[klcampo]

Okay, I'll start by saying I'm a newbie to the board, but not to IKEA kitchens. Nearly 10 years ago, my husband and I installed a Kvadrat kitchen in our 1950's rambler. We loved that kitchen, even the all-we-could-afford-at-the-time butcher block counters. We sold that house in '03 and although I have had a bigger kitchen since, I have never had one that functioned as well.

So, fast forward to the present. We are on our 3rd house and are getting ready to move to #4. House #4 is a 1990's version of a center hall colonial, but has a squashed kitchen layout. I knew the minute I walked in that I could make the kitchen better with the help of my old friend IKEA.

The problem I have is which door style to choose? I know I want white cabinets. Houses 2 & 3 have had the builder grade oak and frankly I'm tired of looking at wood on the walls. I want to save it for the floors. I'm hoping to emulate the classic styling similar to the "Something's Gotta Give" kitchen. The idea is to replace all the cabinets along the L-shaped layout with white with a few or all of the upper cabinets in glass and re-use some of the old oak base cabinets to create an island. I'm hoping to stain the old oak super dark or paint them black. I've already decided against the Stat as the beadboard is just too country or Victorian. I like the Lidingo and Adel white, but I'm afraid they'll both look a too high gloss and plastic-y compared to the wood island. I'm not opposed to painting a wood door such as Fagerland or similar to get the look of custom cabinets. The money I save buying IKEA justifies spending a little to have a professional spray them out.

Does anyone have the Lidingo or Adel in their house? How does it look compared to "real wood"? Does it mimic custom painted cabinets? Has anyone ever painted their wood IKEA cabinets? Any pros and cons with this?Thanks for helping me make this decision!
Kathe

[liz]

Hi,
I have Lidingo in my kitchen and I am really happy with the look. I had white painted cabinets in my previous homes kitchen which I really liked. I guess it really depends on the light you have in the kitchen as to how glossy the Lidingo appear. Personally, I don't find them too glossy and our house is a cottage style (not modern at all). The texture was a concern for me when I looked at them in the store, but I am happy with the finished kitchen.
Your idea's sound great and I'm sure whatever you decide, you will have a wonderful and well functioning kitchen.
Liz

[Emmie9999]

Hello, and welcome!

I have Adel white, and I don't find them too glossy. Liz is right, though, some of that will have to do with the particular lighting in your kitchen. Adel can look contemporary, but it can also look very much like a classic Shaker style cabinet.

If you want to recycle some of the cabinets into an island, it might be a good idea to check and see which door will coordinate with the door shape/style you are keeping. Got any pics? We love photos!

If Adel white or Lidi doesn't quite suit, some folks have painted other cabs, including Tidaholm, Fagerland, and Adel.

[yankeelawyer]

I have that same center hall colonial, and nearly did a kitchen exactly as you describe (and am not entirely convinced that the contemporary route is a better option for me),

In any case, as you indicated, the Adel I think is a great choice. If you are very, very picky (I am), I think you would be better off custom painting the doors, either Adel or Fagerland, or ordering custom Shaker style doors from Scherr's (btw, Scherr's has all the IKEA measurements on file so you need only tell them which can you are using and they know what size door is required / where to place hinge holes).

If you go custom, I would pick a smooth tight grained wood thatakes paint well, such as maple, rather than something like oak.

For the look of the kitchen in that film, you are probably also going to want to double stack the upper cabs, and maybe do a tall cab with a shorter one on top. I had wanted to stack a 15 or 17 high one over a 30 or 39, and have glass doors on the uppermost ones only.

I have attached some pics of IKEA cabs painted grey. The second pic is of Adel Birch painted grey.

IMO, if you decide to go the paint route, I would seriously consider getting custom ready-to-paint doors rather than deal with refinishing an already finished IKEA door. Also, you will get a better result if you use a sprayer to apply the paint. If you do use a brush get a very high quality one and thin the paint very slightly with water, and apply in multiple thin coats rather than a couple of thick ones to avoid brush marks. In either case, use a very good primer.

Also, I would pick the hardware very carefully. Restoration Hardware has some nice bin pulls.

Finally, if you google "Something's Gotta Give" and kitchen, you should find a number of links o great pics of the kitchen from the film as well as articles on kitchens inspired by the film.

[yankeelawyer]

Here is a pic from the film, and also one of a kitchen inspired by the film.

[yankeelawyer]

Here is another of the film set.

[klcampo]

Oops!

[klcampo]

I'm still against using any of the IKEA white options. Adel's style is too wide, Lindingo getting too pricey and Stat is a bit cottage-y but cheapest option. However, my budget is decreasing as the closing date nears. Stat may be my option with plans to upgrade later.

Before now I thought I had decided on painting Tidaholm, but it's just too expensive (doors + paint + labor/time). Besides, I really don't want to see wood grain through the paint. Currently I'm experimenting with the cheaper beech Kalsebo. I bought a 15x15 door and sample colors of BM Simply White and RH The Right White. I've filled in the mitered corners with wood putty and so far I've done 3 coats of primer (sanded between coats). The 3rd coat still needs to be sanded. After that I'll apply my paint samples. I also want to try Cabinet coat as I've read that it's self leveling and dries to a hard as nails finish.

Is there anyone with experience with Cabinet Coat confirm this? I'm planning to go to Dallas this week (Monday most likely) to pick some up.

Anyway, that's where I stand.

Kathe C.

[yankeelawyer]

KC, I agree with you re the IKEA whites.

I did paint my sample doors from Scherr's recently just to test for color, and got surprisingly good results with little effort just using the semi-gloss Ralph Lauren paint I had on hand, a Purdy brush from HD, and a small foam roller (these are made to be used on doors, and are very smooth). I did not sand the doors before painting, and did not sand between the 2 coats I did, because I was just trying to test color. But they are free of brish strokes and extra smooth. I was very surprised. With a decent primer and a little care, I think they would be perfect. I have heard good things about Cabinet Coat, but have never used it myself.

You might try to get estimates from Maplecraftusa and Scherr's (and I think maplecraft's shaker is not as wide as the Adel). Another poster here said her maplecraft doors were less expensive than IKEA doors.

[klcampo]

Do you know what the turn around time is for a Scherrs door order? I would love paint grade doors if they can be ordered quickly. The reason I had not considered Scherrs or other was the timeframe. Kalsebo is stocked at my local IKEA. I can just go down & pick it up if I need something.

I'm planning to see what the result of the paint is today. Drove into Dallas today to find out they don't carry the cabinet coat anymore. The guy recommended the BM. So, we'll see.

Kathe C.