Has anyone used ready to assemble (RTA) Kitchen cabinets

14 years ago

My husband and I are contemplating a kitchen remodel. We have a detailed plan that would greatly improve the functionality of our kitchen.

We can use standard cabinet sizes. I did some research on the web and came across several sites that sell RTA cabinets.

These cabinets have 3/4 inch plywood veneer boxes and solid wood doors. No MDF or particle board, soft close drawer glides and dovetail joints. These cabinets sound like a great deal and perfect for DIYers.

I have even seen these cabinets used for kitchen remodels on the DIY network. One thing I can't find is any independent reviews for RTA cabinets on the web.

Has anyone used RTA (other than Ikea) cabinets and what was your experience with them?

Featured Answer

daveinorlado

13 years ago

You have gotten confused on the details of the cabinets you were looking at online as rta the face frames are 3/4 thick and the plywood boxes are 1/2 thick.

I own and operate a kitchen and bath store in orlando. I specialize in the affordable products as well as having high end products to offer.

I often wonder about those that post on here as to why RTA is not considered more. I can ship out directly to anywhere in the US 75 different RTA cabines that are assembled by the company that stocks them before they are put on the truck! You do not even have to put them together. I also have several domestic brands that are in the same price range. Many do not even use cam locks any more they are to be glued and stapled like most domestic brands are that are not in the Wode Mode business model as cabinet makers.

I have one brand that ships out assembled with a lifetime warranty. They even do inset door styles that everyone seems to want on here. I have another brand that imports 60" wide by 66" wood hoods with raised panel arch vallance over the cook top and pull out spice racks in the towers. They are not as nice as stanici but they are not the cost either. Both have their place in society.

I offer out of my store 20' of cabinetry in any configuration with 30" 36" or 42" wall cabinets with crown and light rail 10 level 1 granite stones to chose from removal of exsisting kitchen, installation of new kitchen and appliances painting of the kitchen area and any knobs you want from my supplier which has 25,000 different ones for $7,000-$10,500 I have inset door styles, flat slab bamboo, raised panels, applied moldings, painted cabinets, glazes, shakers, no name I have at least 1 of everything some will be looking for.

When I am done with their kitchen only someone in the industry will be able to tell if the cabinets are imports most of the time.

The trade offf is you are dealing with in stock product. No 2 companies stock the exact same cabinet list. It is just the nature of the beast.

You can be a smart shopper and find the best price that gives you what you like or you can go for brand name recognition for bragging rights when compnay is over and conviently forget to tell your friends you look wealthy but have no retirement funds cause you buy everything on name brand to feel more important.

RTA will not suit everyone but the truth is it fits most Beaver Cleaver neighborhoods very well. Which is where most of americans live that can afford to remodel thier kitchen

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Comments (20)

bedfordfred
14 years ago
I purchased and assembled RTA cabinets. Yes, they're made in China, but the cost was about half the price of comparable mid-line cabinets from Lowes/HD. Plywood cases, solid dovetail soft-close drawers. Got 19 cabinets plus accessories for $3,800 delivered from http://www.rtacabi.net
sombreuil_mongrel
14 years ago
I ordered my cabinets unassembled/unfinished from Conestoga, and got a fairly customized look, mainly because I'm a preservation carpenter, and I know what to do. The design stage was almost as critical as the assembly and finishing.

Casey

Here is a link that might be useful: Conestoga online catalog
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clg7067
14 years ago
I ordered one wall of cabinets from Scherr's unfinished and installed them myself. I will be buying the rest of my cabinets from them also, when I get around to the rest of the kitchen, so I can get the exact sizes I need.
spinmomnj
14 years ago
I have friends that have used instockkitchens.com but they went to the showroom, there is one in NJ and PA that I know of. They were very happy with the product.
korney19
14 years ago
I've been comparing prices in-depth for the last year and will either use RTA or build the carcasses and order custom doors.

