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Learning by Doing

IKEA kitchen installation tips and guides

I’ve been on a kitchen installation spree since 2018, completing over 340 kitchens and counting. It seems like every week, another kitchen joins the ranks of satisfied customers.

With all this kitchen action, I’ve developed quite the expertise in the IKEA SEKTION kitchen system. When you combine that with my engineering background, I’ve honed the skill of discovering more efficient and straightforward methods for handling various aspects of the installation process.

On this website, I’m here to pass on my knowledge and share some of my kitchen wisdom with you. I hope you will learn something and enjoy installing your Ikea kitchen!

Lars Rannes
Kitchens by Rannes

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My DIY IKEA Kitchen Installation Guide
These articles cover single topics. The guide takes you through the whole installation: more than 30 step-by-step lessons, in the right order.
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15 Comments
  1. Alan G

    Hi Rannes,
    Thank you for the website, and the YouTube videos they have all been very helpful so far in my installations in Canada!
    One question, for the 90″ tall sekction cabinets. I am putting 3 tall cabinets side by side together as a standalone pantry. (no other cabinets)
    I have everything ready and already began installation.
    Question, do you recommend still installing them on the rail, or should I just put them all on legs and screw them together?

    Reply
    • Lars

      Hi Alan.

      I’m glad you like the videos and my website.

      To answer your question. Yes, rail. Always.

      Imagine lifting one of those pantry cabinets from horizontal to vertical without breaking 400 packs of legs.

      Impossible.

      Hang the rail. Lift cabinets into rail. Add legs.

      Reply
  2. Adrian

    Hi Lars,
    I love your videos. They’re amazing and have really helped me. I’ve come to a stand still in my project as I have to install a dishwasher end panel for a dishwasher at the end of my cabinet configuration. Do you have any advice or videos showing how to do this? I’m not sure what the panel should mount to and how the end panel should be reinforced? From what I can see there aren’t any kits from Ikea available for this.

    Reply
    • Lars

      Hi Adrian,
      I am happy to hear that you find the videos helpful. I don’t have a video for the scenario you describe yet, but you are not the first one to ask, so maybe I should make one soon. In short, I use a 26×36″ panel. so if you are in Europe or other Metod markets, you will need one of the big pantry panels. I simply cut the panel to fit in regards to depth and height, and I never cut it at the floor. If your floor are falling into the room i.e. being lower towards the room, you will need to use a shim cut to fit the panel, to make it as little visible as possible. I attach the panel to the wall with a few a 90° bracket and then I cut a piece of scrap wood to 24″ (or whatever width the dishwasher have) and secure it to the panel and the adjacent cabinet with masking tape across the opening at the top of the panel. This is to ensure that the opening remains correct when the countertop is installed.

      Reply
  3. Anita Leonard

    I too love your videos. I am trying to find a good video on how to do a filler. In my IKEA kitchen I have a 5 inch filler and I saw where you put a cabinet, but I’m really not wanting to do that. How do I cover the bottom of that 5 inches since it’s in an upper cabinet run. Thanks in advance for your help with this.

    Reply
    • Lars

      Hi Anita.

      Thanks. I haven’t made a video showing what you are looking for, yet.

      In that particular case, I usually double up on the fillers i.e. have two layers, one nice looking at the bottom, and another layer on top into which I can screw from the inside of the cabinet, when the doulble layered filler is in place. I attached the two fillers to each other, from the upside naturally. I hope it made sense 🙂

      Reply
  4. Clifford Lang

    Thank you very much for making all the videos. They have been most helpful. I hope I went through the correct link when I ordered some of your tool and screw recommendations so you got a little something from it.
    I have a 24” x 60” Axstad door. It has provision for 4 hinges. Can I only use 3 of them? The top 2 and the bottom one. I would like to put a drawer where the second middle hinge would go and don’t want to move the drawer any higher as it would be more difficult for my wife to reach v

    Reply
    • Lars

      Hi Clifford,
      Thank you for your comment and question.
      I would say that three hinges should be sufficient considering that you will use the heavy duty 153° degree hinges.
      If you want to be sure, you can always add the forth hinge at a location where it won’t interfere with the drawer. I have a video showing how to drill the necessary hole with the Kreg jig.

      Reply
  5. Clifford Lang

    Thanks, I ended up moving drawers around a bit so all 4 hinges were used. I figured ikea put them there for a reason.

    Reply
  6. Theis Jørgensen

    Hej Lars
    Jeg har set din Bodil hvor i du viser hovedansvaret man kan ændre breden på et vægskab. Men kan man ændre dybden på et?

    Reply
  7. Daemon

    Hi Lars,
    I think your videos are excellent, great tips and tricks across the board.
    When I look at the installation manuals, it never says what bits to use, for instance ikea 112996 cam lock screws, what type of screw head and size. I´ve got to build a new kitchen shortly, knowing exactly what bits to have, what size drill bits Imbus sizes, so small tall box with the right bits that are needed. I watched your installing LED lights video for instance and already made a jig 115mm for fixing the lighting underneath the cupboards. So I don´t need to wast time when starting the work.
    Maybe you could do a small list of bits that you would advise to have! building an IKEA kitchen!

    Reply
    • Lars

      Thank you. I am happy to hear that you find my videos helpful.

      I made this video to deal with the bit issue: https://youtu.be/Ka88oBRf8l8

      For assembly and installation, you really don’t need many different bits. The lights comes with a small Torx bit, and for everything else, the PZ2 mentioned in the video is sufficent.

      Reply
  8. Pawel

    Hi,
    I actually would like to hang kitchen cabinets (wall 40′ and tall 90″) approx. 15-20″ lower than they original hanging points.
    I have air duct going near the ceiling and back wall. I would like cabinets to go to the ceiling with a cutout for that duct, but hanging on a rail 15-20″ lower.
    Can I just move rail hanging brackets 20″ lower where normally shelfs would be.
    I removed the bulkhead and in a pert of it discovered that airduct. I would like it to be covered with the cabinet.

    Comment

    Reply
    • Lars

      I actually did what you describe, for the very first time this week.

      I moved the brackets 10″ down and cut new cut outs in the back panel for the brackets. Measure from the lower edge of the cut out and one make it more than 2½” high.

      Reply

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