ᐅ Is it possible to combine a 40cm Ikea Faktum base cabinet with a small cooktop?

Hello,
due to limited space, I am wondering if it is possible to combine a Faktum base cabinet that is only 40cm (16 inches) wide with an induction cooktop measuring approximately 30.2cm (12 inches) wide and 5.9cm (2.3 inches) high, featuring 2 cooking zones.

Is this generally feasible?

I assume the top drawer would have to be made unusable.
In other words, can the top drawer be replaced with a panel, or is it sufficient to secure it so that it does not open?

I appreciate any constructive advice.

Best regards,
Steve

Wow, thank you so much for the very detailed response with sketches and everything included. It definitely seems doable if you put some thought into it and customize the solution. The tip about leaving some depth clearance from the wall is really helpful. The question is whether IKEA countertops come in that depth or if you have to get them elsewhere.

I checked, and the IKEA countertops all seem to have a depth of 62cm (24 inches), which is a bit tight if you want to leave some clearance. Do you have any advice? Maybe it also makes sense to get a granite countertop given the small size I need (length only about 1.40m (55 inches)), which would probably last longer too.

What countertop depth would you specifically recommend?

You can order custom countertops in lengths ranging from 10 to 400 cm (4 to 157 inches) and depths from 10 to 124 cm (4 to 49 inches). Prices and delivery times are available from the kitchen department.

I drilled ventilation holes in the bottom of my base cabinet, so I didn’t need to leave a gap from the wall or cut out the top of the back panel.

I prefer two separate drawers, but you need to decide what you want to store and what is more practical for you.

The minimum distance between the top of the countertop and the drawer is specified as 65 mm (2.6 inches). A 38 mm (1.5 inch) countertop plus a 27 mm (1 inch) gap between the drawer frame and countertop add up exactly to the required 65 mm (2.6 inches), so it might be possible to fit a drawer after all. However, the drawer depth could be an issue; you might not be able to fully slide in the drawer with the standard IKEA depth due to the power cable connection. The 35 cm (14 inch) deep version would then be the right choice. If you omit (or have to omit) the drawer, you can attach the regular drawer front using brackets.

Hello Steve06!

Wow, thanks a thousand times for the very detailed answer

...you’re welcome!

... Do you have any tips? Maybe it makes sense to get a granite countertop given the small size of my slab (length only about 1.40 m (4 ft 7 in)) that will also last longer. What depth of countertop would you specifically recommend?

We have a depth of 70 cm (28 inches) and are very happy with it. However, I had the countertop made by a small local joinery/home improvement store. They cut the entire slab, made the cutouts for the cooktop and the round sink, drilled the hole for the soap dispenser, and delivered the two slabs—one just over 3 m (10 ft) long and one about 2 m (6 ft 7 in) long. They also applied excellent edge banding on all sides. From placing the order, it took three days until both slabs were installed in the kitchen. I didn’t compare prices with IKEA, but I felt it definitely wasn’t more expensive. The quality delivered was perfect and everything fit perfectly.

Of course, with a project like this, you’re your own luck maker and can quickly waste several hundred dollars if something doesn’t fit. But if you don’t feel confident about a “customized” kitchen like this, it’s probably better not to go with IKEA.

We had considered granite for a long time… but in the end, since it had to be quick, and because with the price of a granite slab you could get a new carpenter-made (or engineered) wood countertop with changing designs every two years. A few friends have granite, and we always felt it looked like a gravestone! So in the end, it simply became a white, very normal countertop.

You will make the right choice!

Enjoy and good luck with customizing! fotokatze

To make it simple: Ikea recommends the installation of a cooktop in a drawer cabinet as follows:

The top drawer is solid (no opening). Behind the lower edge of the drawer front, a shelf board is installed with a depth of 35cm (14 inches), allowing the other drawers to remain fully usable. The back panel is removed. Done. If you want to be absolutely sure, you can make a cutout in the base.

No need to move anything away or similar tweaks. Unnecessary cost drivers. Overly deep panels, complicated fastening of the base cabinets with often complicated wall mounting constructions. And how would you implement such ideas with a Domsjö countertop basin?

By the way, Fotokatze, since you recommend Siemens so highly, how much does the mentioned device cost? Do you also get a 5-year warranty? Sorry, that’s not acceptable. You can request the necessary data online or have it printed at the retailer’s kitchen department or customer service. There you will definitely get solid advice and tips for proper installation, or maybe even ideas on how to optimize the use of your kitchen space.

Best regards

Na.

Oh, Fotokatze, if you praise Siemens so much, ...

"Brrrrrhhhh! Calm down, Braune!"

Dear Nayla,

I am not praising anything at all. Please just read through the thread. The original poster, steve06, asked how to combine a Siemens cooktop with IKEA cabinets. That was the context of my response.

Just as you wrote

You can request the necessary information online...

, the fact that some information is NOT available online is what I criticized—that outdated customer approach at IKEA. In my personal opinion, the support a modern company provides to its customers is extremely poor in this regard. We are now well into the 21st century, and I simply expect direct access to the necessary documents. I don’t want to send an email today and receive information hours or days later. I want to look it up online and access it immediately. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who expects this. Siemens Home Appliances, for example, offers all required information and documents online and is just one of many examples of how this can be handled differently—and in my opinion, better—than at IKEA. Their comprehensive printed user manuals are even available in many languages, so you don’t have to struggle with the proverbial IKEA pictogram instruction manual.

Best regards, fotokatze