Ready-to-Assemble or RTA cabinets come with many benefits to the buyer. Though at first thought they may seem like a headache they really aren’t when purchased from a quality supplier. Still, many individuals wonder what the allure is of this type of cabinet as opposed to pre-assembled versions that would seem to be a quick get and fit method to putting a kitchen together.

RTA cabinets often get the stigma of being poorly made and cheaply constructed carpentry, but that just isn’t the case. Today’s RTA cabinets have the same quality as custom counterparts. Most are none the wiser when it comes to telling the difference.

With the same amazing appearance and better quality than pre-assembled options there is much to love about RTA cabinets for an upcoming project. Not to mention, money will be saved which is always a plus!

Have a Kitchen Dreams are Made of
RTA cabinets are still constructed of the finest materials, delivering the quality one would expect from a custom cabinet maker. Yet, they are far less expensive. There really is no downside when one considers that fact. Pre-assembled versions from the big box stores often take weeks to receive, and custom cabinetry obviously takes a while to build.

• A builder or home owner will have their RTA cabinets in no time at all and even save on shipping because they don’t come in giant, bulky boxes like pre-assembled do.
• Choose from a wide range of styles and sizes, just because they are ready-to-assemble doesn’t mean one has less to choose from
• All the parts and directions necessary will come right with the cabinets. All that’s needed is a hammer and screwdriver.
• Experience the pride in do-it-yourself. It can feel good to build something as well because there’s added assurance it was done right.

Doors or Complete Cabinets?
The choice is that of the homeowner when it comes to complete cabinet replacement or just the door front. Many opt for complete package as they can be assured they all come from the same manufacturer with the warranty. Warranty may be voided otherwise so it pays to check.

Though just doors may be cheaper, RTA cabinets are so easy to assemble and give one everything all new, which is very appealing! Why not go for it?

Custom or Stock?
Many prefer the traditional face-frame cabinets while other like a more contemporary look this is a relatively easy choice. Once style is decided, the next decision would be manufactured or custom. Stock are similar to what one would see in a big box store and are quite basic with the same design and different finishes. As stated before they are cheaper and offer minimal choices.

Custom RTA cabinets are much more unique and give the buyer a larger choice of material, color and size as well as other elements. They may take a little longer but if the homeowner is certain of what they want and they can only come custom then the wait is worth it.

If one is lucky, they’ll align with a company that caters to both! They can get custom cabinets as RTA cabinets as well. This means they won’t have to wait forever for their order, and often can get them delivered right to the curbside for the ultimate in convenience.

Give RTA a Chance
Remember, the RTA cabinets of 2015/2016 are far better than the old days! Don’t plan on a wobbly version of the cabinets you desire. They are made quite sturdy and come with all quality parts for assembly.

Manufacturers have made great strides in the RTA realm so that savvy buyers can save and still have the cabinets they desire.

Domain Cabinets Direct is an online retailer for custom solid wood cabinets. Based in California they happily ship all over the United States and Canada direct to the curbside to make kitchen and bathroom upgrades simple and affordable. In addition to offering quality cabinets in a variety of finishes and styles, they also offer an online design tool and 3D design service. Cabinets can be viewed in the online showroom or in the in-house showroom for those in southern California. Contractors, designers and architects get a 15% discount on top of the already low prices offered. Because the products come direct from the distributor they are offered to you at very low cost. For more information go to http://www.domaincabinetsdirect.com.

Home remodeling is at an all time high. In fact, remodeling bathrooms and kitchens has almost become a national obsession. A significant cost factor in remodeling or adding on to a house can be the cost of cabinets. Whether remodeling or adding a kitchen, home office, family room, hobby room, play room, child’s bedroom or bathroom, your design might include new cabinets. In a kitchen remodel, cabinets can account for as much as half of the total cost. So it seems important to think carefully about new cabinets and remodeling.

