# RTA cabinets?



## markley (Aug 4, 2009)

Hi all..I have been trying to figure out whether to reface or replace my kitchen cabinets and am now considering "ready to assemble" cabinets. 

Does anyone have any suggestions as to a good online company?

Thanks!


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## DannyT (Mar 23, 2011)

i can't say how they are now, but 2 years ago i had great luck at www.cabinetsdirectrta.com. they were having a 40% off sale on the cabinets we wanted so we lucked out. as with any online company you decide on make sure to look for reviews on the company before purchasing, don't read reviews that are on that companies website tho.


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## markley (Aug 4, 2009)

Thanks for the quick reply Danny! I'll have to check them out.


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

DannyT said:


> i can't say how they are now, but 2 years ago i had great luck at www.cabinetsdirectrta.com. they were having a 40% off sale on the cabinets we wanted so we lucked out. as with any online company you decide on make sure to look for reviews on the company before purchasing, don't read reviews that are on that companies website tho.


so. how is the quality ?


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## DannyT (Mar 23, 2011)

these had the best finish of all the sample doors we ordered, nice and smooth. cabinets are all plywood with solid fronts and doors and had self closing drawers. assembly instructions were not helpful if you call 4 small pictures helpful but were not difficult to assemble. i glued and clamped them because i could but they were solid enough just assembled but i dont plan on buying cabinets again. if we ever need to redo the kitchen we have good solid boxes now so it would just be a refinish job anyway. wife is really happy with the cabinets. we had priced cabinets at lowes, they wanted 6800.00 for particle board and 8200.00 for all plywood and solid wood. we did the whole kitchen for under 7000.00 including cabinets, floor tile, and the granite pieces for the counters and the stainless backsplash tile which was the only splurge. i do remember reading a couple of bad reviews about this company but we had no trouble at all. the fridge panel came damaged and i took photos and emailed them to show the damage and had a new one in 3 days and got to keep the damaged one.


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

sounds good. i am going to be cabinet shopping here pretty soon. i will need about 30' of them.


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## bradfordw (Apr 15, 2010)

I've used www.kitchenspro.com before. I ordered these for a rental property and liked them quite a bit. Cabinets were good quality. All plywood boxes but they were just 1/2" instead of 3/4". But the face frames and door were solid maple. I glued them up in conjunction with the cam lock system that they use. They helped my design the kitchen when I sent them the measurements and then shipped to the local shipping depot. I inspected and picked them up there.

Overall I would do it again. You can get nicer cabinets but you'll also pay 3x more for them.

Will


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## funfool (Oct 5, 2012)

I have only installed them once before. I was not very excited about them when found out customer ordered rta.
At the end of installing them, I thought they were a decent cabinet. I wish I thought of using glue also, but just followed the directions and was pretty simple to assemble.
I also would have no complaint on using them again, although I do not know particular brand name the customer ordered .... would have to have the office look up the invoice.


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## DIY-Her (Feb 19, 2012)

has anyone heard of or used http://www.barkercabinets.com ?
While reading this thread, I saw their Google ad above and decided to click on it. Looks like they are made in the USA unlike rtacabinets.com


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## md2lgyk (Jan 6, 2009)

In my opinion (for what it's worth), RTA cabinets are mostly junk. I used them in one reno but would never do it again. But if that's all you can afford. . . . .


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## DIY-Her (Feb 19, 2012)

actually the barker cabinets aren't cheap in price. They can be made to your specs by I think half inch increments with all different options.
Some of the other RTA's I have seen, even in person, if you look closer at all the displays, you see how some haven't even held up to customers opening and closing drawers, doors every so often.


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

DIY-Her said:


> Some of the other RTA's I have seen, even in person, if you look closer at all the displays, you see how some haven't even held up to customers opening and closing drawers, doors every so often.


i am not defending rta cabinets. but i can tell you, from experience with display units. displays get ABUSED. you just can't fully judge by the display unit. sure, the display will tell you some things. but poorly assembled and them customer abused does not necessarily make for a bad product. 

not only that. if the unit is made of good(enough) quality materials. that mods can be done to make it even better. 

ymmv


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## DIY-Her (Feb 19, 2012)

you're right, sometimes you can't judge a product by the display.
But, if they are trying to sell their product, they should darn well make sure the display is shown at it's best.

About 20 years ago while we were looking at new developments, one we looked at and walked through had so many obvious problems just in the display model. We skipped looking more into that builder and looked further down the road at another builder and bought there.

About 2-3 years after moving into our house, the development across the way that we didn't buy, homes started having problems where in a simple not so bad wind storm, siding was blowing off, rain gutters fell off, roofs leaking.
That stuck in my mind and is why I always be sure a display model is quality built


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## av1611 (Mar 7, 2013)

DIY-Her said:


> actually the barker cabinets aren't cheap in price. They can be made to your specs by I think half inch increments with all different options.
> Some of the other RTA's I have seen, even in person, if you look closer at all the displays, you see how some haven't even held up to customers opening and closing drawers, doors every so often.


