fidowanttobe
Platinum Member
Many different brands out there. Looking for anyone that has had experience with them. They are our only option at this time as custom built are WAY out of our price range. Thanks.
RTA (ready to assemble) Cabinets Any experience?
- Thread starter fidowanttobe
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Jchonline
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Are these going in a home or a garage? What brands have you looked at?
3Ts
Elite Member
Not RTA, but I've used the cheapest particle board cabinets from Lowes that I could get. We had them in our house for a few years before we built a bigger house, no complaints. I still have some of those in my barn as well and I have one spot on the edge where the laminate needs to be re-glued, otherwise they work fine for me. We replaced the ones in the previous house (turned it into her studio) recently with the more expensive Kitchenaid which have nicer drawer slides and adjustable hinges and shelves.
A caution on custom cabinets: We are not pleased with the custom cabinets we got but the contract was with the house builder and only says that he will provide cabinets. We went and talked with the cabinet builder and gave him drawings and internet pictures of what we wanted. Those were ignored. Dimensions of the cabinets were all wrong, the raised panels were not of the style we specified, and no ability to put in drawer pulls (?!?) but none of that was in writing. I suggest you have the custom cabinet builder actually build you a cabinet that has all the features you want (doors, drawers, trim, hinges, slides, etc) to see what you're going to get.
A caution on custom cabinets: We are not pleased with the custom cabinets we got but the contract was with the house builder and only says that he will provide cabinets. We went and talked with the cabinet builder and gave him drawings and internet pictures of what we wanted. Those were ignored. Dimensions of the cabinets were all wrong, the raised panels were not of the style we specified, and no ability to put in drawer pulls (?!?) but none of that was in writing. I suggest you have the custom cabinet builder actually build you a cabinet that has all the features you want (doors, drawers, trim, hinges, slides, etc) to see what you're going to get.
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
Lowes used to sell RTA cabinets in the store. I think they where called Mills Pride or something like that. It's been over 15 years, so I'm not sure. When I was flipping houses, I used them all the time. Solid wood doors that looked great, metal drawer slides that where very smooth, and a nice finished look. I used them in my house when I built it in 2005 and overall, they have held up pretty good. I had dishwasher leak that caused unrepairable damage, so it's something I've been living with. My plan is to gut the kitchen, convert it into a second master closet, and then move the kitchen to the other end of the house. When I do that, I'll probably go with RTA cabinets again. I just haven't done any research into who to buy from.
2manyrocks
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Surprised you can still buy unassembled cabinets? Or do you mean cabinets that are pre-assembled but come in individual boxes
Home Depot has an in store service where they will take your kitchen measurements and print out a suggested kitchen cabinet layout with their cabinets. I did this one time for a customer and it all installed with no problem according to plan. It helps if the kitchen floor is level, the walls are square and plumb, and the location of studs has been marked.
I suspect few kitchens will have dimensions that perfectly measure out to factory cabinet sizes without some spacer pieces.
Besides box stores, you might look for a cabinet manufacturer in your area that builds cabinets for spec houses that will sell direct to you. Their cabinets are stock catalog items so you know what you're getting. Usually, there area also countertop makers who will cut your countertops to size.
One thing I suggest you put on your list is a silicone undersink drain mat similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/Under-Sink-Silicone-Waterproof-Bathroom/dp/B09Z1K9C67/ref=sr_1_10?crid=32GC1BBLDQERF&keywords=under+sink+drain+mat&qid=1664029488&sprefix=undersink+drain+mat,aps,106&sr=8-10
Home Depot has an in store service where they will take your kitchen measurements and print out a suggested kitchen cabinet layout with their cabinets. I did this one time for a customer and it all installed with no problem according to plan. It helps if the kitchen floor is level, the walls are square and plumb, and the location of studs has been marked.
I suspect few kitchens will have dimensions that perfectly measure out to factory cabinet sizes without some spacer pieces.
Besides box stores, you might look for a cabinet manufacturer in your area that builds cabinets for spec houses that will sell direct to you. Their cabinets are stock catalog items so you know what you're getting. Usually, there area also countertop makers who will cut your countertops to size.
One thing I suggest you put on your list is a silicone undersink drain mat similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/Under-Sink-Silicone-Waterproof-Bathroom/dp/B09Z1K9C67/ref=sr_1_10?crid=32GC1BBLDQERF&keywords=under+sink+drain+mat&qid=1664029488&sprefix=undersink+drain+mat,aps,106&sr=8-10
Oaktree
Super Member
Never knew there was such a thing, though in the past I've bought unfinished furniture/cabinetry.
When we re-did our kitchen & bathroom, I built all the new cabinetry myself. Solid wood, no particle board. One of the challenges was that this house was built in the 1830s, and "level" and "square" were concepts the builder was not familiar with.
Therefore, everything had to be built crooked in order to look square when installed.
I'm far from a cabinet maker, but it came out pretty good if I do say so myself.
When we re-did our kitchen & bathroom, I built all the new cabinetry myself. Solid wood, no particle board. One of the challenges was that this house was built in the 1830s, and "level" and "square" were concepts the builder was not familiar with.
Therefore, everything had to be built crooked in order to look square when installed.I'm far from a cabinet maker, but it came out pretty good if I do say so myself.
Have tractor did travel
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I owned company for 30 years that provided materials to cabinet makers to build custom cabinets. Like you, did not want to pay the price for custom cabinets. Ordered from linked below, our entire kitchen, and recommend to you.
ROUSTABOUT
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I've installed hundreds. Get the ones with wood on the face. Not completely particle board.
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jyoutz
Super Member
I have installed some of the Home Depot cabinets with oak facing and doors. They are fine. But the problem is finding the correct size combination of units to fit your kitchen layout.
t1kilo
Member
Rtastore dot com
They have what you’re looking for, but we used their preassembled cabinets for our barn apartment which we lived in for two years while we built our house. Prices were reasonable and they typically run sales. I seem to recall that we got free shipping too. Good quality and nice features like soft close hinges and drawer slides.
They have what you’re looking for, but we used their preassembled cabinets for our barn apartment which we lived in for two years while we built our house. Prices were reasonable and they typically run sales. I seem to recall that we got free shipping too. Good quality and nice features like soft close hinges and drawer slides.