IKEA vs Home Depot Kitchen Cabinets. Which Brand is Better?

When it comes to picking cabinets, especially for the kitchen, whether for a newly constructed house or for a renovation project, the choices often boil down to IKEA and Home Depot.

You need to put in some thought and research into which one works best for you because cabinets constitute one of the big expenses in the house.

The fact that even within these two home improvement brands, there are a lot of choices, and doesn’t make life any easier.

But, we will try and make it worth your while. From box cabinets to custom options, there is plenty to look at. So, we took a look at the deciding factors and broke them down for you.

Pricing

Since it is the biggest factor, we decided to start with the cost. Home Depot has a stock of Hampton Bay which has pretty much a very similar pricing as IKEA cabinets. If you are furnishing a small space, you can opt for the higher-end models at IKEA.

Home experts say that what you find at Home Depot is likely to be between $20,000 and $25,000 including installation (for an average home project).

When it comes to IKEA though, it is anywhere between 10 and $15,000 without installation and flooring charges (again as an average estimate).

At Home Depot, the pricing depends on whether you pick a ready-to-assemble set (RTA) or a pre-assembled one that saves you the hassle of the DIY work.

Per cabinet, you will be looking at $100-$3,000 at Home Depot. Obviously, custom cabinets are more expensive.

And at IKEA, the range is $75 to $1,600 with most options ranging in the $200 to $300 price tag.

Quality

Then there is quality. This depends on the kind of house you run. If you like to renovate every few years, you have two options.

You can get something expensive and work around the structure every time you make changes. Or you can get something moderately expensive or cheap and redo the whole thing.

IKEA cabinets are pretty good for kitchens where there is a lot of activity and they can also handle some abuse from children. A lot of customers who have opted for these cabinets are pretty happy.

Home Depot cabinets, on the other hand, are not so great when it comes to tolerance for roughhousing. And if you try to fix it with little or no experience, you will find MDF splinters all over.

That is because the parts are stapled together. They also don’t look so great the way they come which means you might have to do some additional work.

So, those of you who are on a budget may want to opt for IKEA which has similar prices as Home Depot cabinets but you get a lot more quality out of it.

Some of the Home Depot cabinet options have been known to be cheaper but not as well made. The relatively thin base of the cabinets is a big part of the durability problem.

IKEA, on the other hand, makes thick cabinets that also come with additional features. They are scratch resistant and easy to clean. Two things you never want to miss when picking a cabinet. They also have soft close hinges which keeps them from slamming.

The only downside with IKEA, if there is one, is that you need to build them yourself or get installation help from a professional.

Variety

Because IKEA is the king of assembling sets, they have a lot of options in terms of cabinet configurations. For kitchens, it has a consolidated list under SEKTION.

While the range is impressive, be clear that they sell products of their brand. That’s something to think about. But some customers like limited options so that they can decide easily.

You will find matching drawer and cabinet components so you don’t have to worry about picking each piece.

What’s more? They have been trying to expand their collection which has led to including fronts that are partly made of recycled bottles.

At Home Depot, on the other hand, expect to see cabinets of average quality that are mass produced. If you are shopping for stock cabinets, you will mostly find base cabinets that have drawers or shelves and wall cabinets with pantries and shelves.

If you want the partially customized options, know that you will be paying more. On the bright side, they carry many different brands so you might just find what you are looking for. If you have the time and patience, you can whip out the old yellow legal pad and make a pros and cons list for each brand.

If you have a weirdly-shaped room or want to make the space disabled friendly, a little customization can go a long way despite the higher pricing. So, this one is your call.

Differences

The reason why buying cabinets comes down to these two companies is that they understand customer needs like no other establishment.

With IKEA, there are options to personalize a space. Because they are masters of the craft, you won’t have to struggle with the cabinet components when you’re putting them together. If you decide to get help, that will be pretty affordable too.

Plus, you don’t have to compromise on the aesthetics. And if you opt for, say a prefabricated kitchen, you really don’t need to pick out each component. Just get the whole thing delivered and put it together.

With Home Depot, things are a little different. You can ask them to build you a custom space and tell them your choice of materials, style and colors. They will use their own cabinet installation hardware and put it together for you.

In fact, they are the experts in this field. Just make sure you know whether you want plywood or particle board, unframed or framed cabinets. You must also choose a type of cabinet or tell them in advance if you want to fuse two models. Then there are accessories like door and panel designs.

Similarities

Both of these establishments are similar in a few ways. The most important of those is their approach to building you a kitchen you like. Whether you pick out the materials or let them do it for you, both IKEA and Home Depot give you the customization option.

Their quality of cabinets is different but both establishments offer an enviable range. Their base pricing is also pretty similar barring a few final touches which is up to you.

Moreover, both IKEA and Home Depot are big brands so you will benefit from the scale and support they offer to customers.

In Conclusion

Before you open up the websites of either of these stores, you need a clear understanding of your own requirements from interior design style to colors and textures to the materials you want to use.