Barker cabinets are all that their web site says they are.
We purchased ours from them they are high quality. We
had one hole that was not drilled and were minus one slide 
other than that every thing was very precise.


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## TarheelTerp (Jan 6, 2009)

md2lgyk said:


> In my opinion (for what it's worth), RTA cabinets are mostly junk.


There are several rather decent fully assembled cabinet makers who sell at a rather modest price point. Find one.

The one I've found:
http://www.kitchenkompact.com/


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## DIY-Her (Feb 19, 2012)

thanks for that link. I'll check them out.
The Barker cabinets did look well put together. My only problem was how the fronts were put together. It only seemed to be the door going to the edges of the cabinets. I'm not buying all new cabinets, can't afford it.
I have to buy cabinets under my kitchen sink and the 2 next to them unfinished so I can stain them like I did the rest of my cabinets.
That was why I originally liked Barker, because you can buy them unfinished.


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

TarheelTerp said:


> There are several rather decent fully assembled cabinet makers who sell at a rather modest price point. Find one.
> 
> The one I've found:
> http://www.kitchenkompact.com/


anything else ? they don't have my style.


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## TarheelTerp (Jan 6, 2009)

Fix'n it said:


> anything else ? they don't have my style.


Focus on the steak and not the sizzle.
This is especially prudent when bargain shopping.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

The only problem I have with quality RTA cabinetry is the cabinets come from the factory square. Nobody measured for them and they end up looking goofy in renovation projects. 

There is much to be said for the real cabinet makers that worked for me and carried measuring devices that worked in fractions of inches. They owned levels and squares too.

At the end of the day, once into discussion of nice wood to start? A custom cabinet maker was no more expensive than guys trying to fit RTA boxes into place.


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

sdsester said:


> The only problem I have with quality RTA cabinetry is the cabinets come from the factory square. Nobody measured for them and they end up looking goofy in renovation projects.


what ? that makes no sense. square cabinets look goofy in an old house :confused1:





sdsester said:


> At the end of the day, once into discussion of nice wood to start? A custom cabinet maker was no more expensive than guys trying to fit RTA boxes into place.



so, i can get nice wood, not oak, for $100 a foot ?


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

TarheelTerp said:


> Focus on the steak and not the sizzle.
> This is especially prudent when bargain shopping.


screw that. i'm getting both.


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## TarheelTerp (Jan 6, 2009)

Fix'n it said:


> screw that. i'm getting both.


Be sure to let us know what you come up with.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Fix'n it said:


> what ? that makes no sense. square cabinets look goofy in an old house :confused1:


From my experience, old houses are never square or even plumb anymore. New ones were not built with the same care so factory cabinets often look goofy.

My point was that a real cabinet maker will measure in all directions and will account for discrepancies down to a 32 of an inch and will hold to that tolerance over an entire room. You will never notice the corrections made when your custom fitted cabinets are installed. Your drawers and cabinet doors will work flawlessly. 

You might find trouble with factory built RTA stuff not measured to the quirks of your kitchen, bath, library or whatever. It will come perfectly square and decently built in some cases not involving veneered particle board. I guess Gus the framing contractor could try to trim out where the RTA looks off with some pre-primed pine and a nail gun. Few will probably notice the vinyl baseboards are off. 

Hope I did not suggest I have anything against plumb, level and square.:thumbup: And I do not know the board foot price of the species of oak you have in mind? $100 sounds high but if it works for you I am alright with the figure I guess. If you can be more specific I can help you. A cabinet maker might be almost as fast in costing wood for nice cabinetry though. And if $100 is an alright number and you can afford it? There might be other, harder woods that will work better in your kitchen.


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

ok, thats what i thought you meant, but didn't want to assume. 
yeah, old houses. in my case, i doubt it was EVER square/plumb/level. did they even have levels back then ?
i am planning to "unquick" my kitchen. i know i cannot get it perfect. but if i try, i bet i can get it "good enough". 

oak, i DO NOT want oak. i want something that looks like cherry. i want a softer grain wood. 
i have seen RTA 10'x10' cabinets that go for around $2000. mine will be about 10x10x10.


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

i just google imaged "kitchens". this was the first pic i saw that is the way i am leaning. as far as cabinets color/style goes. and the kitchen "feel" is in the ball park of what i want ( paint the ceiling for sure. and a different backsplash, though that one looks nice.) 
http://www.vittoriumdesign.com/kitchen_web.jpg


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## wkearney99 (Apr 8, 2009)

If you want ideas, visit the Houzz website: http://www.houzz.com

You can't gauge how much your project is going to cost based on the 10'x10' examples. You need to break it down to which cabinets you need and where. What works in an example might fall well short of what you actually need. Most of the time it's drawers that add to your costs. As do accessories. 

