The IKEA store closest to Waterville Maine is in Stoughton Massachussetts

[rolanni]

...this Interesting Geographical Fact brought to you by Sharon's Continuing Search for a New Desk.

Extra Bonus Geographic Fun Fact: Stoughton Massachussetts is 202 miles from Waterville Maine.

A couple of questions for those who live in more urban environments -- what's IKEA's quality like, on average? Anybody have any up-close-and-personal experience with this desk? Can you paint this stuff? (White is not my Happy Color.) Should I just go to Evelyn's in Skowhegan and see if they have an old kitchen table in the upstairs of the barn somewhere that they'll sell me cheap, and deliver? Tell all!

Comments

[n6vfp.livejournal.com]

Overall I'd say the quality is good. I've had a few pieces from IKEA over the years and they have all performed well. As for painting, the stuff comes with a plasticized finish, so I don't know about painting.

[rasmusb.livejournal.com]

Well -- I've had one of the cheap Ikea desks for over a decade now. (The slab top with the screw in legs.)
The only problem is if you don't LIFT when you move the desk -- I had one screw top snap off when I dragged my desk to a new position. :) Although this was like the 8-9th time I'd moved it in that manner -- not the first time. All I did was buy a new set of legs.

The veneer is in pretty good condition it may have 'rippled' very slightly due to cup condensation but it's still smooth -- you can just feel it -- not see it.

Um ... as to painting -- yes you can. They may still sell the unfinished pine tables & desks (I haven't checked lately).

I have attempted to paint the standard veneers though ..
You need to scratch up the ikea finish (with fine sandpaper) & then apply a melamine primer/paint. Note: this is an oil based product -- so when you go to rinse out the roller -- don't squish it with your hand. I looked like I had a Michael Jackson glove for a week. (Oddly I was painting my beech bookcase white).

Hope this helps.

[torrilin.livejournal.com]

Most IKEA things are made of particleboard. It's usually a step up from Target/Walmart particleboard, and a decided step down from the stuff my father bought about 40 years ago to make sturdy and cheap bookcases from. (those suckers are heavy!)

If you're decent at telling real wood from laminated particleboard, you can do quite nicely there tho. The items that are well made are supposed to be quite sturdy. They don't sell many things online, and IMO this is good. It's very easy to be misled by pictures of nice, clean white furniture and fall in love with the modernist ethos and then be quite startled when you get a bunch of pieces in a kit.

I usually find the fabrics, restaurant and inexpensive household goods (like glasses or kitchen widgets) get the best reviews.

[torrilin.livejournal.com]

Forgot: http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/ for extensive information on how to make IKEA products do things the designers NEVER IMAGINED.

Let's see if I can answer questions:

[liadan-m.livejournal.com]

1) It's 276 miles to my closest IKEA, and I mourn that.

2) I am a proud member of the Cult of IKEA. Their quality is generally about 1 or 2 price points above their actual price.

3) That specific desk looks and feels solid when I lean or sit on it. One of my friends has it. Painting the white, not so much.

Re: Let's see if I can answer questions:

[masgramondou.livejournal.com]

I guess I'm about as far to my nearest IKEA too. We nearly had one closer but I was part of the side protesting that idea. Not because I dislike/disdain IKEA but because the proposed location was completely braindead and bound to cause immense traffic jams.

When I have lived closer to IKEAs and used them I've found that what you get there is good value for money and lacking in frills. They design and build to a price and thus the really cheap stuff is cheap for a reason. However you can't buy new furniture anywhere else for the same price that is just as good.

The kit issue can be a bit of a problem if you aren't very handy with tools or poor at following instructions.

Personally I'd go to the local 2nd hand shop first. if they have something good at the right price buy it. If not drive 202 miles to IKEA

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

I'd go with barn-attic chic, being even further from the aforementioned IKEA . . .

(Actually typing on The World's Cheapest Particleboard Computer Desk, purchased decades back at an office-furniture going-out-of-business sale. It ain't pretty, but it works.)

