Can IKEA Cabinets Support Granite Countertops? (Find Out Now!)

More and more people who want to perform a do-it-yourself kitchen renovation turn to IKEA cabinets. There is considerable discussion on the internet about IKEA cabinet’s ability to support granite or stone countertops. As you might expect, opinions vary widely on putting heavy stone or granite countertops on IKEA cabinets.

In general, you can safely install granite or stone countertops on IKEA cabinets. Granite or stone countertops typically weigh less than 12 pounds per square foot. According to IKEA, their kitchen cabinets, when properly installed, should support approximately 800 pounds. The limiting factor on the weight capacity of your IKEA cabinet is the plastic legs, not the cabinet construction.

There are many good reasons to install IKEA cabinets in your kitchen renovation project. Many users of IKEA cabinets find the quality of construction and materials in their IKEA cabinets to be better than a comparable factory-built face-frame cabinet. The largest factor in how much weight an IKEA kitchen base cabinet can hold is the quality of the installation.

A survey of people who have purchased IKEA cabinets regularly comment about the quality of the cabinets versus the price. If you compare finished face frame cabinets from your local big box home improvement store, you will quickly realize that IKEA offers a higher quality product at a better price.

You must indeed assemble the IKEA cabinets. Most face frame cabinets purchased from home improvement centers are pre-assembled and ready to set into place. However, the IKEA assembly is relatively easy and gives you the satisfaction of having a better understanding of how your kitchen cabinets fit together.

Take a stroll through the pre-built cabinet section of your local home improvement store. Take a moment to look at the cabinets comparable in price to the IKEA cabinets. You will find that the pre-built cabinets are made mostly of medium-density fiberboard (MDF). Some investigation will reveal that this is the same material used in IKEA cabinets.

The difference is most pre-built face frame cabinets available in the home improvement stores are unfinished and must be painted. IKEA covers its cabinets with melamine foil using a heat-applied adhesive. This plastic laminate covering protects the MDF much better than paint providing a longer-lasting cabinet finish.

IKEA uses BLUM cabinet hardware on its kitchen cabinets. BLUM has a reputation for building superior cabinet hardware such as drawer slides and door hinges. Many cabinet builders don’t like to install BLUM hardware because of the additional steps required to properly align the hinges.

BLUM hardware gives years of uncompromising service with few problems. The low-end drawer slides used by most pre-built cabinet manufacturers won’t sustain heavy loading and often break or wear out prematurely.

Quite frankly, you need a new countertop guy. GO back to your IKEA store and check out the selection of quartz and granite countertops offered by IKEA. These are high-quality stone countertops designed to work with your IKEA cabinets.

If you want to shop locally, there is no reason not to install a standard granite countertop on your IKEA cabinets. Structurally, IKEA cabinets will easily bear the weight of a granite countertop. IKEA cabinets are built to the highest specifications and rigorously tested for strength and durability.

You might explain to your countertop guy the truth about IKEA cabinets. In many cases, the construction of an IKEA cabinet base is much better and more structurally sound than the pre-built cabinet boxes sold in most home improvement stores. More than likely, he installs granite countertops on these pre-built cabinet bases every day.

Durability is a big issue with kitchen cabinets. Your kitchen cabinets will endure a lot of wear and tear over the life of the cabinets. Many times, the damage will occur to a door or drawer front. Repairing a face-frame cabinet door can be a real chore or almost important. Try going to your home improvement store and buying a replacement door for those cabinets you purchased 5 years ago.

In most cases, a visit to your IKEA store will yield a replacement door or drawer front that matches the color of your IKEA kitchen cabinets perfectly. The installation is simple with the BLUM hinges. It is possible to keep your IKEA cabinets looking fresh and new for a long time.