Ikea Cabinets - What to expect and tips.

When I first start researching Ikea cabinets, I spent hours on ikeafans.com and still was confused.  So, now that I've been there done that, let me list some things you should keep in mind.

-If you haven't torn out the walls and expect to, wait to finalize your order once you have put up the dry wall.
-Add the legs in your measurements for the base cabinets.  An 88" pantry cabinet is not 88" inches tall once you add the 4" of legs.  The legs are adjustable, but are at minumum 3 7/8".

-The 39" inch wall cabinets are not really 39" inches.  They are 39 x/x" (I think 7/8" but I cannot remember now) and then if you add the trim pieces on top and below, you add another 3" or so.  So, make sure to take this into consideration if you are building soffits or have low ceilings.  Double check the actual sizes of the cabinets, trim and legs.
-Build the cabinets first, then open up the doors and drawers.  If you bought the wrong cabinet, you can still return the doors and drawers since you haven't opened them yet.  This is where all of your money went anyways.  The cabinets themselves are cheap. 
-Some Ikea's will allow you to return built cabinets.  Don't take them apart once built. Then they are unstable and they won't buy them back.  I believe they must use them in their displays if they are well built.  The kitchen people upstairs don't know this.  They are led to believe that once opened, there are no returns.  Not always so, and not just my experience either.  Again, you really don't get much money back because the cabinets themselves are inexpensive.  The doors and drawers, the doors and drawers people.  Remember that, say it, and take it to heart.
-If you want to do your kitchen on a strict budget, remember to think about the cost of the doors and drawers.  If you want a cabinet that has 1 door, it will be cheaper than if you make it a two door cabinet.
-There are only two cabinet styles.  Light birch and white.  The doors and drawer fronts cover up the color of those cabinets if you go with a different door style besides birch or white.  Then, for exposed sides (like the last cabinet on the island), you buy a cover panel to match the doors you chose.  If you don't want this two toned look which you can notice when you open the doors, then go with doors that are either white or the light birch color.

-Don't pay someone to assemble your cabinets.  They are easy to do.  I assembled them myself while my boyfriend and his dad worked on the soffits.  I'm weak, but I can read instructions and you can too.  However, the large pantry cabinets do take two people due to the size.
-Don't worry about not having enough parts.  In all the cabinets and boxes I opened, I never once had missing parts.  If you do have missing parts, start looking in other boxes to the cabinets.  For instance, you may find that once you have the cabinet together, the instructions for the cabinets have you putting in the brackets for the drawers.  The brackets for the drawers are in the drawer box.  Not the cabinet box. 
-If you start having issues putting something together, its you not them.  In other words, if you have to struggle with getting something to fit when you are putting the cabinets or drawers together, you've likely made a mistake.  Everything fits together really well, and doesn't take much elbow greese to fit.  Take a step back, make sure you read the pictorial only instructions, and double check your assembly. 
-Have a drawer party.  Once you put one or two drawers together, it's pretty easy.  When you start looking at the 45 boxes of drawers though, it's pretty daunting.  Buy some wine, have friends over, and put together the drawers.  I got this idea from an Ikea kitchen designer, and I wish I were given that advice when I was depressingly putting my drawers together.  It's something you can do while chatting and drinking and makes the pain go away.
-When you make the order in the kitchen design area, they will give you an order sheet.  You take this down to the customer service area near the registers.  Give them the order sheet and a copy of your receipt (it's best to just buy upstairs instead of waiting through the normal lines for registers).  They will go get all the boxes for you.  You don't have to yourself. 
-They actually have everything in stock.  When we first went there were expecting to order our cabinets, and then pick them up a week later or so.  Well, to our surprise, they had everything in stock.  Luckily we brought our Toyota SUV, so we were able to (barely) fit our entire kitchen in the back.  Thank god that thing has a back window that can be rolled down.  We would have never been able to get the 88" cabinet box in.
-Don't watch the video they gave you when you get your cabinets.  It will make you irate after watching a couple easily assemble, hang and enjoy their new kitchen in what seems like 15 minutes.  This isn't happening.  There is really no point in watching it.