20 Questions to Ask an IKEA Kitchen Installer Before You Hire

The twenty questions below are the ones we would ask if we were hiring an IKEA kitchen installer for our own house. They fall into nine groups: SEKTION experience, scope and exclusions, pricing, scheduling and crew, registration and insurance, missing parts, warranty, references, and old-house experience. For each question we describe what a good answer sounds like, what a red flag sounds like, and how we answer it ourselves, so you know where we stand before you ask.

You do not have to ask all twenty. The eight in the table further down cover most of the risk. The rest are for when two installers look equally good on paper and you need a tiebreaker.

What to send before you ask for a quote

Questions only get useful answers when the installer can see the job. Before you ask anything, send three things: the plan from the IKEA Home Planner (the PDF or the shareable link), the item list that goes with it, and a handful of photos of the kitchen with rough wall lengths and ceiling height written on them.

The item list matters more than the rendering. It tells an installer how many boxes there are, how many are tall or corner units, how many fillers and cover panels need scribing, and whether the plan is missing anything obvious. Our guide to reading the IKEA kitchen order list explains what each line means. If you have not measured yet, start with how to measure a kitchen for IKEA cabinets and how to use the IKEA kitchen planner.

We review the plan and item list for free before we quote, and we would be wary of any installer who quotes a fixed price without looking at either.

Questions about IKEA and SEKTION experience

1. How many SEKTION kitchens have you installed in the past year?

A good answer is a number and some texture: the door styles they see most (AXSTAD, BODBYN, VEDDINGE), which corner solutions they prefer, what they think of newer fronts such as NICKEBO or HAVSTORP. A red flag is "we do all kinds of cabinets" with nothing IKEA-specific behind it. Semi-custom cabinets arrive as finished boxes; SEKTION arrives as flat packs, legs, a steel rail and a great many cam locks. It is a different job. Our answer: IKEA kitchens are all we do, across Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

2. What is different about installing SEKTION compared with other cabinets?

Listen for specifics: the suspension rail, leveling base cabinets on adjustable legs rather than shimming a fixed toe kick, assembling every box on site, the reliance on fillers and cover panels to finish a run, hinge and drawer-front adjustment at the end. Someone who has done a lot of these will mention at least three. "Nothing really, cabinets are cabinets" is the red flag.

3. Will you review my IKEA plan before I order?

Good answer: yes, and here is what we look for. We check filler widths at walls and corners, clearance for drawers beside walls and appliances, appliance opening sizes, wall cabinet heights against the ceiling, and whether the plan has enough cover panels. Red flag: "just order it and we will make it work." Making it work usually means a return trip to IKEA Stoughton or IKEA New Haven for a filler nobody ordered.

Questions about scope, exclusions and the quote

4. Exactly what is included, and what is not?

You want a written list. Ours reads: assembly of every cabinet, suspension rail, hanging and leveling, doors, drawers and hardware, toe kicks, cover panels, fillers cut and scribed, and cleanup of packaging. Then a list of exclusions, stated plainly: plumbing, electrical, countertops unless quoted separately. Our guide to what IKEA kitchen installation includes goes line by line. "Everything" with nothing on paper is the red flag, because everyone's definition of everything is different.

5. Do you handle demolition, bulkheads, countertops and appliances?

A good answer is a clear yes or no for each, with a separate price. We do all four as separate services: kitchen removal, bulkhead construction, countertop installation and appliance installation. A red flag is "we will figure it out on the day," which means it will end up on an invoice you did not agree to.

6. Who does the plumbing and electrical?

Good answer: a licensed plumber and electrician, and the installer sequences the cabinet work around them. That is what we do; we do not touch plumbing, gas or wiring ourselves. Red flag: an installer with no trade license offering to "hook up the sink and move that outlet while we are here." In all three states, plumbing, gas and electrical work belong to licensed trades and usually need permits. See our IKEA kitchen plumbing guide for how the handoff works.

7. How do you price: per cabinet, per day or per project?

Any model can be fair if it is explained. The useful sanity check is roughly $150 to $300 per cabinet installed, more for tall, pantry and corner units, or $2,500 to $4,500 for a standard 10x10 kitchen in this region. Assembly only, with no mounting, runs about $50 to $100 per cabinet. A red flag is an open-ended hourly rate with no cap, or a single number with no breakdown. We quote a fixed price per project from your item list. For a first estimate, try our IKEA kitchen installation cost calculator.

8. What could change the price after you start?

A good installer names the triggers in advance: walls out of plumb beyond a stated amount, plaster that needs repair, a return trip because parts were missing, scope you add mid-job. They also explain how a change is approved, ideally in writing before the work is done. "Nothing ever changes" is not honest, and "we will see" is not a plan.

9. What are the deposit and payment terms?

Good answer: a modest deposit, the balance on completion or at named milestones, all in writing. Red flag: full payment before anyone has set foot in the kitchen, or cash only. Massachusetts limits how much a home improvement contractor can take as a deposit, at the time of writing; confirm the current rule on the state site.

Questions about scheduling, crew and communication

10. Who will actually be in my kitchen?

The right answer names people. The person who quoted the job should either be on the crew or supervising it, and the same crew should be there from the first box to the final door adjustment. "We will send whoever is available that week" is the red flag. With us, the crew that starts your kitchen finishes it.

