Ikea kitchen cabinets construction

[Jim]

Sorry to keep going on about Ikea kitchens but I've got another question regarding how the cabinets are constructed. I know they have very little, if any, clearance at the back of them but how is the back actually formed.

Is it simply hardboard nailed onto the back (much like flat pack furniture) or does it fit in a rebate in the sides and base (like a drawer bottom) or is the back a more solid piece that is held in place by corner blocks, dowels etc

We are finally going to get to Ikea to look at the ranges tomorrow but I'm trying to cover as much as possible before then as I'm bound to forget whilst in store and I really don't want to have to go back again just to look !

Thanks

Jim

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

Most if not all units have a recess to pass pipes ect behind. The backs on all units are hardboard fitted into rebates at each end of the unit.

[HLAH]

Ikea units don't apparently. Swedish plumbers don't route services that way it seems. I haven't ever seen an Ikea unit so I can't personally comment on what the backs are like.

Are you talking specifically about Ikea units?

H

[Andrew Gabriel]

Back is hardboard nailed on. It fits in a recess which is the same thickness as the hardboard, making the back flush with the wall. You don't need to fit the backs at all if the wall is good enough for a cupboard. The back does provide a significant part of the unit's rigidity whilst fitting units, so without it, you will need to be careful getting units in place and making sure they are square before fixing to the wall, and you may need extra wall fixing points.

[Guy King]

The message from [e-mail] (Andrew Gabriel) contains these words:

Though if you want a void behind the back it wouldn't be hard to run the saw round the rear of the carcass to make a groove for the back a few inches inboard.

[jim]

We left the backs off ours & painted the wall & sealed the chipboard-wall butt joint with a flexible silicone frame sealing compound. leaves no space for spiders & webs & stops the hardboard-wall side going black from condensation. & yes, condensation will form even if the wall is dry - you'd have to hemetically seal the joints to avoid it.

Far better job than the old units which had such a backing.

Also fitted removable click-in-place kick boards under the units so the underneath of the units could be cleansed (plastic floor tiles all the way to the back of the units plus 100mm upstand at the floor-wall junction).

The back does provide a significant part of the

I used 6mm hex head coach screws (mostly x 50mm long) on washers to fix the brackets into 8mm wall plugs in the wall. Made for a really strong grip.

[djc]

Ikea units do not have a service space. The hardboard back is nailed on. The back isn't essential when all the units are in place as a combination of being all bolted together side by side and angle brackets onto the back wall will make the whole set solid. Personally I prefer the IKea system, wastes less space, no gaps for rodents etc.

[b33k34]

No service space but if you want/need one theres nothing to stop you blocking the units out from the wall and using an oversized worktop.

[Jim]

Thanks for the responses.

Unfortunately the kitchen is quite narrow so oversize worktops probably won't work. However I've just bought a table saw so putting rebates in the sides a few inches in may be the first practical use it gets !

Cheers

Jim

[Guy King]

The message from "Jim" contains these words:

Last place we lived was so narrow I had to remove 3" from the backs of the units otherwise the doors would have hit the sink on the other side of the kitchen.

Made the cupboards a lot easier to keep tidy!