<p>I have a number of IKEA pieces, all the large pieces in solid pine (or other soft wood), only a couple of small pieces in particle board. Their prices on the pine items was comparable to what most big-box stores were charging for particle board, and much less than what furniture stores were charging for “standard” furniture.</p>
<p>Well, yeah, my point was just that it was not all particle board. I have four pieces of furniture from Ikea and none of them are particle board, and I think all of them were decent deals (well, craigslist for one of them 
).</p>
<p>I think with Ikea you do have to be careful and take a good look at what you are getting and evaluate the quality and pay attention to the price – don’t assume it’s a great deal just because you’re in Ikea. When I’ve gone with my dad, who used to be a carpenter, he’s scrutinized things. But that doesn’t mean that good deals are not to be had. Some of what I have is also unfinished wood, which is cheaper, but you have to paint or stain it yourself. So shop with your eyes open.</p>
<p>We’ve got a wall full of Billy shelving. Lot of heavy books, and they still look as good as new, no bowing at all, 17 years later.</p>
<p>The more expensive solid pine furniture is durable. The particle board stuff is naturally less so. We have a pine dresser and a foam couch/bed with washable covers, both of which have given 23 years of hard service. They’re starting to get a bit tired, but we are not inclined to complain at this point.</p>
<p>DS had a bed and entertainment table (ie under his TV ) and they were remarkable durable— once they were assembled. That what a project…</p>
<p>VeryHappy, I redid my kitchen with IKEA cabinets two years ago. I adore them. The quality is much higher than on the furniture (which according to some here is actually pretty good) and comes with a 25-year warranty. The fittings are really solid and the drawers and doors close nicely and feel substantial. For small kitchens like mine there is little reason to go anywhere else, IMO. They are so innovative with their use of space–I have a fantastic pantry tower cabinet where all the shelves pull out, a corner cabinet with a double lazy Susan and my favorite feature, a cabinet with two giant shelves that pull out from the dead space by the range. I also installed their butcher block counters and love them too.</p>
<p>We have IKEA furniture in almost every room of the house, including kitchen cabinets. Some is cheap stuff, but some pieces are high quality at very reasonable prices. We love IKEA!</p>
<p>I have had number of particle board furnitures. Some came from Ikea, some from other places. I tried not to buy particle board stuff any more because the release of formaldehyde and the following problems: </p>
<p>The particle board furnitures are pretty reliable if you do not move them around and once they are damaged, they cannot be repaired. Also, they are more easily damaged with moisture conditions.</p>
<p>I was really impressed with lots of things I saw on our field trip yesterday. DH couldn’t linger, so I’m going to go back myself during the week. I’m seriously considering using their kitchen cabinets for our two bathroom re-dos. Seems it would be relatively simple and very inexpensive to use their cabinets as vanities, then add the granite or whatever counter tops to make it look much more expensive.</p>
<p>We see the Craigslist couch this evening and will then decide whether to buy that one or the Ikea one.</p>
<p>^I also recently replaced a pedestal sink with an IKEA vanity. It has a solid-surface sink/counter that looks clean and modern. The faucet is IKEA too (as is the kitchen one). </p>
<p>All this talk is making me want to go! Ours is two hours away, unfortunately.</p>
<p>We are considering the karlstad loveseat or loveseat/chaise lounge combo for our bedroom. We have a big open space underneath a wall of windows and I am looking for a smaller little couch to put there to create a nice reading space. The size works just about perfectly and this is the only room in the house I will allow ikea stuff so it will fit in, but I am worried about it looking chintzy or the cushions looking saggy after a while. The only ikea couch I’ve ever had was the cheapest one they make, which didn’t hold up that well-- obviously. I don’t even think they sell it anymore.</p>
<p>I’m also debating about the size… the width is perfect but if I get the chaise version I only have about 2.5-3 feet of clearance from the end of the chaise to the bed. It will make the room feel a LOT smaller, but I suppose that was the idea! I think if the quality is okay I will go with it… Just don’t want it to feel like it’s taking over the room.</p>
<p>We already have the hemnes queen bed, short and tall dresser, and two nightstands. The nightstands are showing some wear after a year because we haven’t taken good care of them. The rest of it, I have had for two years and they are like new, and they have survived two moves. The pine stuff does okay if you don’t bang it up.</p>
<p>We’re also considering the kivik loveseat.</p>
<p>You do understand that you have to assemble IKEA furniture yourself?</p>
<p>^^^you have to be quite skilled to assemble IKEA furniture. In NYC there are people who would do it for a fee now.</p>
<p>^In NYC there are people who will do anything for a fee. :)</p>
<p>Really, it’s not that hard. I have done it many times, and I am not especially handy. For larger pieces you might sometimes need a second person to support the end of a shelf or whatever, but you don’t need special tools and the instructions are generally very good.</p>
<p>Ema…this is a little off topic…but before you buy a seat of any kind for your bedroom, ask around here. We have had several different “seats” in our large bedroom…and all have become “stuff collectors”. We now have a rocking chair. At least it doesn’t hold a LOT of “stuff”.</p>
<p>Assembling furniture is something you have to WANT to do. Ditto hauling flat boxes around. Personally, I prefer to pay the additional cost for delivered, assembled furniture. BUT my 20 something kids save some money by assembling the stuff themselves.</p>
<p>How much does Ikea charge to assemble and deliver the stuff?</p>
<p>Iirc and I could be way off as this wa several years ago, if you have it “shipped” they charge a fortune. I can’t recall of they offered delivery or if you ha to arrange your own. Sorry this probably isn’t too helpful but I do recall that “shipping” was prohibitively expensive when we looked into it.</p>
<p>It’s not that shipping is prohibitively expensive, it is just that the appeal of IKEA is the affordability and there is no good way to do discount assembly and delivery. The two combined are often as much as the item you are purchasing, and while an extra $150 is not a huge issue on a $1000 piece of furniture, it is a pretty big deal for a $200 item.</p>
<p>If it helps, delivery fees start at $60, $100 if they pick it for you as well (pull it off the shelves). Assembly charges depend on the items and (I believe) the store as well.</p>
<p>Upholstered furniture from IKEA is delivered assembled. The stores in NYC also have ZIP cars and vans available for rental in the parking lot and no shortage of vendors to deliver and assemble stuff. It’s not just bookcases that come with a little allen wrench (although they have that too).</p>
<p>I would think that anywhere you can find a handyman, you can find someone to assemble IKEA furniture–it shouldn’t be that big a deal. My daughter was much better at it than I was when she was pretty young, as long as it was something small enough not to be unweildly since she was (and is) little and didn’t require a very hard grip to tighten.</p>
<p>IKEA is a DIY shop, it is not worth the cost to have the store pick. ship or assemble the pieces. If you are not a DIY type, don’t worry about it. So are Office Depot, Staples, Office Max and the like. It took me half a day to assemble an L shaped office desk, you will not get the same price if you buy it in a regular furniture store.</p>
<p>And those MDF pieces are heavy stuff, I did pull it into my office on the second floor. But if you have a bad back or some thing, you won’t be able to handle it.</p>