ᐅ First IKEA kitchen in my first own apartment

Hello,

I have planned an IKEA kitchen and visited the IKEA store in Frankfurt today for a closer look.

The refrigerator is just a placeholder; it will probably be one of the offers from MediaMarkt or something similar.
The kitchen measurements are still done by myself and will be professionally verified later since I expect to spend over 1,000€.

First question: For the wall panel, I chose three Fastbö parts. However, the installation is still a bit unclear to me. I would like to use a real steel sheet (0.5mm thickness) instead of the usual steel-colored panels and install it in this frame. Is that possible? Perhaps with a wooden board behind it so that the total thickness remains around 2mm and fills the frame?

Second question related to that: Should this panel be flush with the range hood, or is it acceptable to have a gap there, disregarding purely visual considerations?
Unfortunately, the very stressed IKEA employee couldn't provide an answer.

Third question: How do the water connections behind a cabinet work? Do you have to cut yourself, or are there thin "chipboard panels" that you just slide in as the back panel?

Thanks very much for your help and feedback!

Best regards

Hello,

I would probably extend the upper cabinets all the way to the left wall.

1) You can mount anything that fits using the Fastbo rails. You will probably not find a wooden panel that is 1.5 mm thick.

2) The panel does not have to align exactly with the range hood. Just keep in mind that the higher it is installed, the less effective it will be.

3) Yes, if necessary, you will have to cut the hardboard back panel yourself.

Balsa wood for model building is also available in 1.5 mm (0.06 inches) ....

I would also arrange the upper cabinets exactly as suggested by the IKEA expert.

Regards, Wolfgang

Hello,

1) Alright, I will check how thick the interior dimension really is and whether my 0.5 mm steel sheet can be lined with something suitable. Possibly balsawood, although that might not hold up well against the moisture near the stove. As an alternative, I was thinking of plexiglass, where multiple layers could approximate 1.5 mm quite well.

But if I want the steel look, I would like the option of a magnetic board.

2) I thought it would make sense for the surfaces to be flush so that no hot steam from the extractor fan can damage the wallpaper between the panel and the hood. Unfortunately, it’s only a rental apartment.
What would you consider the maximum distance between the extractor hood and the cooktop? At the moment, I’m at 65 cm (26 inches), and according to the guide from MIELE, the distance should be at least that much. So it can’t be entirely wrong, right?

3) A jigsaw and some other saws should be able to handle the job then, thank you.

I didn’t extend the upper cabinets all the way to the left wall because the door wouldn’t be able to open fully due to the extractor hood. The available space should be sufficient for a two-person household, and otherwise it would probably exceed the budget even more than it already does.

Regards

65cm (26 inches) is already fine. You also need a clear view of the pots at the back.

You can apply a protective film over the wallpaper.

If you add an extra wall cabinet, you could leave it open as a shelf or fit it with two display doors each 30cm (12 inches) wide. However, you can also add the cabinet later if needed.