektion legs would support a stone countertop.

    Still, I was not reassured. These are adjustable legs so the legs are not supporting the weight, the screw threads are supporting the weight, and the screw threads are plastic and only a few millimeters deep. A leg failure could cause a countertop crack, shift, or even a fall with the potential for significant injury or foundational damage.

    I opted to place a better-rated 2x4 (x 4 ¾) at each of the leg sites; they fit nicely between or in front of each adjoining cabinet. An 8-foot length of 2x4 is rated for 1000 lbs vertical weight load; each block should provide similar support. I employed 22 such woodblocks.

    I made sure that the fit was snug but also ensured that the adjacent leg(s) continued to be weight-bearing. Typically, cutting the woodblock within an eighth-inch allowed me to slide the block to such a snug site, somewhere under one of the cabinets. The final woodblocks required an exact fit and I had to plane the length to achieve a snug fit.

    See below, and also note the Sektion Leg threads.




  • Bruce
    3 years ago

    Update: In addition to the 2x4’s, I used 2x6‘s along the back wall — both beneath the cabinet and ALSO inside the back of the cabinet, behind the drawers — to support a heavy stone (quartzite) backsplash.


    The countertops are very solid and undoubtably can hold a tremendous amount of weight.

  • jdesign_gw
    3 years ago

    IKEA legs are very flimsy. Not so much of a problem with cabinets against the wall because they hang on the rail. On an island I wouldn’t trust that. They pop out of the base plate too easily. Especially with lateral forces. We always switch out those legs for “real” adjustable legs On the jobs we do. If you are going to add 22 blocks of wood You’re better off just building a platform and setting the cabinets on that.

    Photo: IKEA leg on the right. Proper leg on the left.




  • Port of Indecision
    3 years ago

    @jdesign_gw- Where do I buy those, and do I need to modify the Ikea base for them (assuming I can actually purchase Ikea bases someday)? Thanks!

  • PRO
    Joseph Corlett, LLC
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    A properly wall mounted IKEA cabinet needs no legs, regardless of the countertop or backsplash.

    Six years ago; I'm sure I would have gotten a callback by now. And no, it's not fastened at the ends either.

  • Cookie Kelley
    2 years ago

    U married?

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