Ikea furniture reviews?

[LauraG1]

We're shopping for furniture for our youth room at church: Furniture used by middle schoolers, twice a week. So it needs to be durable (kids) but not high use.
A few people want to go to IKEA (2 hours away) and shop....I'm not convinced. We're looking for upholstered furniture, sofas, chairs etc.
It is crap, or OK? I see a lot of removable covers (thinking cushions moving all over the place), and fiberboard and cardboard pieces in the description.
Laura

[CynthiaDL]

No, not for youth room at church....

It's not durable enough to be long lasting and I doubt you'll replace it for years.

We have Ikea chaises in our rec room and I love their look and comfort but they are not going to last for years and years -- and we are a small family.

Cynthia

[ahava]

I'd say no also -- I'd go to a high end consignment store -

[fatcat]

hard to say... if you think that it isn't getting a lot of use, then maybe. But also I'd not expect it to last very long. BUT, it might be worth looking at the fine print of their warranty, because I have heard of people returning a nearly 10 year old couch and getting a brand new one under a 10 year warranty!

As for removable slip covers, yes, they do come off and are washable, but only on cold and do not put it thru the drier if you expect to get it back on. The cushions on the sofa I have seem very dense - they have not gone flat or lumpy at all, in fact they are so firm it gets uncomfortable to lounge on!

But if your other option is low-end furniture stores, then I'd probably pick Ikea over that for the price. And I think the quality you get at some low end furniture stores is equally as poor as Ikea - meaning equally as much fiber board and cardboard pieces but you're paying for it to be already assembled (so you can't see how much particleboard!) and delivered.

If you really want long lasting and durable, then I think you need to look at pricier stuff specifically made for institutions or dormitories.

[zmaditto]

We have had an Ikea Hovas sofa for about 2 years (I wanted to try the Pottery Barn slipcover look without spending the $$$...I'm over it! I love being able to wash the covers and easily change the look but miss that tailored look of upholstered furniture). It's huge and super deep. You could pile a dozen kids on it! It was our primary sofa up until a few weeks ago and it hasn't really worn at all. There are no squeaks or pits in the cushions and we sat on it ALOT. The corduroy slipcovers wash well and even slip back on easily if you dry them on low heat. You can order the extremely inexpensive plain white canvasy slipcovers and probably dye them a darker color more appropriate for kids. The plain white covers DO shrink a bit even on low so I'd definitely line dry them.

We also have a couple of Ecktorp chairs. They're definitely durable enough for family but don't seem to be quite as Mack Truck strong as our Hovas.

As for their folding chairs and stools...we won't even use them for just us. WAY too flimsy!

HTH!

edited to add: The Hovas cushions do creep out a few inches and then stop. If you bang them in with your knee, problem fixed. The Ecktorp chair cushions don't move at all.

[Val.]

Nah, not great quality. What about craigslist or asking congregation members for furniture donations? There are also companies that cater to institutional use and are less likely to wear.

[sbdeveney]

No I wouldnt get IKEA furn for a rm of youth kids.
I'd check craigslist and ebay (locally) to find gently used furniture.
Or if you have Goodwill - they get donated furn and sell it for cheap.

[LauraG1]

We received a cash gift to go shopping...want to get the most for our money. One person really wants to go to IKea, and I'm not keen on the idea. I'm going looking locally today and ask for discounts!

[peasx2]

we got Ikea for the youth rooms

but it is all wooden chairs and tables--for those items, Ikea has worked great for us. We didn't put anything else in the rooms!

[SusanW]

The bookshelves, etc are great and durable enough but I wouldn't go IKEA for the sofas, etc.

[hokiehi]

You should check out overstock.com. Delivery will only be $2.95 no matter the size. My sister bought awesome wood patio furniture 4-5 years ago...It gets a lot of use, and looks great!

[LauraG1]

Update: I went shopping yesterday locally

Took me most of the day (well ds's school day) and went to three local places, took a ton of pictures, put them together with prices and descriptions and sent them to the committee. We're going to shop locally Saturday was the decision. I saw so many options for the same price range that while it won't be high-end furniture, it's a lot better made than stuff we would have to put together. And it's local, which I believe in supporting.
Thanks for the feedback!