ᐅ Installing an Ikea Metod Kitchen – Assembly Tips?

Hello everyone,

The time has come: IKEA has arrived at our place in the form of a new METOD kitchen.
Assembling the cabinets went fairly smoothly, but now we’re getting to the more challenging parts:

- The Utdrag extractor hood, which is supposed to be installed in a 60x60 cm (24x24 inches) cabinet for recirculation mode, does not include the floor mounting brackets shown in the instructions (from IKEA’s website) nor a duct pipe – is this normal?
It seems that the extension pipe is also needed for recirculation? Or can it work without?

- From what weight in kilograms is a reinforced Utrusta bottom panel required? I received advice while planning (being a complete IKEA newbie), but when assembling, I noticed that only one bottom panel was planned, even though I need to place a refrigerator (42 kg (93 lbs)) and an oven (34 kg (75 lbs)).

- Are there any considerations when using a non-IKEA sink? (It is to be installed in a 60x60 cm (24x24 inches) cabinet with 2 drawers – one medium and one short.)

- The Smaklig cooktop is supposed to go above Raffinerad – is a countertop thickness of less than 3.8 cm (1.5 inches) really problematic?

- Does the bottom cabinet row need to be screwed to the wall? The tiled area behind it goes quite deep, so drilling into many tiles for the IKEA wall panel would be difficult – especially in a rented apartment.

- Can the cabinet feet be adjusted to the maximum height of about 10 cm (4 inches)? The cover panels then seem too short – is there a simple fix for this?

I hope some of the IKEA veterans here have tips for one or another of these questions.

Thank you very much!

Hello,

the mounting brackets should be included with Utdrag; the pipe needs to be purchased separately (this is how I interpret the shopping cart symbol in the instructions) and is also necessary for recirculating air systems (see instructions).

The ventilated reinforced UTRUSTA base is only required for appliances weighing 70 kg (154 lbs) or more.

For non-IKEA sinks with a drawer underneath, you need to check the depth of the siphon for that sink. The Atlant siphon for IKEA basins can be installed against the back wall of the sink cabinet, but this is not possible with all siphons. The upper drawer may interfere with the siphon.

Regarding Smaklig: I understand the instructions to mean that the 38 mm (1.5 inches) spacing is necessary to ensure sufficient ventilation when installed above an oven. If in doubt, ask at the furniture store—you will need to get the brackets for Utdrag anyway...

Best regards,
IKEA-Freund

H
- Does the lower row of cabinets need to be screwed to the wall? The tiled area in our place goes quite deep, so a lot of tiles would have to be drilled for the Ikea trim — difficult in a rental apartment.

- Can the cabinet feet be adjusted to the maximum height of about 10cm (4 inches)? The panels seem too low then — is there a simple fix?

I hope some experienced Ikea users here have a few tips on one or the other question,

Many thanks!

Regarding 1):

Our consultant completely removed the mounting rail for the base cabinets from the order list. The cabinets are all screwed to the countertop, which is heavy enough by itself to prevent any movement once installed. For some, it might be easier to adjust the cabinets afterward, but in your situation, I would also avoid drilling into the walls of a rental apartment.

Regarding 2):

10.5cm (4 inches) — theoretically. In practice, the feet become very unstable when adjusted higher than 8cm (3 inches). Our consultant was clever here and sent me to the hardware store.

They have suitable feet at Bauhaus for a fraction of the price, so the solution is only slightly more expensive than the wobbly Ikea feet. However, this only allows a base height of more than 11cm (4.3 inches), so you would need to look for other base options or cut them yourself.

I wouldn’t use fixed furniture legs because there’s no way to adjust them.

We have the opposite problem: the base can be a maximum of 5 cm (2 inches) high due to the windows. I’ve already ordered some feet here.

They won’t be installed until next week, but they seem sturdy: A special feature is that the feet have a slot for a screwdriver. You have to drill a 10 mm (0.4 inch) hole in the cabinet bottom (which can be covered afterwards with caps), and then you can adjust the feet up or down from inside the cabinet using a screwdriver. This way, it’s easy to reach even the rear feet. I find that very practical.

Regards, Wolfgang

The reinforced base is not only strengthened but also has a cutout at the back for ventilation and is slightly adjustable in height. Therefore, it is usually preferred as the base for electrical appliances. Take a look at the installation instructions for the IKEA appliances, even if you are using similar products from other manufacturers.
When using third-party legs, you should ensure that the side panels are also supported by the legs. There have been cases where bases broke because this was not taken into account.
If several cabinets stand side by side, are screwed together, and have the countertop on top, usually nothing will happen if the base cabinets are not fixed to the wall. However, if all the cabinets have drawers and you can imagine a situation where someone opens one drawer after another without closing them, it can cause the entire run to tip forward.

Thank you very much for the numerous responses!

The issue with the UTDRAG is a bit annoying; they could have mentioned that in the store. I’ll probably have to go back again—although at the moment, I’m not really sure what else I might need. I might still be missing some kind of filter...

All the base cabinets will be screwed together. But since all of them have pull-out drawers, I’m thinking of attaching a few brackets under the tile backsplash.

The tip about the adjustable legs was helpful—I’ll have a look at the hardware store. However, I might stick with the 8cm (3 inches) legs if I can’t quickly find a suitable plinth/baseboard. I thought maybe Ikea might have something in the right color...

Regarding the sink—I looked around, and a space-saving trap is the magic word. Hopefully, I’ll find something suitable.

As for the stove, I’m leaning towards getting another Utrusta base unit... better safe than sorry.

Thanks and best regards