IKEA Installer is Building its Name One Kitchen at a Time

How a new cabinet installation collaborative is helping IKEA customers get a professional-style IKEA kitchen

Before beginning your DIY IKEA kitchen project, keep one thing in mind: Even the most experienced IKEA customers elect to hire professional installers instead of attempting to assemble and install their IKEA cabinets themselves. Why’s that? It’s not necessarily a reflection on your installation skills. It may be due to a lack of time (people work and families are busy); prior poor experiences attempting a DIY (it might have taken longer than hoped or (gasp!) there were issues with the measurements); or perhaps a lack of qualified IKEA cabinet installers are in your area. Or maybe, simply put, assembling, and installing IKEA cabinets is best left for the professionals.

Enter MPI, a collaborative of qualified IKEA kitchen cabinet installers built to serve customers with quality craftsmanship and caring service.” With multiple locations (including Miami, FL; Austin, TX and Houston, TX) the company covers all of Florida, Texas, Georgia, New York and Southern California. It also leaves them well-positioned for future growth and more importantly, to reach more IKEA customers around the country in need of professional installation services.

“There’s a gap in the market right now for a quality service at scale. We want to be the gold standard for an IKEA installation in the United States: Easy to find, easy to work with, easy to trust and provide quality work. We know there’s a need and will become known if we just focus on customers one installation at a time,” says partner Josh Abel.

Josh is one of three partners at MPI (along with a Danish master carpenter who is the former founder of Traemand Installation Services, as well as a licensed general contractor and architect who has been running IKEA installations in Florida for nearly 15 years). He notes that the partners come with a lot of experience with IKEA products, having been installing IKEA kitchens in the U.S. for nearly 30 years for various other companies.

The average kitchen size installed by MPI varies based on where the project is located throughout the U.S. and there’s no size or other room that his company won’t do. The minimum installation value is $750. “Each installation is different, and they all get the same attention and respect,” Josh points out. He adds that some jobs equate to less than the ($750) minimum and the company will sometimes make an exceptions.

Let’s see how MPI can work for your IKEA kitchen!

Collaboration and Quality

The focus at MPI is on the assembly and installation of IKEA cabinets and laminate or butcher block countertops. Some of MPI’s installers offer demolition and other remodeling services.

“The working model is that we’re out finding customers that have a need — a very specific need that we are very familiar with. Our main mission is to help with their IKEA kitchen process and installation. On the other side, we work with a select group of installers who know all the ins and outs of IKEA installations and align with our values. We genuinely care, can be trusted, safety is prioritized and we’re talented,” Josh explains.

Currently, the company has a few installation teams available in each of the areas (Miami, FL; Houston, TX and Austin, TX) that MPI serves and MPI will do well over a thousand installations in its first full year of operation.

In case you’re wondering, yes, the company is open to installing custom cabinets from third- party custom cabinet manufacturers (such as Semihandmade, Reform, Kokeena, and Scherr’s) but keeps IKEA as its focus. That said, MPI is open to IKEA cabinet ‘hacks’ as well, noting that there is a big call for hacks as every kitchen design is unique. The company’s pricing is based on the time and effort it will take to do the installation. A smaller, less complex installation will cost less than a larger installation with many drawers and lighting connections in all the cabinets, for example.

“Prior to quoting for installation, we review every kitchen design for ease of installation, safety, and functionality. If the design is safe and functional, we’ll install it,” Josh explains.

(Note: MPI’s other services include dry fitting appliances, however the company does not do electrical or plumbing connections.)

Customer Experience

One of the keys to MPI’s success is how the company puts its customers first. That’s why most of their customers find them through the MPI Web site, social media, word of mouth and referrals from the partners.

“The kitchen is the most important room in [the] home. It’s more than just a job for our customers. It’s their lives [and our work needs to reflect that],” Josh says.

MPI’s customers usually sign a contract and make a deposit payment around the time that they place their order and receive an expected delivery date. Interestingly, MPI constantly stays in touch with its customers in anticipation of unexpected delays within the installation process.

“It’s our experience that the actual date of cabinet delivery or actual installation date will change based on other factors in the kitchen renovation process. Once the kitchen is delivered and inventory is completed, we usually install within the next week or two. Installation generally takes two days.” he explains.

Notably, most MPI customers submit their kitchen designs using IKEA’s Home Planner  (Note: MPI does not pick up IKEA cabinet orders for its customers.) Lastly, Josh notes that IKEA customers can greatly improve the installation process (and their own overall experience) by taking accurate measurements while utilizing a professional design and floorplan; proper and timely site preparation; accurate ordering, and taking inventory on delivery day to insure that all pieces — including IKEA extra items—are accounted for.

Working the Plan

Ultimately, Josh says the real key is to start your kitchen project with a high-quality, professional IKEA kitchen design.

“Two qualities I look for in a good IKEA kitchen design is maximizing the space and maximizing the functionality of IKEA’s interior fittings. IKEA kitchens are so popular because of their incredible ability to adapt to any space, but more importantly because of the quality and range of their interior fittings (ie: drawers, hinges, lighting, etc). A well-designed kitchen will show case a solid understanding of how much can actually be done with the IKEA product,” he says.

Heads that only a professional who is knowledgeable and has experience with the IKEA product line can fully maximize all that IKEA has to offer. Plus, there are many homeowners who really need help with their kitchen.

“We encourage IKEA customers to reach out to us regardless of what they need. Even if we don’t do their kitchen installation, we’d love to have an opportunity to help someone. We genuinely enjoy what we do,” Josh concludes.

So before you go it alone remember there are many benefits to working with professional IKEA cabinet installers like MPI, and utilizing a professional kitchen design. Our design team is here to guide you every step of the way, let’s get started!