A kitchen remodel is a big undertaking and you want to make sure you get it right. Choosing the right cabinets is a crucial step that will affect both the functionality and looks of your kitchen. Everyone in your household is also going to spend a fair amount of time in this room, so it’s important to have a kitchen you’re happy with.
While cabinets are central to the kitchen, they’re also not cheap. But ready-to-assemble (RTA) cabinets offer a fantastic solution, especially when you buy them online. It can be hard to know where to begin in a process like this, so let’s break it down and look into how to make the best choices for your kitchen.
What are RTA Cabinets?
RTA cabinets, short for Ready-to-Assemble, are essentially kitchen cabinet kits you put together yourself. They are shipped in neatly organized flat-packed boxes that contain all the necessary components for assembly. Doors, panels, frames, shelves, and hardware are all there and ready for you to build on-site. You won’t need to supply anything yourself but tools (and a bit of effort, but it’s not hard to build RTA cabinets).
RTA cabinets are designed for straightforward assembly. The materials used can vary — you can find options like solid wood, plywood, and particleboard. Each material has its own characteristics that affect both the appearance and longevity of your cabinets. Here at Online Cabinets Direct we use only solid maple and plywood for a combination of beauty, durability, and moisture resistance. Particleboard and other materials are cheaper but don’t offer the same quality in any way.
Why Choose RTA Cabinets?
You might not be sure about buying RTA cabinets if the idea of building them yourself seems intimidating. But it’s worth it for anyone mindful of their budget! RTA cabinets are more cost-effective than pre-assembled cabinets because, by handling the assembly yourself, you save on labor costs. These savings can go toward other parts of your kitchen remodel, and also mean you can get better cabinets for a lower price.You’ll also usually find a wider variety available when you shop for RTA cabinets because they’re easier for warehouses to store. Even if a showroom you visit doesn’t have every cabinet style set up for viewing (or you’re shopping online), you don’t need to see a fully assembled cabinet to understand what it will look like. Once you know the measurements of standard cabinet sizes, it would just come down to seeing the paint or finish. In that case a cabinet door sample would be enough.
Planning Before You Buy
Cabinets are an investment you shouldn’t buy without making sure you’re ready. You need a solid kitchen layout in mind before you even think about ordering cabinets. A well-planned layout leads to a convenient, highly functional kitchen with great working space and storage, even if the room itself is small. You just have to maximize the space you do have.
We have a comprehensive guide to planning your kitchen design with more details on how to measure your space, but this section is a good introduction to the work you’ll need to do. You should download and print a copy of our guide to get more thorough instructions and tips while you follow this process.
Measuring Your Space
It’s extremely important that you have accurate measurements before you move forward. With a tape measure, meticulously record the dimensions of your walls, floor, ceiling height, any soffits, and distance between windows (if any). Account for all obstructions like pipes and electrical outlets. Measure multiple times to ensure accuracy, and write everything down so you can double-check your figures. Any errors in your measurements could lead to costly mistakes down the line, and the farther you get before you notice those errors, the costlier they will be. You need to do this right.
Designing Your Kitchen
Think carefully about how you use your kitchen. Consider your workflow and your ideal placement for appliances, work surfaces, and storage areas. Keep in mind where the gas or electric and water hookups and outlets are in your kitchen, because their locations will limit where you can put your appliances. You’ll need to work around that (or hire an expert to alter them — it’s not a DIY job). But you can still customize a lot of how you use the remaining space by thinking about how your cooking habits lead you through the kitchen. Where do you like to prepare food? Where would you prefer to store pots and pans? The less you have to move around to get to where you need to go, the better. Safety and convenience are your top priorities in that order.
Knowing your kitchen’s measurements will make it easier to pick a layout that works for you while making the best use of the space. Besides our kitchen design guide, check out our blog for articles about choosing a kitchen layout, whether a kitchen island is right for you, and more. A professional kitchen designer might also be a good choice if you feel lost. You can also contact us with questions.
Choosing a Cabinet Style
Assuming all styles are equal functionality-wise, the RTA cabinets you choose should match your personal preference for the look of your home. There are tons of cabinet styles to choose from, and it can get a bit overwhelming if you don’t know where to start or you feel like you don’t have an eye for decor. Some cabinet styles are attached to particular design trends and will look outdated sooner or later (if they don’t already), and they can also be harder to clean if they’re very intricate.
Another consideration is whether you’re interested in building equity in your home. Cabinets are a huge opportunity to either add value or decrease it. Cheap cabinets won’t do you any favors, nor will dated or ugly ones. Think about it: value is added to a home by making it more attractive as a long-term investment. So, cabinets that will need to be replaced are a flaw, while cabinets that will last and look great long-term are a huge improvement.
For these reasons, we recommend sticking with Shaker style cabinets. They look good with everything and use time-tested construction techniques that are both appealing and built to last. Their clean, simple lines make them adaptable to any home style, whether it’s modern, traditional, or somewhere in between. Their understated elegance never goes out of fashion because their simplicity lets them blend with other design elements. This makes Shaker cabinets a safe choice for functionality, appearance, and long-term viability in home design and value.
