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IKO Kitchen Remodeling: The West Palm Beach Owner’s Guide
If you have an IKO product in your kitchen and something has failed, we can match the replacement, source it, and install it correctly. A full kitchen remodel in West Palm Beach with IKO-compatible materials typically runs $14,000 – $45,000 depending on footprint, cabinet layout, and countertop choices. Most homeowners discover a failing component the hard way: a drawer that no longer closes, a countertop seam that has separated, or a cabinet frame that has pulled away from the wall after years of Florida humidity.
What you need now is a straight answer about cost, timing, and whether the part can be saved. That’s what this page covers.
Which IKO Models This Applies To
IKO manufactures a range of building products, but in kitchens the name usually shows up on one of two things: roofing underlayment or waterproofing membrane used beneath tile and stone, and occasionally on manufactured stone or cabinet-adjacent architectural products. The compatibility question matters because IKO does not make cabinet hardware or hinges. When a client tells us their IKO kitchen component has failed, the real issue is usually the substrate or the installation layer, not the IKO product itself.
Here is the gotcha most West Palm Beach homeowners don’t know: IKO waterproofing membranes are specified by thickness and application, not by cabinet brand. If the membrane was applied under a kitchen island or behind a sink wall, the failure presents as swollen cabinet bases, delaminating toe kicks, or grout that keeps cracking no matter how many times it is re-caulked. Identifying the right product means checking the original build sheet or the edge of the membrane behind an escutcheon plate. We match OEM IKO membrane when it is available, or a Schluter equivalent when the original spec is discontinued. The decision should be made by someone who has pulled apart enough West Palm Beach kitchens to recognize the failure pattern before ordering parts.
Elmstead Remodeling West Palm Beach is an independent contractor not affiliated with IKO. We also work with KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone products, and we specify whatever matches your kitchen’s existing build.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your IKO Kitchen Remodeling Is Failing
- Cabinet bases swelling or darkening at the bottom edge. This is water wicking up through a failed or missing IKO membrane behind the sink or dishwasher. The cabinet is absorbing moisture every cycle, and the damage compounds over months, not weeks.
- Grout cracking repeatedly in the same lines. When the substrate moves because the membrane underneath has delaminated, grout has nothing stable to bond to. Re-grouting might last a season, but the crack returns because the movement hasn’t stopped.
- Countertop seams separating or lippage at the seam. In West Palm Beach’s humidity cycle, a countertop installed over a compromised membrane will shift as the substrate swells and contracts. The seam is often the first visible sign.
- Soft spots in the subfloor near the sink, dishwasher, or island plumbing. The membrane was designed to keep moisture out of the plywood. When it fails, the plywood starts to rot from the top down, and the floor becomes spongy underfoot.
- Musty odor that persists after cleaning. Trapped moisture behind cabinets or under flooring feeds mold and mildew. The smell is often the first alert in a kitchen that looks otherwise fine.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
Kitchen remodeling in West Palm Beach runs $14,000 – $45,000. A smaller kitchen with stock cabinets and laminate counters starts around $9,000 – $20,000. If the failure is isolated, say a cabinet base or a section of subfloor and membrane, the repair may be far less than a full remodel, but it depends on how far the water traveled.
What drives the price: the size of the affected area, whether cabinets have to be removed and reset, the countertop material being lifted, and whether we have to remediate framing or subfloor before rebuilding. Every Elmstead Remodeling job includes a written price before work starts, with labor and materials listed separately. We don’t give estimates that grow after the crew arrives. The quote you approve is the number you pay. The work is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if it’s not done right, we make it right.
See the difference
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AfterDIY or Call Us?
There are things you can safely do before calling. Check under the sink for leaks at the compression fittings. Look for staining on the cabinet floor. If the issue is isolated to a failed gasket or a loose plumbing connection, a handyperson can address it. But if the cabinet base is swollen, the floor is soft, or the membrane has visibly failed, this is not a weekend repair. Cutting into a kitchen floor in West Palm Beach means understanding what’s beneath it: plumbing, electrical runs, and structural framing. Getting that wrong costs more than the original repair.
What we tell every homeowner: if you can see the damage, it’s already bigger behind what you can see. Call (728) 203-3270 and we’ll walk the job with you before you spend a dollar. Graham Stein still walks every job site himself before a single drop cloth goes down. Put it in writing, then do exactly that.
How Long Will the Job Take?
A full IKO-related kitchen remodel in West Palm Beach typically takes 4 – 8 weeks depending on scope. A targeted repair, like replacing a failed membrane section behind the sink with new cabinet bases, usually takes 3 – 5 working days. We schedule around your family’s daily rhythm, not through it, and we keep quiet tools during nap and school hours where the project allows.
FAQs
An IKO membrane installed correctly under a kitchen floor or behind a sink wall should last the life of the kitchen, typically 20 – 30 years. But West Palm Beach’s humidity and salt air accelerate degradation when the membrane is exposed to repeated moisture cycles without drying out. If the subfloor stays damp continuously, the membrane can fail in under a decade. Call (728) 203-3270 for an inspection, estimates are free.
Rarely. If the membrane has delaminated or torn, patching it does not stop water that has already penetrated beneath it. The proper fix is to expose the affected area, remove the failed membrane, dry the substrate, and install new membrane over clean, stable material. In kitchens where the failure is caught early and is isolated to one seam, a proper repair can work. Most of what we find in West Palm Beach has already spread past the visible damage. Call (728) 203-3270 and we’ll tell you honestly which situation you’re in.
We keep common IKO membrane rolls and compatible Schluter transition pieces stocked in our West Palm Beach operation, along with standard cabinet kick plates and hardware. Uncommon sizes or specific product lines are ordered same-week from our suppliers. When we quote your job, the written scope lists exactly what we’re ordering, by brand and quantity, before any money changes hands. Call (728) 203-3270 for a written quote.
Cabinet installation in West Palm Beach runs $4,000 – $13,000 depending on the number of cabinets and the material grade. Replacing one damaged base cabinet with a matching or comparable unit usually lands on the lower end of that range when the surrounding cabinets are stable. Every Elmstead job includes a written price before work begins, shoe covers and drop cloths on every visit, and a photo of the clean-up before the crew leaves. Call (728) 203-3270 to schedule a free estimate.
Call for a Free Estimate
If you have an IKO product in your West Palm Beach kitchen and something has failed, call (728) 203-3270. A live person answers, 24/7. We’ll schedule a walk-through, put a written price in your hands before any work starts, and leave your home cleaner than we found it. The 365-Day Done Right Promise stands behind every job we finish. That’s not a clever line, it’s the way we’ve done it since Graham Stein started this crew.
Written by Graham Stein, Owner, Elmstead Remodeling West Palm Beach at Elmstead Remodeling West Palm Beach, serving West Palm Beach and nearby areas.
