The Top 5 Benefits Of RTA (Ready-To-Assemble) Cabinets

So, you’re remodeling your kitchen, and it’s time to decide on the cabinets you want to use. You do your research, you weigh the pros and cons of framed and frameless cabinets. You check out a couple pre-made cabinets at Lowe’s – they look okay, but their quality is lacking, and you don’t think that any of them really “fit” your kitchen. You want something a little more customized.

So you head over to a local cabinetmaker, and get an estimate for custom kitchen cabinets – and your eyes nearly pop out of your sockets when you read the number. $15,000 for kitchen cabinets? It may sound unbelievable, but it’s true – a solid oak cabinet that’s custom-made can range from $500-$1200 per linear square foot.

So what should you do? You don’t like the pre-made, factory assembled options, but you’re not Bill Gates – you can’t spend $15,000 on custom cabinetry. Lucky for you, there’s a perfect middle – the Goldilocks option. Ready-To-Assemble (RTA) cabinets.

RTA cabinets blend flexibility and affordability, making them a perfect mid-range cabinet assembly option for any homeowner undertaking a kitchen remodel. Let’s take a look at 5 of the reasons that RTA cabinets are perfect for your project.

1. More Flexibility Than Pre-Made Cabinets

RTA cabinets are mass-produced – leading to lower overall costs – but are much more flexible than pre-made cabinets. RTA cabinets can be purchased in varying configurations and styles, and then assembled to create a more customized, flexible kitchen cabinet solution.

Think of RTA cabinets like Legos – you can pick and choose the components that you need to create a custom kitchen, and then order them. Once you have your cabinets, all you have to do is assemble and install them. This gives you much more flexibility, as compared to stock cabinets that can’t be customized at all.

2. Much More Affordable Than Custom Cabinets

Custom cabinets may be nice – but they’re extremely expensive. Usually, custom cabinets use only the highest quality materials, take a long time to design, and are created by small, independent craftsmen. While this leads to a beautiful end product, it also causes the costs to skyrocket.

Custom cabinets range from $500-$1200 per linear foot, as mentioned. RTA cabinets, on the other hand, can cost anywhere from $175-$400 per linear foot – around ⅓ of the cost of custom cabinets.

The cost savings provided by RTA cabinets can be extremely helpful to homeowners remodeling on a budget – with the money you save choosing RTA cabinets, you could upgrade your countertops to granite, add a new set of appliances, or just avoid spending too much on your project – while still getting beautiful, customized cabinets that look just as good as truly “custom” cabinetry.

3. Fast Delivery And Low Turnaround Time

Custom cabinets take a long time to craft. Each one must be handmade by a craftsman, and they’re usually assembled at the shop, leading to a longer overall turnaround time. You must also wait for your cabinets to be designed, and for the required materials to arrive at the shop.

Delivery of RTA cabinets is much faster. Most major RTA cabinet suppliers have all of the required materials in stock all the time. Once you’ve decided on your order and put together a design that works for your kitchen, you just have to click the “purchase” button, and your cabinets will arrive in 1-2 weeks – or even faster, if you expedite shipping.

4. Easy To Assemble – DIY Or Professionally

RTA cabinets offer an additional way to save money, if desired. If you’re feeling handy, you can easily put together your RTA cabinets yourself. The tools required are very basic and simple – usually just a hammer, nails, wood glue, and a screwdriver. By following the instructions included with your cabinets, you should be able to put them together just as easily as you’d assemble an IKEA dresser!

And even if you want to leave assembly and installation up to professionals, you’ll still enjoy a lower overall cost compared to custom cabinets, as the labor cost of assembling and installing RTA cabinets is quite low, given their ease-of-assembly.

5. High-Quality Materials

Pre-made cabinets are usually made of low-quality materials. Sure, you’ll save money buying pre-made cabinets, but the lightweight particleboard, thin wooden veneers, and cheap hardware used in their manufacture can cost you in the long run.

RTA cabinets are higher quality than pre-made cabinets. Most inexpensive RTA cabinets use hardwood for the frame, drawer fronts, and doors, while using a plywood material to finish the inside of the cabinet, unlike pre-made cabinets that usually use only cheap particleboard and wood veneers.

You can even invest in all-wood RTA cabinets if desired – and still spend only a fraction of what you would if you bought custom cabinets. No matter what kind of RTA cabinet you choose, you can be sure you’ll get a high-quality cabinet that will last you for years to come.

Buy RTA Cabinets – And Save Yourself Time, Money, And Headaches

RTA cabinets offer the perfect solution for any homeowner who needs a mid-range kitchen cabinet solution that’s cost-effective, durable, and customizable. The flexibility, low cost, and high quality of RTA cabinets make them a no-brainer for most kitchen remodels.

So don’t waste money on expensive custom cabinets, and don’t rely on shoddy, low-quality pre-made cabinets. Invest in RTA cabinets for your next kitchen remodel, and enjoy the best of both worlds.