[liz810]

Hi, we finally, finally decided to go with IKEA for kitchen cabinets and I'm thrilled. However, friends, family keep warning us to go with real wood cabinets (plywood I guess), specifically under the sink, because of disastrous consequences should there be water leaking from the sink. Anyone have an adequate answer on this? Will my cabinets fall apart if any water settles under the sink for any amount of time? Thanks for any reassurances.

[NBeth]

The interior surface is melamine, and won't care about water. You should caulk around the inner edges so nothing gets to the outer back, which has no protection, and also seal around any holes in the bottom.

Note that wood can suffer from wet too. A certain cab in our last apt. comes to mind....

[Narf]

Water leaking from a sink will be an issue even for plywood, even moreso than a laminated surface.

Plywood cabinets aren't all it's chalked up to be ... reason being that plywood isn't as 3-dimensionally stable to temperature/humidity as particle board. Visit your local home improvement store and take a look down the wood aisle ... note that even 3/4" thick plywood sheets can be warped!; typically, kitchen cabinets with boxes of plywood are thinner than that.

These pics are of some 9-month old "all wood" cabinets. Note that the sides are no longer flat.

Re: IKEA cabinets and possible water damage 

Re: IKEA cabinets and possible water damage 

[ikitchensetc]

First of all, if you have water leaking from the sink, that is your main problem!

Water can sit on the melamine a long time without causing a problem. The main issue in a sink cabinet is where it has been cut to bring in supply lines and drains. We treat exposed surfaces of cutouts with two coats of exterior-grade Spar Polyurethane to help prevent damage. Another alternative is is use two-part marine-grade epoxy like is used in boat building. You also can treat the back bottom edge that is not covered with the melamine.

If the plywood is not exterior-grade, then the glue that holds the plys together is water-soluble.

[torrus]

I agree with Rich - there should be no leakage whatsoever from a sink...I second the idea of treating the cut areas of the IKEA cabinets, as this is the area that would swell if saturated with water.

[klcampo]

We installed IKEA cabinets several years ago and had a minor leak in the sink cab - shabby do it yourself plumbing install. Anyway, just wiped up the spill no problems. Plywood on the otherhand is a big issue. It will swell and warp unless it is laminated or coated with marine grade coating. Personally, I think melamine is the way to go.

[gt1]

I had some water spill in the holes for plumbing, and the bottom of the cabinet swelled. It didn't cause any problems. When I was done, I used a combination of caulk and metal tape to completely seal the cabinet. Water has no effect on finished melamine surfaces.