11. How many days will it take, and what happens on each one?

Expect one to two days for a small kitchen, three to four for a medium one, five to seven for a large kitchen with an island and a pantry wall. A good installer sketches the days: rail and base cabinets first, wall cabinets and talls second, doors, drawers and fillers after that. If someone promises a 25-cabinet kitchen in one day, ask how. Our guide on how long IKEA kitchen installation takes has the full breakdown.

12. How do I reach you during the job?

You want one direct contact who answers the same day. A red flag is a booking line where every call reaches a different person who has to look up your file.

Questions about registration, insurance and warranty

13. Are you registered as a home improvement contractor in my state, and what is the number?

A good answer is the number, offered without hesitation, and a pointer to where you can look it up: the Massachusetts HIC lookup on mass.gov, Connecticut's eLicense site, or Rhode Island's Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board. Red flag: "you do not need that for cabinets," or a change of subject. Our guide to verifying an installer's registration in MA, CT and RI walks through each site.

14. Can you send a certificate of insurance?

Yes is the only good answer. Check that the certificate shows current general liability, workers' compensation if the installer has employees, and a named insured that matches the business name on your quote. "We are covered, do not worry about it" is the red flag. Ask for the paper.

15. What is your workmanship warranty, and what does it cover?

Good answer: a written warranty with a stated length that covers installation defects, such as a cabinet pulling away from the rail or doors that drift out of alignment because of how they were hung. It should be distinguished from IKEA's product warranty, which at the time of writing is a 25-year limited warranty on SEKTION and covers the cabinets, not the installation. "IKEA covers it" is the red flag. Our workmanship warranty is five years. See the IKEA kitchen warranty guide for how the two fit together.

Questions about missing parts, references and old houses

16. What happens when a part is missing or damaged?

It will happen on a large order. A good installer tells you to check the delivery against the item list before install day, or does it with you, sequences the work around anything missing, and is clear about whether a return trip is included or priced. Red flag: the whole thing becomes your problem, or a twenty-minute return visit is billed as a full day. Our guide on missing and damaged IKEA kitchen parts covers how to report items to IKEA.

17. Can I see photos of recent IKEA kitchens, ideally in my door style?

You want finished kitchens photographed by the installer, close enough to see filler joints, crown returns, toe kicks and the gap between a cabinet end and a wall. IKEA catalogue renderings are the red flag.

18. Can I speak with two recent customers?

Yes, with a day's notice so they can ask permission. Nobody available is a red flag.

19. How much of your work is in houses built before 1940?

In this region, that is most kitchens. A good answer talks about plaster and lath, floors an inch out of level across a run, corners that are not square, and knob-and-tube wiring turning up where the rail needs to go. Surprise that any of this matters is the red flag. Our guides on IKEA kitchens in old houses and hanging IKEA cabinets on plaster and lath show what experienced installers plan for.

20. What would you change about my plan?

A good installer has at least one specific observation, even on a good plan. "Looks great" from someone who has not opened the file is the red flag.

The eight questions that matter most

How to compare two or three quotes fairly

Most quote comparisons go wrong because the quotes are not for the same job. Put them side by side, line by line, and fill in the gaps before you look at totals.

• Match the scope first. If one quote includes demolition and another does not, add a typical $500 to $1,500 to the one without so you compare like with like. Do the same for bulkheads, countertop templating and appliance installation.
• Divide the cabinet installation line by the number of cabinets. Around $150 to $300 each is typical for full assembly and installation. Well below that usually means assembly only, or something left out. Well above it may be justified by a plaster-walled walk-up with a long crown run, but ask.
• Do not compare a fixed price to an hourly estimate. Ask the hourly bidder for a cap.
• Weigh the answers to questions 10, 13 and 15. A quote a few hundred dollars higher from a registered, insured installer who will send the same crew and back the work for years is usually the better buy.
• Treat the lowest bid by a wide margin as a question, not a bargain. Ask what was left out.

Our IKEA kitchen installation cost breakdown lists what each line should cost so you can spot the gaps.

Questions specific to New England homes

Add these if your house is older than your grandparents or sits on a third floor.

• How do you fasten the suspension rail on plaster and lath? The answer should involve structural screws into studs at every stud the rail crosses, pre-drilled through the plaster, and never anchors in plaster alone.
• How do you handle a walk-up? A Somerville or Dorchester triple-decker, a Worcester three-decker or a Back Bay brownstone means carrying forty flat packs up two or three flights. Ask whether that costs extra and how the stairwell will be protected.
• Have you worked in condos? Boston, Cambridge and Providence associations often want a certificate of insurance before work starts, restrict working hours, and require padding in elevators and hallways. Our IKEA kitchen condo and apartment guide covers what to arrange.
• Where does the delivery go? IKEA typically delivers from Stoughton for most of Massachusetts and from New Haven for Connecticut. Rhode Island has no store, so deliveries come from one or the other. Ask who receives the boxes, where sixty flat packs will sit until install day, and whether the installer checks the delivery against the item list.
• Do you work in my state? Registration is by state. An installer registered in Massachusetts is not automatically registered in Rhode Island or Connecticut. See our pages for Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

The next step

Send the plan, the item list and a few photos, ask the eight questions in the table, verify the registration number yourself, and compare quotes on identical scope. If you would like our answers in writing for your kitchen, request a free estimate. We will review the plan, tell you what we would change, and quote our IKEA cabinet assembly and installation as a fixed price with the exclusions spelled out.