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's what I've got, and it's failing, after 22 years of hard use, including being taken apart and reassembled twice, not to mention the indignities visited upon the slide-out drawer by coon cats. Plus, I'd welcome a little more work surface. I'm tired of moving the bookkeeping off the desk so I can write and the writing stuff off the desk so I can do checks. Mozart's tired of it, too, since the currently out-of-favor pile invariably winds up on his Comfy Box.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Should probably have mentioned that Younger Son got a bunch of IKEA stuff to furnish his apartment in Irvine when he moved out there. No problems with assembly, and he seems pleased with the usability factor. No word on painting, though.

[hapaxnym.livejournal.com]

Don't have that particular IKEA desk, but do have a similar one, that's held up pretty well through ten years and two moves. (as have our seven beloved BILLY bookcases).

The quality is somewhere between cheap particle board and real solid wood furniture. You *can* stack books without significant bowing, which is a necessity; otoh, the soft wood gets scratched and gouged fairly easily, and screws (forex, holding on drawer handles) tend to unscrew themselves.

With IKEA furniture, my general rule is "the fewer moving parts, the better."

As for painting, no knowledge. My decorating tastes tend towards "plain pine covered with comic book decals."

[martianmooncrab.livejournal.com]

they use a lot of Allen wrenches to assemble their furniture.

[debmats.livejournal.com]

There are two Ikeas close to me, so I too am a proud member of Cult Ikea. I have 3 bookshelves, 3 dvd/video shelves, one entertainment center, a futon, loft bed/desk set, wine storage units and a tv stand.

Majority of the stuff is solid wood or solid wood with a veneer - only the entertainment center is part particle board. The quality has been good and durable.

Don't have any experience with repainting.

sub for a desk

[catletude.livejournal.com]

Why not just go to your local "wood to go or such" shop, buy two bases and put a slab door on top and bolt it down. Paint as desired.

OTOH I've been using a desk I picked up at my local Sears furniture shop for years. Holds my computer and all of my paperworks.

Re: sub for a desk

[cailleuch.livejournal.com]

My desk is a corner of pre-made formica counter top (purchased as a someone can not measure remand at a home store). Supported by bathroom vanity bottoms (of the finish yourself variety) because they are low and just the right height for a desk. Lots of drawers as well.

Was cheap and the silly formica top was exactly the correct size and color.

[sleary.livejournal.com]

You can repaint the solid wood pieces from Ikea, but I don't recommend trying it on a veneer surface that's going to see hard use. My husband painted a couple of small Lack shelves and they turned out all right, but they hold just a few knickknacks that we never move.

[jelazakazone.livejournal.com]

Personally, the only thing I like from Ikea is the Billy bookshelves (which someone else mentioned as well). We got a dresser for our kids that was cheap, so I guess it's no surprise that it has not held up (it's completely falling apart, in fact).

I'd go somewhere closer. Our original computer desk is something we got from the Container Store. When we wanted a new desk, we tried to go back to the Container Store, but they didn't have a tabletop that was small enough. My husband got some bamboo plywood and cut it to size and rounded off the corners and then attached legs (from the Container Store). I'm actually happier with that desk in terms of how it looks. The melamine veneer doesn't do well over the years. The corners get chipped.

[moon-happy.livejournal.com]

My desk is a hollow-core door (with no knob or lock drills) supported on one end by a two-drawer file cabinet and the other by turned legs bought at Home Depot. Paints beautifully!

[sraun]

My then-current employer was remodeling, and was going to throw a bunch of 7' hollow-core doors out. I picked one up for my wife to use as a desk. Two-drawer filing cabinet on one side, two-shelf bookshelf that was luckily the exact same height on the other. Yes, it has a hole where the knob was, and there are latch holes and hinge recesses. We put the hinge recesses side down, the latch hole against the wall, and use the knob hole for running the power cables for her computer through.