Selecting the Right RTA Cabinets
Knowing you want a certain style of cabinets isn’t enough to start shopping — you need to know what else to look for. Quality is paramount, as high-quality RTA cabinets will both last longer and be easier to build. Remember that just because you’re going to put them together yourself doesn’t mean they’re cheap or worse quality. The price will still be lower than pre-assembled cabinets because of bypassing the labor costs, not because of inferior quality. That being said, you do need to know what to look for to make sure you’re not getting low-quality cabinets.
Evaluating Materials
There is a reason we use solid maple and plywood for our cabinet construction: they are simply the best materials for a cabinet body. Maple is the best cabinet wood because of its durability and natural beauty. Even if you cover the natural wood grain with paint, a solid maple cabinet just has a certain feeling to it when you open and close the door. It’s a weight and atmosphere that feels like quality craftsmanship.
Plywood is used in the parts of the cabinets that aren’t seen on a casual stroll through the kitchen, like the box and drawer structures and the shelves. Plywood is extremely stable and moisture-resistant, making it a superior material for the main cabinet construction. Avoid particleboard cabinets, laminate cabinets, and other artificial materials. They simply don’t have the durability or longevity of the solid maple and plywood combination we use. Even if you save money up front because these cabinets cost less, they’ll end up costing more in the long run because they’re more likely to need replacement a lot sooner.
The cabinet hardware is also important to consider. Stay away from cheap plastic and look for good old-fashioned metal parts. It’s okay to have some plastic elements such as parts of the drawer slide mechanisms, but anything with cheap plastic hinges, camlocks, or otherwise dodgy construction is to be avoided.
Checking Construction Quality
Since RTA cabinets are not yet assembled, the construction quality you need to check is based more on how the pieces will fit together, not the actual assembly. Joints that don’t fit well together will produce flimsy results regardless of how much gluing and nailing you do. For RTA cabinets that come pre-finished, the quality of paint or stain used is also crucial for protecting your investment. You do not want your cabinets to be vulnerable to moisture or sunlight or to start peeling or fading.
Understanding Door Styles
Let’s say you’ve memorized what you need to look for in regards to durability and quality and you’re ready to move along to the actual style. There’s more variety among cabinet doors than you might think, and that’s not even covering any actual design — they vary based on how much of the cabinet front they cover. Full-overlay doors cover the front of the cabinet frame, making them look seamless. Inset doors fit flush within the frame, so they’re also smooth in front but you can see more of the frame between the doors. Partial overlay doors are the most traditional and cover a portion of the frame, so the doors look like a separate piece attached to the front of the cabinet. Shaker cabinets usually feature full or partial overlay doors, in keeping with their clean, minimalist design.
Even that clean Shaker minimalism has some potential for variety, too. Different insets and raised panels on the door and drawer fronts can change up the look quite a bit. There’s a fairly (and possibly surprisingly) large spectrum of Shaker design that can range from very smooth to a bit more ornate without becoming so ostentatious as to lose the Shaker inspiration. Browse our cabinet door samples for some ideas and you’ll see the range of design possibilities.
The Process for Buying RTA Cabinets Online
Once you know everything you’re looking for, you’re ready to move forward. Purchasing RTA cabinets online is a convenient and efficient way to achieve your dream kitchen. However, just as you put effort into knowing what to look for in the cabinets themselves, you need similar consideration and careful attention to detail when you choose where to buy them.
Finding a Reputable Supplier
Thorough research will help you figure out which suppliers are a good source for your RTA cabinets and which should be avoided. Read customer reviews and testimonials to gauge the supplier’s reliability and customer service quality. Don’t just skim for high and low ratings, but take the time to read customers’ experiences too. You can learn much more by reading the details behind the star ratings.
Check for certifications and affiliations with industry organizations. Choose a supplier that offers clear communication, responsive customer support, and clearly written policies. If you can talk to someone at the company and get a feel for how helpful they’ll be during the buying process, this is a great sign too.
At Online Cabinets Direct, we pride ourselves on our customer service and the quality of our products. We can confidently say we are your best choice for RTA cabinets.
Comparing Prices and Options
When you shop around with different suppliers, compare their prices, shipping costs, delivery times, and return policies. Request samples of cabinet materials and finishes to assess their quality firsthand. This will help you make an informed decision.
Placing Your Order
Once you’ve selected your cabinets, carefully review your order before placing it just to be sure there’s nothing you missed. Make sure all the specifications, like the dimensions, styles, and finishes, are correct. At this point you probably know the products you want like the back of your hand, but it’s better to do a redundant check than to end up ordering something by mistake.
After you actually place the order, keep the order confirmation email and look out for a tracking number once it’s shipped.
When Your Order Arrives
As soon as your order lands on your doorstep, inspect every box in the shipment. Any damage must be documented immediately so you can get replacements for anything harmed in transit. Most shipments go through without any trouble, but accidents do happen, and you don’t want to find out later when it’s too late to file a claim with the shipping company.
What to Do Next
So your new RTA cabinets are onsite and ready to assemble. Congratulations on your purchase! Your next steps will be to learn how to assemble the cabinets and how to keep them cleaned and maintained. Keep checking our blog for additional tips in the future, and get ready to enjoy beautiful RTA cabinets that can last a lifetime.
