3 ms·
Of course IKEA furniture lacks durability, much of it is made of that awful MDF (particle board). Simultaneously weak, heavy and extremely vulnerable to water
by crispyambulance 6y ago
Of course IKEA furniture lacks durability, much of it is made of that awful MDF (particle board).
Simultaneously weak, heavy and extremely vulnerable to water damage, it's only advantage is that it's dimensionally accurate when new and amenable to automated cutting, milling and drilling at the factory. I guess it's good with laminate coatings as well.
Another thing about IKEA is that if you got an old house with wide baseboards and not-quite-square walls, floors and ceilings, it's hard to make stuff like cabinets, bookshelves and counters mount properly. IKEA appears to be optimized for modern construction.
Much better to just get high-quality plywood cabinets, you won't have to worry about destroying it by using normal tools. It's also lighter and you will swear less and be done sooner. Even better, hire a carpenter to install good stuff.
- Retric 6y agoIKEA has different product lines at different price points. They give the option of going with particle board, but spend more money and you get much longer lasting furniture. Realistically, for people that move around a lot having a very cheap option to fit each living space is just efficient. Particleboard is effectively a form of wood recycling so using it is surprisingly environmentally friendly even if doesn’t last very long. However, once you buy a place it’s time to get something that lasts.
- BillinghamJ 6y agoI think they generally do a lot more plywood than MDF. But ultimately depends on the price points - they do sell pieces of fairly large furniture for <£10, and indeed they're not going to be super high end.