It painted fairly nicely - the failure was the fact that the paint had been frozen, rather than anything about the door.

[aspidites.livejournal.com]

I live midway between the Ikeas in White Marsh, MD and Philly, but I do not go to either to shop (living in Delaware, I have an aversion to paying sales tax!). I currently have three of their Poang bentwood armchairs and footstools, which are mighty comfy, and I used to own the Ikea drafting table (tubular steel and melamine-covered particle board) which was nice for the price, but lacked drawers of any kind.

My natural inclination for functional furniture is to buy the sturdiest, cheapest furniture available, and that's most often second-hand. Why pay a couple of hundred if you don't need to? My current desk is a heavy wood model I bought second-hand 15 years ago for $30 from a firm in my area that deals in corporate surplus assets.

ikea

[(Anonymous)]

Speaking from a room full of ikea experience. I like the price and minimalist styling but was very disappointed with quality. Mostly particle board and plastic veneers - a waste of money if the indoor climate isn't well controlled since the veneers tend to pop. The bookshelves can't be used for books because the particle board warps immediately if you are foolish enough to fill said bookshelves with - wait for it - books. Particle board is also very heavy and fairly fragile in that it chips rather than dents like real wood. That said the desk should work fine as long as the veneer stays down. It will be easy to clean up. There are new paints from Krylon (http://www.krylon.com/products/fusion_for_plastic/)made specifically to adhere to plastics without a lot of prep work. Just wipe surface with paint thinner, paint, wait a week for maximum adhesion.

The shelves on the desk of your choice should hold books without warping since they are so short. Steve is very close to IKEA if he is in Baltimore and has room for the carton for the drive home. There are currently 4 in the Baltimore IKEA and 2 at the College Park store.

desk

[catletude.livejournal.com]

Or go to your local Salvation Army or Goodwill and see what they have.

Con-Tac paper

[(Anonymous)]

Ikea quality varies quite a bit. I've assembled quite a lot of this stuff for various clients. The more small holes drilled in fiberboard, the more likely there will be problems. I wouldn't expect many problems on that desk.

No, I would NOT try and paint it -- at least not the desktop itself, as I expect it to be the same finish as you find in low-cost white kitchen cupboards. If you really, really hate the white, I'd use con-tac paper, which you can still find in some hardware stores, the Mart-O-Wal, etc.

Of course, once you cover it with papers, the color is a lot less noticeable, no?

On the other hand...what shape is the space that the desk needs to fit into? Perhaps a corner desk would be a better idea? Staples sells one for under $100 that is black and maple. It doesn't have any drawer space, but there is room to put your own drawers/shelves under it. And, the Waterville Staples should have it in stock -- don't know if they have a display model or not.


It's item http://www.staples.com/office/supplies/p4_Z-Line-Gemini-L-Desk-Maple-Black_87094_Business_Supplies_2_10051_SC2:CG33:DP4543:CL164556:SS998674#revs_content

Used But Nice Office Furniture

[muehe.livejournal.com]

I hate particle board furniture. I am just too rough for them.
Usually in any fair sized city you can find a used office furniture place.
I got metal, looks like crap -- but built to last.

Never shopped IKEA

[drammar.livejournal.com]

Pictures of Scan desk on their way to your inbox now.

[(Anonymous)]

Most of my Ikea furniture has survived fairly well, but it depends on how often I move. Re-assembling can strip the dowels and screws in the particle board. I tried painting the melamine finish once - without sandpapering first - and the paint chipped off easily.

Ikea will deliver but it isn't cheap so it's best to order enough to make it worth your while.

If I had to do it again, I'd go with the local antique/used furniture stores. You could call around with the dimensions. Or try the auctions and yard sales - but that takes time.

