RTA Kitchen Cabinets: What are they and why are they so popular

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By nealon52


RTA Kitchen Cabinets: The Alternative to High Priced Custom Cabinets

RTA or Ready-To-Assemble Cabinets have been around for quite a while, but because of manufacturing improvements over the past couple of years, there are now more and more companies manufacturing and selling Ready-To-Assemble Kitchen & Bathroom Cabinets (RTA), with higher quality standards. Lets face it, the kitchen is one of the most expensive rooms in a house to build or renovate. Other than your countertop selection, kitchen cabinets are going to be the most expensive part of your kitchen remodel. Custom kitchen cabinets can cost anywhere from $10,000-$100,000 depending on the type of wood, brand name, and amount of detail you are looking for. With the current state of the mortgage industry, and slowdown in the housing market, most people are looking for a way to increase the resale value of their home without a huge financial investment that they may or may not get back when they sell their house. Is there such a thing as budget kitchen cabinets?

RTA Kitchen Cabinets are the solution. RTA stands for Ready-To-Assemble. This category of cabinets includes everything from the particle board cabinets you find at Ikea that you assemble yourself, to the pre-assembled cabinets you find at Home Depot or Lowes, or the RTA cabinets that you find on-line that have plywood sides and come ready-to-assemble in a box. As you can see by the descriptions, there are different levels of quality and material used in Ready-To-Assemble (RTA) cabinets. Some of the RTA cabinets that you find on-line end up being stronger and sturdier than the name brand cabinets because they are using a solid plywood cabinet box for their construction. When looking at the structure of the cabinet, always make sure that they are using solid wood for the cabinet face and stiles, plywood for the cabinet box itself, and a plywood or solid wood back for a strong connection to the studs in the wall.

The key to a high quality (RTA) Ready-To-Assemble cabinet is how the cabinet is held together. Some of the lower end RTA cabinets use wood glue and staples or screws to hold the cabinet box together. These types of kitchen cabinets have a tendency to separate or split apart where the staples or screws connect to frame. For a high quality RTA cabinet, make sure that they use a cam lock assembly. What is a cam lock assembly? A cam lock assembly is simply a locking system that you turn using a screwdriver to interlock the cabinet panels in place. It comes in two versions: one is a hidden assembly that uses a combination of pegs and rotating locks, while the other one is an exposed cam lock which also uses rotating locks. Both systems are simple use and do not require any assembly experience, which makes it a great option for home owners and/or novice DIY Handymen.

Availability is another huge advantage to using RTA Cabinets for your kitchen or bathroom project. One of the biggest problems with custom cabinets is the lead time required to order and get your cabinets in time for installation in your house. Most require 6-8 weeks in order to produce and ship your cabinets. With RTA cabinets, you can walk into a home supply store and buy them as needed, or most RTA Importers/Distributors traditionally ship with 1-2 weeks (some even faster). This allows you to adjust to the inevitable changes that will occur in your project, plus it doesn't slow you down in the event of miscalculations... a miscalculation with custom cabinets could delay your project for an additional 2-3 months.

What it ultimately comes down to with (RTA) Ready-To-Assemble Kitchen Cabinets is the cost. A full kitchen of ready-to-assemble cabinets can cost as little as $2,500 whether as the same kitchen built with custom cabinets could be 5x, 10x, or even 20x that cost before installation. With Ready-To-Assemble cabinets, you could easily assemble and install the cabinets yourself and avoid the high labor costs associated with custom cabinet installation. If you are interested in finding some simple design tools to get started on your kitchen, check out some of my other articles at the following links for step-by-step instructions on how to measure your kitchen, along with step-by-step instructions for installing them.

I have searched high and low for the best deals on cabinets, and I have found a way to save thousands on each kitchen that I install in my rental properties and houses that I flip. If you are interested in finding out my secret, check out this article: RTA Kitchen Cabinets

RTA Kitchen Cabinet Blog

  • Rev-A-Shelf: I new way to customize your kitchen cabinets

    If you are looking for a new way to customize stock cabinets or RTA cabinets you should check out the full line of cabinet accessories that are available from the Rev-A-Shelf line. RTA Cabinet Store now carries most of the products offered by Rev-A-Shelf to compliment our kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities. Whether you are looking for a spice rack for your cabinet door, a pull-out trash can, pot racks, or a unique pull-storage shelf for canned goods, Rev-A-Shelf has it available. You can find everything at our website http://www.rtacabinetstore.com - 16 months ago

  • Contractors: Below retail prices, cash reward program, and FREE leads... why haven't you signed up?

    Talk about the deal of the year..... For those of you familiar with the housing and construction industry, you know that it has been a rough couple of months/years. RTA Cabinet Store just introduced a new program to help the contractors and builders that are loyal customers. For contractors and builders that register in their rewards program, they will not only receive the competitive low rates that RTA Cabinet Store offers, but they will also have a chance to receive cash back at the end of the year as a reward for their business! It is based on the contractors/builders yearly sales, but they will be given a certain percentage back depending on what the total is (SWEET DEAL). Not only that, but contractors that are participating in the program will also be added to the database used for customers that are looking for a contractor or builder in their area... FREE LEADS! where is the down side to this?? For contractors that are struggling to be competitive on bids, this is a great way to gain more business, put some money back in their pocket, and get some free sales leads out of it. Which is why I asked the question to any contractors out there: With below retail prices, a cash rewards program, and FREE leads.... why haven't you signed up? - 17 months ago

  • Maximizing the Income from Rental Properties

    In the construction industry you run into a lot of interesting people with very different points of view. I recently met a real estate investor/rental property owner that had a very unique perspective that I wanted to share with everyone. When it comes to rental properties, most property owners take the approach that the less they have to spend on their properties, the better it is. This guy was doing just the opposite and making money at the same time. His philosophy is that, if I spend the money to update the main rooms of the house (the kitchen and bathroom), then I can ask for a higher monthly rent and I will stand out versus the other apartments that are on the market. Here is a breakdown of the numbers as he told them to me. If he spends $3,000 on a renovation of both rooms, he can ask for an additional $200 a month, which means that he not only pays off his investment in a little over a year, but he is now receiving more income and his apartments are renting faster. The key to his success was finding the market value for his rental units, and finding a direct source for supplies (that is where RTA Cabinet Store comes in). By buying his cabinets direct from the manufacturer, he is saving a ton of money that would have been adding on from the high overhead of retail. So if own rental properties and are interested in learning more about his secrets, feel free to contact me and I can put you in touch with him - 17 months ago


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Questions or Commments about RTA Kitchen Cabinets?

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FlntHl  says:
2 years ago

I just installed my first set of RTA Cabinets. It was easier than I had heard it was. Just thought I would pass that along.

Mom1  says:
16 months ago

I just looked on the RTA cabinet store website and found that the prices are much lower than Lowes or Home Depot.

www.rtacabinetstore.com -- is a great site

kirk  says:
2 weeks ago

this was written by people who sell cam lock cabinets. you could throw a glued and screwed cabinet out the window, and the wood would snap in two before a glued joint came apart. ever see cam locks on factory built funiture, or custom cabinets?

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