We visited Ikea yesterday . My only other time was in 2008 when I was mesmerizer with such a vast collection of furniture so very well laid out on the floors.

And yesterday was no different ...I continued to be amazed , looking at the demo bedrooms , kitchens , living rooms put up and observing certain things I had not given much thought to especially from a storage point of view .

Most of the products I noticed were pressed wood / veneer and a few natural wood , mostly pine but very few hard wood ... Despite that the design and finish was excellent as much as was the utility.

And there was a very good variety as well as the prices did not appear to be unreasonable .... Lots of customers as well ....

But if I recall correctly , people have shared dissatisfaction in Ikea's furniture quality as far as durability is concerned ... So my q is ..

What's up with Ikea and how do you rate your experience with it ? Looks slick , is not expensive .. Are there any down sides to it as such ..... ?

Overall how has your experience been with Ikea and please your good and bads ...

To the new immigrant , I would certainly recommend a half a day tour to the showroom and it can give you an idea of how to furnish your place even if you do not intend to buy it from Ikea !

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Fido.

IKEA is a brand reputation that keeps many people away ( similar people with faux crocodile shoes and wallet ) .
IKEA furniture is not wood and certainly not sturdy .
You cannot move the furniture ( assemble and unassemble ) once all nuts and bolts are in place .
Most people who move out of the place either leave the furniture if buyer is interested or toss it in garbage .
If you are looking for some cheap and disposable furniture to give a quick facelift than its worth it .

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Growing Old Is Mandatory ..Growing UP is Optional

I had brought a used queen bed , which I am using it from last 10 years, with 1 move done when I had brought it used, and 2nd move done by me , when I changed my house.
Even the side tables, and coffee tables we've used are lasting, we may throw away because we need a new one, but in effect they are still usable.
Certai products, are kind of not movable, they are made from particle board, appearing as wood.
All in all you may label it as value for money for sure.
You get what you pay for.
These is my experience with Ikea.

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mor

Whenever you experience joy, peace, security, equanimity or purity, it is only because you are aligned with ALMIGHTY.

Hmm ... Thanks for the inputs .... I agree with you both

I recall when looking for a bed @ Ikea I had come closer to a palm bed in Ikea but thankfully based on the advice on CD , left it and went on to buy a better and more expensive bed ...

Like I said , most of the furniture was particle board or pressed wood and this is not durable but then solid wood esp pine should be okay and I did see a few items in pine over there ...

I don't remember seeing any hard wood items there ... However if I have to buy something from there , I would restrict myself to solid wood only even if it is pine.

We did buy a couple of duvet covers ..just ensured that they were 100% cotton .

I did like a couple of dining / study tables .... only the sturdiest ones ...

But most of the items ... well AG is spot on .... you can assemble them only once

Value for money at the price ..for sure Yes ... but you can get more value out of hard wood even if it costs more ..

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Fido.

Ikea is mostly for renters and students, or the students that are renters . Other than the coffee tables, decorating plants, some lights and lamps, I don't find anything worthy of buying from there.

Having said that, I still love to stroll around Ikea, which is the only place where my wife accompanies me instead of the other way around for the other Malls/stores. Love this place - just for looking around the stuff. For buying the furniture, I would completely skip it though for the reasons already stated above - not quite sturdy.

Agreed to all point.
IKEA is mostly particle board with a .3mm pine veneer stuck to it. Most of the 12 mm sheets are like this only. May be some bed slats will be solid wood.

As said, IKEA is mostly low quality but with good combination you can make a house look sleek (just like in the pictures). With no touching, it can last for a long time.

What one has missed is the cheap and good food available there. The $ 1.2 breakfast and the $ 1 unlimited coffee. If you have seen food is placed first and once you have had cheap things to eat, you will have to take the long road to exit. This will induce you to shop.

Very good for cheap immigrants and new settlers apart from students.

However, if you are OK with gently used stuff, you can get cheaper stuff (with free delivery) in Kijiji or in Garbage sales.

I once bought a $ 15 solid wood dining table in Garbage sale in 2002 and sold it to a new immigrant in 2011 for $ 25 (with free delivery). Everyone used to compliment my dining table when they came to my home.

Murali

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I am a Gents and not a Ladies.

Quote:

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Originally posted by tamilkuravan
IKEA is mostly particle board with a .3mm pine veneer stuck to it. Most of the 12 mm sheets are like this only. May be some bed slats will be solid wood.
Murali

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Fido.