Lauretta@Constellation Books

[(Anonymous)]

We have 2 IKEA desks: one white and one natural wood (pine?). They are both great. One is about 20 years old and the other about 10. Putting them together was not hard. The most difficult thing was loading the pieces into the car by myself. (I am relatively small). IKEA sometimes has people at the loading area to help.
Peggy

desk/table

[apolias.livejournal.com]

I use a salvaged discard banquet table from a local college. (There are a few small Salvation/Goodwill bookcases/storage carts on wheels, since we have too much in the computer room, and sometimes have to shove stuff around. There is an IKEA bookcase for CDs and paper supplies; it went together easily, is all pine and, so far, no splinters. I would have perfered a heavier one, but couldn't handle that myself.) I really like the table, even though it's particle board and heavy as hell, but, then, it doesn't move that much, even with both dogs leaning against it.
Your desk's blurb says parts are already painted, but if the finish is plasticized, prep should include sanding. Might be easier to start with a color you like.

[6-penny.livejournal.com]

I got a basic wood desk from them this winter. Some swearing in the assembly process, but that was mostly due to doing it by myself. (Sometimes a second pair of hands really helps - instead of propping a large desktop with one's foot). So far it has held up. It is basic - one drawer, and a 3 layer shelf on one side, Tower cavern on the other.
the two Billy bookcases are nice. All their shelving comes with a poundage rating per shelf.
Definitely worth visiting the store to kick the tires as it were. I would not buy just based on a catalog picture.

[grassrose.livejournal.com]

I absolutely love second-hand stores and estate sales for furniture and such. If you run across a piece that's been around a couple of decades, you have an idea that it's pretty sturdy.

It looks like your taste is pretty modern, which could help or hurt. I think a lot of people (like me) who haunt these sales are looking for bargains on older, heavier pieces and antiques. That means you might be able to walk out with a modern desk for next to nothing...

I was going to say check out the government and military surplus sales/auctions in your area, but I can't find any :o(

Yet another vote for second-hand/lumber

[jane-barfly.livejournal.com]

Sorry. I live 201 miles from the nearest IKEA, so shouldn't be commenting at all.

We've got a second-hand library table purchased nearly forty years ago when I was but a tyke. Works beautifully as a desk. Has been refinished once, and drawer redone. Solid oak. Pain to move, but it glows.

Our office contains the two-filing-cabinets-and-a-door desk, hole to back a cable guide, complete with hutch above. Twenty-five years.

My folks liked it well enough that they got the fancy one-drawer-with-stationary-drawer-above cabinets, and have a door-based-desk more to the height my mom prefers. That's been going twelve years and counting.

[connerybeagle.livejournal.com]

To borrow Connery's account...

This isn't Ikea, but I'm in the process of getting a desk from Woodcraft of Michigan. Mine is !!expensive, because I have to get the standing version and I'm replacing several footprints worth of work surfaces, but they come pretty reasonably. I don't have mine yet but I found them really responsive and easy to work with, and the quality looks to be tops.

http://www.hardwoodfurniture.com/index.html

Ikea vs. State Surplus Sales

[(Anonymous)]

I own a number of pieces from Ikea. All are particle board covered in wood grain patterned melamine. I would not suggest painting the work surface if you get it. The paint doesn't wear as well as the original surface, and you need to prep well for paint to bond.

Have you considered purchasing from the State surplus agency? http://www.maine.gov/bgs/centralserv/surplus/ A quick glance shows a public sale coming up soon with all desks and tables at $5.

Lurking for a while and miss my weekly fix.
Thanks for creating such a wonderful world.

Paul

[oberon.livejournal.com]

We recently converted our entire department at work to Ikea desks - it was my initiative, so I did a fair bit of the research into it and the decision we made was that the lower-end Ikea desks were not worth the money - we went to the Galant line, which is a modular-style corner desk. It allowed us the flexibility to have a few different styles / arrangements with the same pieces, and should allow us to adjust the arrangement if we move or change our requirements in the future. The construction is metal-frame wood-top which was a very big upgrade in durability over the other desk lines, which tended to have weak joints and be less durable.

The price is approx. 4 times as much as the one you linked, however.