RTA Inset Cabinets?

14 years ago

We just got a quote from Cabinetmaker's Choice (Conestoga) for RTA inset cabinets. I had only looked at full overlay and frameless before because it didn't even occur to me that I could buy and assemble my own inset cabinets (in my mind, inset is the realm of Crown Point and Kennebec).

Does anyone have experience assembling RTA insets? My partner is handy and has some woodworking experience, but I worry that for some reason inset would be a lot more finicky than overlays. If we are also finishing the cabinets ourselves, will the paint+inset combo give us an even bigger headache?

Thoughts? Inspiring photos?

Featured Answer

sombreuil_mongrel

14 years ago

Hi,
I redid my kitchen as a DIY in '06-07. I am a very experienced carpenter with lots of woodworking equipment, and I do build some cabinets. I did not have the kind of shop space to do en entire set of cabinets, nor the time. I first developed the design, and found that Conestoga would customize the door styles to get something like a door I loved from Omega Dynasty line. I ordered an upper and lower door sample (different styles) and was so impressed by the precision and great condition they arrived in.
I received my unfinished cabinet package (99 boxes on 9 pallets)in a little over two weeks. The shipping from PA to WV was free, it even came on a Conestoga semi trailer (they do their own delivery for large orders, ship UPS for small ones).
The boxes go together easily. The finishing was obviously a lot more trouble than the assembly. I used old-fashioned mortise butt hinges for my inset doors, which have no adjustability and require total precision of fit. There are non-mortise hinges that allow some adjustment, but I wanted a particular look.
I wouldn't foresee that painting them would be a particular problem for you, if you ask in the paint forum you can get some good advice; apparently there is a new type of paint called "Cabinet Coat" that lays down smooth as glass and in impervious to stains and wear. I have seen pictures of new woodwork painted with it and it's very impressive. To paint doors it's better to do them off the cabinets, and you need a vast amount of room to lay them all out. I stained, and did some steps (like a 7-step finish) off, and final finishing on the cabinets. I finished the moldings etc., off, and touched up after nailing them up. The cabinet doors come ready-to-stain, the faceframes need a good scraping/sanding to remove the 100-grit cross-grain sanding marks.
You will be getting cabinets nearly as good as Dynasty, Plain & Fancy, or Crown Point, (not as good as Kennebec) for a literal fraction of the cost.
One final caveat, nothing is returnable unless damaged, you will get what you ordered, so go through the list with a fine-tooth comb and make sure everything works together.
The upper cabinets:

My Glass-door inset wall cabinets:

My full-overlay base cabinets:

Inset hinge detail:

It's quite an undertaking, but great sweat equity, or how to end up with nicer cabinets that you would want to buy, if you are in my income bracket.
Casey

Comments (6)

want2bsure
14 years ago
Thanks for posting Casey. Did you have to mortise the hinges or did Conestoga do it?
Junicb, everything I've ever read about Conestoga has been positive. Unfortunately, threads get old and disappear...
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logansmum
14 years ago
Junicb,

Would be very interested in the pricing you got on unfinished RTA inset cabs from Conestoga. I'm not far along enough in the layout to get a quote, but quite curious as to how it compares to other options. Do you mind sharing ballpark or comparing to other quotes you got?

Casey, your kitchen is beautiful. I had seen on other posts, but never realized you'ld DIY'ed the finish and the cabs. Lovely.
I too have Crownpoint taste with an Ikea budget.

Best,
Susan
sombreuil_mongrel
14 years ago
I had to do the hinge mortising myself. The overlay base doors were ordered pre-bored for the euro-style hinges. I think if you wanted Euro-style hinges on the inset doors, they would bore them for you. Just not for butt hinges, because there is no standard in effect.

Casey
junicb
Original Author
14 years ago
Casey - woo! Your kitchen is beautiful! I like the combo of inset and full overlay. Was that for additional space in the base cabinets or just a design preference? How did you finish the insides of the cabinets?

Maybe I could pick your brain a little about the Conestoga ordering process if we get further along?

We had originally thought IKEA, given our tiny budget (and desire to DIY), but my partner was a little iffy on the particleboard and they didn't have a style that we loved. That led us to Scherr's, and then I just went nuts googling for other reputable RTA cabinet sources. I, too, had heard good things about Conestoga in general. Cabinetmaker's Choice responded to my e-mails promptly and sent me a quote within a day of my request.

We had Cabinetmaker's Choice give us quotes for 4 base cabs and three uppers with a few different finish choices. Our kitchen is small (9.5'x10.5'), so that's really all we have room for. The quote ranged from $1745 for unfinished paint-grade maple with a full overlay to $2400 for stained cherry, flush inset.

For comparison, Crown Point gave us a rough estimate of about $15k! The same layout with Scherr's was about $3k...
sombreuil_mongrel
14 years ago
Overlay base cabs was to facilitate the paneled DW.
The cabinet insides came prefinished. It is birch plywood sprayed with catalyzed lacquer. I did the full-plywood upgrade, so I don't know what finish if any is on the other lower-cost materials.
When you order finished doors, the lead time goes way up, so don't expect the same 2 1/2 week delivery time I got for unfinished. I think they promise 5-6 weeks.
Casey