You bought the IKEA boxes. Now they are stacked in your garage, and your kitchen still has no doors. Sound familiar?
The trickiest part of an IKEA kitchen with custom fronts is not the building. It is the timing. The cabinet boxes move fast, but good custom fronts are made to order, so they take longer. If you order them in the wrong sequence, you end up living with a half-finished kitchen for weeks.
This guide walks you through a realistic IKEA kitchen timeline from first measurement to final touch-up, and shows you how to run the slow parts and fast parts side by side so nothing sits idle.
The short answer
A full IKEA kitchen with custom fronts usually takes about 8 to 12 weeks from planning to done. The custom fronts (roughly 6 to 8 weeks to make) and the countertops are the long poles, so you order those early and let the boxes, demo, and prep happen at the same time.
Why the two halves move at different speeds
An IKEA kitchen built with custom fronts is really two orders working together.
The Sektion boxes are stock items. When they are in stock at your store, you can often pick them up or have them delivered within days. Assembly is quick too. A two-person crew can hang the boxes for an average kitchen in about a day, and most jobs finish the cabinet install in two to three days.
The custom fronts are different. Doors, drawer fronts, and panels are cut, finished, and quality-checked for your exact cabinets. At Kitch, that build time runs about 6 to 8 weeks which is industry standard.
Here is the mental shift: the fronts are not the last thing you buy. They are one of the first. Order them early and the 6 to 8 weeks ticks by while you handle everything else.
The realistic week-by-week timeline
Every kitchen is different, but this is a fair picture of how the pieces line up. Notice how the front build and the room prep overlap instead of stacking end to end.
| Stage | What happens | Rough time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Plan and measure | Measure the room, lay out cabinets in the IKEA planner, choose your door style and finish | 1–2 weeks |
| 2. Order boxes and fronts | Buy your Sektion boxes and place the custom front order the same week (the 6–8 week clock starts now) | Same week |
| 3. Fronts in production | Your doors, drawer fronts, and panels are built to spec (this runs in the background) | 6–8 weeks |
| 4. Prep the room | Demo the old kitchen, sort out electrical and plumbing, patch, paint, and set flooring | 1–2 weeks |
| 5. Assemble and hang boxes | Build the Sektion cabinets, mount the rail, level and secure the boxes | 2–4 days |
| 6. Template countertops | With boxes set, your fabricator measures for stone or solid surface | Then 2–3 weeks to make |
| 7. Install fronts and hardware | Hang the custom doors and drawer fronts, add panels, adjust hinges, fit handles | 1–2 days |
| 8. Final hookups and punch list | Countertop install, backsplash, sink and appliance hookup, paint touch-ups | 1 week |
Add it up and the calendar total is around 8 to 12 weeks. But your hands-on work is a fraction of that. Most of the wait is production time you spend doing nothing but checking the mailbox.
How to run it in parallel (the smart order of operations)
The goal is simple. Have your custom fronts show up right around the time your boxes are built and your room is prepped. Here is the sequence that gets you there.
-
Finalize your layout and measurements first. Your front order is only as good as your cabinet plan, so lock the layout before you buy anything.
- Order the custom fronts early, ideally the same week as the boxes. This starts the 6 to 8 week build immediately instead of at the end.
- Bring the boxes home and prep the room while the fronts are made. Demo, electrical, plumbing, paint, and flooring all fit inside that window.
- Assemble and hang the Sektion boxes. Now your room is ready and the cabinets are in place.
- Template countertops once the boxes are set. Stone needs the real boxes to measure against, and it takes a couple more weeks to fabricate.
- Install the fronts and hardware when they arrive. This is the fast, satisfying finish. Doors and drawer fronts go on in a day or two.
Done this way, your longest two waits (fronts and countertops) happen while you are busy with other steps, not after them.
What can stall your timeline
A few things add days or weeks, and most are avoidable if you plan for them.
Backordered boxes. IKEA stock moves. If a size you need is out, delivery can slip. Check availability before you set your start date, and buy the boxes as soon as your layout is final.
Measuring mistakes. The most common delay is a fronts order that does not match the boxes. Measure twice, confirm your cabinet sizes, and use a measuring guide so nothing has to be remade.
Hidden repairs. Old walls and floors are rarely level. Uneven walls found after demo can add about a day of shimming and adjusting.
Countertop season. Fabricators get busy. Template only happens after your boxes are installed, and the stone itself takes two to three weeks, so build that into your end date.
Common worries, answered honestly
"Isn’t 6 to 8 weeks a long time to wait for doors?" It feels long until you realize it overlaps everything else. You are not waiting 6 to 8 weeks plus the build. You are prepping, buying boxes, and getting countertops templated during that same window. The fronts are usually not what makes you wait at the end.
"Can’t I just put IKEA doors on now and swap to custom later?" You can, and some people do. Just know it means paying for two sets of fronts and living through a second install day down the road. If you already know you want the custom look, ordering fronts up front is cheaper and less disruptive than doing it twice.
The takeaway
An IKEA kitchen with custom fronts is not slow. It just has one long lead time (the fronts) that you need to start early. Order them the same week as your boxes, prep while they are built, and the whole project lands in about 8 to 12 weeks with far less downtime than most people expect.
Ready to see your kitchen come together? Build my cart and get your boxes and custom fronts moving the same week, so the clock starts working for you.
FAQ
How long does an IKEA kitchen take to install?
The hands-on cabinet install is fast. A crew can hang the Sektion boxes for an average kitchen in about a day, and most finish boxes plus fronts in two to four days. The longer calendar comes from production time on custom fronts and countertops.
What has the longest lead time in an IKEA kitchen with custom fronts?
Usually the custom fronts, at about 6 to 8 weeks to build, followed by countertops at about 2 to 3 weeks after templating. Both can run in the background while you handle the rest.
Should I order custom fronts before or after the IKEA boxes?
Order them the same week, right after your layout is final. Buying fronts early starts the build clock so they arrive around the time your boxes are up and your room is prepped.
Can I speed up the timeline?
The best speed-up is sequencing, not rushing. Lock your measurements early, order fronts and boxes together, and prep the room during the build. That removes the dead time most kitchens lose by ordering fronts last.