Honestly, your best bet is to start with local cabinet places to lay your hands on, and see in person, the different kinds of woods available. If you're trying to match something already in place then remove one of the doors or drawer and bring it along. That'll help find out which ones will best suit your interests. Don't rule out getting semi-custom cabinets that you install yourself. The pricing of them might be better than you think.

One thing about small 'custom cabinet makers' is scheduling. When you're getting RTA or stock cabinets you're usually getting something made on a production schedule. So you'll usually be able to determine exactly when you're going to get them. With a custom maker you're at the mercy of how well they schedule their jobs. Some do a markedly worse job at this than others. Be forewarned.


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## zakany (Sep 24, 2012)

I will echo the idea of looking for a local cabinet maker. I found mine through a local appliance store. He made all the kitchen displays, so I could poke around his work. He was very reasonable and would make the boxes unsquare to fit the house rather than use trim pieces to cover gaps.


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## gray.hope9 (Apr 5, 2013)

Here is good online company http://www.kitchencabinetkings.com … used them last year for my kitchen remodel and they did a good job. The cabinetry provided and craftsmanship were quite impressive.


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

see, i don't want to be bothering the local guys. only to get a quote of %100 more than rta.


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## wkearney99 (Apr 8, 2009)

Fix'n it said:


> see, i don't want to be bothering the local guys. only to get a quote of %100 more than rta.


At least ask, don't just automatically assume.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Absolutely. As long as you are not asking with no intention of considering a real cabinetmaker they know they have to be competitive. They will quote you fairly and willingly I should think. 

For example I recently did an assignment for we go look, a service that puts people in place to look over things in places you cannot get to---cars, equipment, potential ebay items, and in this case extremely highend kitchen cabinetry with a showroom in the Chicago Merchandise Mart. A couple in Australia, wherever that is and why, needed someone to check out a cabinetmaker that really views its work as kitchen or bath furniture and does beyond drop dead gorgeous work. I suspect, but do not know, they were way above what the couple wanted to spend but the people spent loads of time with me even though they knew I was not in any position to influence the purchase. They even followed up on my visit in a completely non-agressive way.

It was the first time I was in the Merchandise Mart without an architect or interior designer with me and if my own project one or both would have been. You used to have to have credentials to get into such places but most have dropped that barrier to entry. If you have one near like the Merchandise Mart, Ice House on the West Coast or the design centers on the East Coast, it is worth a day exploring.


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

wkearney99 said:


> At least ask, don't just automatically assume.





sdsester said:


> Absolutely. As long as you are not asking with no intention of considering a real cabinetmaker they know they have to be competitive. They will quote you fairly and willingly I should think.


yeah, i know. but just as a matter of common sense, they should be asking more = they are doing more work, and probably a better product. so they should ask more.

the thing is, this house/neighborhood doesn't warrant the higher price/quality. i will get only so much of a return on my investment, no matter how much i spend on it.


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## zakany (Sep 24, 2012)

Fix'n it said:


> see, i don't want to be bothering the local guys. only to get a quote of %100 more than rta.


The local cabinet maker I found was not only good, but less expensive than online or big box vendor.

My kitchen was $7700 in KraftMaid (maple) and $6000 from the cabinet maker (cherry). Better, the carcasses were all 3/4 ply that you could drive a truck over. He also helped me learn to make my own cabinets.

I'm not saying that's typical, but I saved _thousands_ and got a better product.

From what I've seen in RTA products, they cost more than his and aren't as well made. And they cost a _lot_ more than I could make myself. I don't even have a table saw - I just email a cut list to an local lumber yard and they deliver cabinet-grade hardwood plywood to my front door, mill-cut to my specifications.


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## TrailerParadise (Jan 3, 2013)

i think if you havent already bought some, it would be a lot easier and a lot less headache and a HELL of a lot cheaper to build them yourself. You can find plans online, just do a quick google search. Have the plywood cut at the store you buy it from, or use a table saw at home, and buy quality materials, and no matter what joinery you use, itll hold up a lot better than most of those mass produced warehouse cabinets. The cheapest i found cabinets premade, was $1500 for the whole kitchen's worth. I built my own and only cost $265 plus paint. I made mine out of solid oak plywood, whitewood face frames, and joined them with glue and pocket screws. You can see the unpainted cabinets on my thread in my signature if you are interested. I got my plans from ana-white.com


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## zakany (Sep 24, 2012)

What Trailer said.

Making cabinets is pretty easy with pocket screws. I turned a $100 of cherry (cabinet-grade 3/4 sheet plus some dimensional stock) into this:










Finishing takes longer than making, anyhow.


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## wkearney99 (Apr 8, 2009)

zakany said:


> Finishing takes longer than making, anyhow.


You got that right. I can build all sorts of stuff, but the finish/stain has always been a challenge. Thus there's something to be said for the controlled environment of a production facility for quality finishes.


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## GinaMarie (Jun 8, 2013)

IKEA makes RTA cabinets.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Error


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