I wish more RTA styles had 15'' wide by 90'' tall pantries--18's are much more common but I think 15's would give me more flexibility with other cabinets on the same wall/layout.
numbersjunkie
14 years ago
Connestoga does custom sizes. There are a number of places that sell them.
korney19
14 years ago
Are they RTA? I thought I looked at there pdf files and I thought their prices were much higher than many RTA places. No?
sombreuil_mongrel
14 years ago
I just checked the Conestoga catalog for you; they have 15w x 24d x 90h cabinets, in a configuration with a smaller upper door or a smaller lower door. They have the same in 12" deep, too.
Casey
korney19
14 years ago
Thanks Casey. What kind of prices on 152490 pantry and say a DB21 3-drawer base or a W3618? I'm looking for the Sheldon door style in hickory, birch or hard maple, in that order.
debrak_2008
14 years ago
I just looked at conestoga and it says the prices will not be honored for sales to homeowners. Does anyone have more info on this?
jterrilynn
14 years ago
debrak, do you know anyone in the trade? I found that having a detailed design plan and someone in the trade on hand as a back up when getting an estimate goes a long way. I am pretty close to placing my order from Conestoga. I have been dealing with Chad from cabinetmakerschoice.com and he has been wonderful.As a woman I often assume many companies do not like dealing with "little women" so I always try to be as prepared as possible so I don't have to listen to a bunch of malarkey. I did change my mullions and a drawer though and it has been smooth sailing so far, the communication has been exceptional.
ag1414
13 years ago
I ordered my cabinets from Conestoga and I am not a contractor. I love my new cabinets!
overlyoptimistic
13 years ago
I used Scherrs in our kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. Would use them again in a heartbeat.
sabjimata
13 years ago
Above our carport we have an apartment that we rent out. We bought the wood RTA's from Lowe's and seriously, my husband and I were surprised by them. Super easy to assemble and very solid. And cheap!

Sometimes I second guess myself as to whether or not I should have gone RTA and save a bunch of money. But...with the amount of water thrown around my kitchen, I wanted to get a more serious finish.

That being said, I know the finish on Conestoga doors is serious.

I definitely wouldn't rule out RTA.
dodge360
13 years ago
I have been considering rtacabi.net cabinets for my new kitchen - bedfordfred if you see this post what door style your cabinets are - I am looking at both of their shaker doors but unsure about color representation on their site.
jterrilynn
13 years ago
Dodge360, I ordered the Conestoga RTAÂs. I can not tell you how impressed I am with the finishes, drawer construction and allÂfar exceeded quality expectations and is right up there with high end cabinetry at a fraction of the cost.

http://s1004.photobucket.com/albums/af170/jterrilynn/kitchen%20picks/?action=view&current=p1010144-1.jpg"; target="_blank">
nishka
13 years ago
I considered using them, and even ordered sample doors from instockcabinets.com. They looked like very good quality doors to me. They were solid. The finish was smooth and even. I liked them.

I didn't see a reason not to use them until my husband forced me to call contractors and cabinet makers for more estimates since he saw himself getting stuck doing most of the work. To my surprise we found a cabinet maker who gave us a very, very reasonable and competitive offer on beautiful semi-custom made cherry cabinets. (they are here and ready to be hung next week)

The cost of the RTA cabinets for our kitchen would have been around $7700 and that didn't include the custom trim work and roll outs I wanted. The cost for the cabinets from the cabinet maker we selected was $8000, custom trim, roll outs and all. This is $9000 less than Home Depot's estimate for Thomasville using a furniture board box instead of plywood.

The morale to this story is get estimates from everyone even if you think you can't afford custom or semi custom. We live in Atlanta and the housing and construction market here is in the gutter. Contractors need business and we found they have reduced their labor cost by half over the last 5 years making what used to be out of reach affordable now.

As soon as our kitchen renovation is completed, hopefully in about 3 more weeks, I will post my before, after and the total cost of everything.
nathan_rtacabinetshop_com
12 years ago
Anyone who hasn't tried RTA and is thinking about it?
Don't hesitate.

Assembly is very easy and prices range near half of what you would pay at Lowe's or Home Depot for inferior products.

Ironically enough... Our website is currently being remodeled itself but should be fully functional later this week.

Best Regards,
Nathan

Here is a link that might be useful: RTACabinetShop.com
nicole___
8 years ago
Do it! I saved a ton and got superior quality!

https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome-psyapi2&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8&q=buy%20and%20build%20cabinets&oq=buy%20and%20build%20cabinet&aqs=chrome.0.0j69i57j0l2.5359j0j7