Which Ikea should I go to ? (Manassas, Woodbridge: sales, townhouse, buy)

[Teebyrd86]

Hey, I want to go to Ikea and check it out, looking for an inexpensive bedroom set. My question is.. I live in Herndon so Should I go to the one in College Park, Md. or the one in Woodbridge? Thanks! and has anyone had any experience purchasing furniture from them? if so how is the quality?

[bmwguydc]

I would go to Woodbridge, since it's easier than having to deal with the bridges and potential traffic to/from CP, unless your travels take you to Maryland for other reasons and Ikea would be a side trip.

Regarding the quality, it varies. Some items that they sell seem to be pretty well made, and sturdy, whereas others are not the greatest. A friend of mine bought Ikea cabinets for her playroom and her three children have not yet been able to destroy them, which is a good sign. The custom built-ins would have been a small fortune, but Ikea had some with interchangable bins that have worked well.

Someone else I know cornered the market on some Ikea bookcases for a townhouse, and while they met her use, they were toward the more inexpensive end of their range and the particle board/paper warped/scratched easily. Admittedly, they were in a basement, so that might have caused the warping, but the woodgrain paper used on the sides seemed to be a bit on the thin side.

The only frustration I have had with Ikea is assembling some of the products, and having missing parts. One wall unit that I was helping my friend's husband assemble was missing an entire side to one of the pieces, requiring a trip back to Potomac Mills for an exchange.

[CaliTerp07]

On average, the ikea quality isn't very good. It will last a few years if you're gentle with it, but if you are planning on moving at all, it doesn't hold up very well. My roommates all had ikea stuff over the years, and dressers generally lasted 3ish years before they started falling apart. I do have a tv unit from them that is really heavy duty wood (except the back which is just a cardboard type thing) and really sturdy. It's survived 2 moves so far and done well! The ikea bookcases i had fell apart within months though.

If you aren't opposed to used furniture, you can get some really good quality stuff for cheap on craigslist. Buy a new mattress, and you'll be good to go. Our current bedroom set is a used thomasville set (a hand-me-down from an aunt and uncle) that is 15+ years old and looks brand new, other than the mark on the dresser from a water glass.

[Pandoras]

I like the Woodbridge IKEA for a couple of reasons. If you time it right, you can take HOV to the Potomac Mills exit and bypass alot of traffic. I found their parking layout very efficient and haven't had problems picking up my order. I have had a good experience with the Ikea sales staff their, especially in the desk furniture area. As for furniture quality, well it is OK but it isn't the greatest. I like their office furniture and organization section best. I have had good luck with their office furniture, TV stands, and kitchen stuff! I don't feel like the bureau I bought was worth the cost.

[cdmurphy]

I've been to both recently, and it depends on when you're going. I went to College Park mid-morning (after rush hour) on a weekday and zoomed right there and back. I went to Woodbridge around the same time and sat in construction traffic on the Beltway - plus I-95 can be nasty. One deciding factor might be inventory - I went to College Park because I checked online and the particular shelves I wanted were in stock there but not at Woodbridge. OTOH, most recently I went to Woodbridge because I also needed to hit some of the outlets there. I'm far enough west that I can also drive down through Manassas, which theoretically takes longer because of lights and traffic, but is faster if I need to go in the evening. One time I went that way on a weekday night, and IKEA was almost empty. It was wonderful. I wouldn't go near either one of them on a Saturday.

IKEA is not exactly heirloom furniture, but it (usually) gets the job done. I have the 5x5 Expedit bookcase as a room divider, and it is perfect (but really hard to assemble). We also have a couple of IKEA dressers, a full-size guest bed, coffee table, side tables, and shelves. The "Marketplace" section of IKEA is awesome - housewares, lamps, gadgets, frames, etc. And the cafeteria is wonderful - cheap, good food.

I would caution you on the beds - my guest bed is at least 13 years old and I don't know if this is still common but the support system is "LADE" - which is little pieces of wood stapled to a flat piece of rope, laid across pegs. It is ridiculously flimsy. I think they have different grades of slats, and LADE is the cheapest, so be sure that you get something sturdy. (Also, as CaliTerp07 noted, moving IKEA furniture can destroy it. The bed we have has been moved three times. The only reason it's lasted this long is that it's been a guest bed for 10 years and is slept on once or twice a year.)

[SteelCityRising]

I personally prefer the one in Woodbridge. To date I've only purchased an office chair from this store, but once I have some money saved up I want to purchase a TV stand and some wall decor from here as well. So far no complaints. It's a shame there's not an IKEA in Fairfax County, though. Over 1,000,000 people, and we all have to drive down 95 or around the Beltway. Ditto Dave & Buster's.

[South Jersey Styx]

I can't stand the IKEA in Woodbridge. No special reason; I think I just don't like the mall there. I prefer the one in Greenbelt and always make sure to have lunch (the meatball special) when I am there.

IKEA is OK if you're just starting out and need some decent pieces. As the years go by though, things will gradually fall apart, etc. I had a few decent pieces when I first came out of college. The only thing I have now is a BILLY bookcase with the glass door fronts. It is the one thing that hasn't so much warped on me.

I would never buy a bed from them either. cdmurphy pretty much summed up the bed issue. I would also never buy a sofa or a full dining room set either. The furniture is particleboard with a veneer melamine -- cheap melamine that chips and particleboard that warps and/pr falls apart, especially when wet or damp and isn't there alot of news lately about particleboard containing formaldehyde/other toxins?

I think their "strengths" are in accessories, some decent vases, frames, plants, some curtains, blankets, etc. And their closet and storage organizers are doable too. Good luck decorating!

[ibecowtippin]

I've become a pro at putting together the Ikea furniture. When my wife and I started out, we didn't have much more than a dollar to our name, so as time and need move forward, we starting pick up furniture there for our home. So our bedroom furniture is all Ikea as well as our family room (except for the sofa).

Some Ikea furniture is better than others. Some are particle board with printed woodgrain over it. The pieces we bought were the solid wood, no particle board. Also during assembly, I would use wood glue on the joints for extra strength, just have to make sure you put it together right the first time.

Our's is lasting very well for the 4 years we have had it thus far. I can't imagine spending more for furniture than what we have spent though. I know a lot of people put stock in heirloom furniture and such, but I don't care what happens to it once I am dead and gone. As I told my wife, if we were waiting for heirloom furniture, we still got some time to wait for it from her and my parents, as they are still alive and kicking rather well.

Since we live in Woodbridge, that's the one we go to. I would always check out the stock online before going over there to pick up a piece. The mall traffic can be nasty, especially on weekend. Not really the traffic, but the drivers....

[ChristineVA]

There are different levels of Ikea furniture. The "affordable" stuff--you don't want. They offer a good selection of solid wood furniture.

We have a full-size Ikea bed in our guest room that we've had for 15 years now and it is very sturdy. It is solid wood with white enamal (headboard and footboard). The support is the wood slats but they fit onto a metal frame so no sagging.

My son got the Hoppen bed and dresser about two years ago and we are pretty happy with that.

I live right near the Ikea in Woodbridge so I would go there. As another poster stated, the parking is pretty easy there. No sure how the College Park one is but I can see why you might consider that from Herndon. Neither one of them will be a convenient commute for you.

[smaug20000]

Do you normally pick up the furniture yourself? Do they deliver? We want to get a chair for our living room, and I wasn't sure what we'd do about delivery. I guess I need to check on that.