Everybody knows that RTA Cabinets can save you a significant
amount of money on your new kitchen or bathroom, but not everybody knows
the difference between the various types of RTA Cabinets that are on
the market. It seems like for every person who had a good experience
with assembling and installing their own cabinets, there are just as
many people who have horror stories from dealing with the wrong supplier
or buying the wrong type of RTA Cabinets. In this article I am going
to cover the differences between the various ready-to-assemble cabinets
that are on the market so that you can ensure your experience is a
positive one.
Materials- whether you are talking about custom,
stock, or RTA cabinets, the materials used for the construction of the
cabinets should be the biggest factor in what cabinets you are buying.
The most common question that I get from customers is "what is the door
made of?". People want to make sure that the door is made of real wood,
when in reality they should be more concerned with what the cabinet box
is made of. 95% of the RTA Cabinets that are the market are going to
have solid wood doors and face frames (if not, that should be a red
flag!!). Where they differ will be what they use for the box and the
back panel. There are a wide variety of materials that are used by
manufacturers, including- plywood, fiberboard, particle board, MDF, and
solid wood. Plywood and Solid wood are going to be your strongest
cabinet box. There are several issues that you might have to deal with
if you buy cabinets that use particle board or fiberboard with a veneer
cover..... 1) if the material gets wet, fiberboard and particle board
tend to swell or buckle 2) both materials tend break or split,
especially screws or nails are used. Screws will have a tendency to
lose their grip because the material is made of shredded wood or paper
vs. a plywood or solid wood material. Ironically, most of the cabinets
that you have to special order from Lowes or Home Depot are actually
made of fiberboard with a veneer. For a strong, long lasting cabinet,
make sure that the cabinet box is made of plywood or solid wood.
Ease
of Assembly- if you have heard any stories horror stories about RTA
cabinets, it most likely had to do with the complicated assembly that
is required. If you have ever bought anything from IKEA than you know
exactly what I am talking about. One of my neighbors who just remodeled
their kitchen with cabinets from IKEA was telling me her story about
the cabinets she thought she was getting a great deal on. I was amazed
to find out that everything literally comes in its own box.... the
hinges are in a box, the screws are in another box, the cabinet faces
are another box, etc, etc.... she was telling me that it took a couple
of hours just to identify all of the different parts. After hearing
her story, I can understand why some people might not what to deal with
the headache. I can assure you that not all RTA cabinets are that hard
to assemble. A good, high quality cabinet will come with everything
ready to assemble in a single box. Having worked with
ready-to-assemble cabinets for the past 15 years, the cabinets that I am
used to dealing with only require a screw driver to assemble, and can
be assembled in 5-10 minutes. On a high quality cabinet, the doors
will already be attached to the face frames, and everything interlocks
using cam locks. If you find yourself buying each piece in a separate
box, make sure you set aside a couple days for assembly because you are
going to need it!!
Price- let's face it, most people associate the
price of a product with the quality of the product..... this is not
true. If you have ever searched for RTA Kitchen Cabinets on the
internet you will find several dozen cabinet stores selling the same
exact line of cabinets, with highest priced websites selling the same
exact cabinets (changing the name to slightly) for 2-3 times as much as
the lowest priced cabinet store. Don't be fooled by price. Check
into the materials, assembly procedure, and shipping schedule to
determine if the cabinet is right for you. Shop around... just
because a big box store has the buying power, doesn't mean you are going
to get the best deal... in reality, the best deals available are going
to come from the internet sites that have very little overhead and are
working off of lower margins. They can usually offer better customer
service as well.
So if you are at the point where you are thinking
about RTA Cabinets, make sure you ask the right questions to ensure you
have to best experience possible. By finding cabinets made of the
right materials, that are easy to assemble, and priced appropriately,
you can ensure a beautiful kitchen or bathroom and a project that is
easy to accomplish.
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