If you happen to have the luxury of planning a remodel with no budget constraints, and you want new cabinets, you have two options: stock cabinets or custom cabinets. Custom cabinets are built to your specifications for your room. These might be built on site, or they might be built elsewhere and installed when complete. This option certainly gives you the greatest flexibility with your kitchen design and in getting the cabinets you want. If, however, you want to complete your remodel faster or you want to save a little bit of money, stock cabinets are a very good option. Stock cabinets are available in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, made of most any kind of wood you could want, with various kinds of moldings on doors and glass panels. You can purchase these completely built, or in precut and pre-finished pieces that you assemble.

If your existing cabinets don’t measure up to your needs or expectations, you might need to buy new cabinets. If your cabinets are showing significant signs of wear and use, if they are made of composition board, or if they simply make things inaccessible, new cabinets are probably a good idea. Choosing the stock cabinets that will fit your remodeling design should be reasonably easy. If you need new cabinets and your budget is limited you might want to look for recently discontinued cabinets or buy very plain cabinets to which you can add decorative moldings. This could save a lot of money.

If your cabinets are functional, in good shape, and of good quality, there are many other things you can do to revitalize old cabinets into a style that accents your new room design while saving money. Particularly in older homes, you may have solid wood cabinets that are far better than many economy cabinets available today..

Finally, consider the difference new hardware can make. Changing the hinges and door/drawer pulls can give older cabinets a very fresh appearance. If, for example, you have pine cabinets with black hinges and door pulls, you can create an entirely new look by painting the cabinets white and changing the hinges and door pulls to brass or brushed nickel.

As you renovate, you might also want to consider adding features that make the items in your cabinets more accessible. There are many items available that can be placed in existing cabinets or built into new cabinets that will make them more accessible, such as lazy Susans, drawers, drop-down shelves, and the like.

The possibilities for new cabinets and remodeling are limitless. Just use your imagination to find ways to achieve the highest quality with the available budget. The rest is a matter of creative thinking and some effort.

Copyright 2007 by ABCD Publishing

Dan Fritschen, the author of this article, is the founder of the websites http://www.remodelormove.com http://www.remodelestimates.com and http://www.remodelingorganizer.com He is the author of three books on home remodeling.

Whenever you need to make a major purchase if you are budget-conscious — by choice or by necessity, the best (I would say, only) place to start is by accumulating as much information as you can about the available possibilities. When buying cabinets, an extremely important consideration is to be sure that the measurements you are working with of the involved area(s) are accurate. You certainly do not want to learn too late that your cabinet choices and/or the resulting layout of them might have better met your needs.

In straight-run base-cabinets, one consideration that should be a priority is, if at all possible, to include “roll-outs” (variably called roll-out shelves, trays, etc.) factory-installed inside them; this is because “roll-outs” provide much better accessibility to items stored there (but, if your budget will only allow one roll-out per cabinet, be sure to place it on the cabinet’s bottom level). But, in case you happen to not be replacing perfectly fine base cabinets which do not have “roll-outs”, all is not lost; that advantage can be added later via “inserts”. And, if you are then unable to find “inserts” from a manufacturer, they can be self-built and installed.

If you are remodeling your kitchen (or building anew), you may need to choose a corner cabinet although not all kitchens need them.For example, a “galley” kitchen is called that because the walls (holding cabinets and appliances) that make up the kitchen face each other and, therefore, preclude the need for corner cabinets. Another possible arrangement in this vein would be an “L-shaped” kitchen with a straight-run of cabinets along one wall and another straight-run of cabinets on a wall that is perpendicular to it but separated from it by a doorway or floor-to-ceiling window. Cabinets installed in a straight run do not pose the variety of choices that corner cabinets do; therefore, if your new kitchen, bathroom, or office needs a corner cabinet, having a list of the types of corner cabinets currently available should help you make an educated choice in their shape and size.

Beginning with base corner cabinets, we have: (1) the symmetrical easy reach — this cabinet is the same length on each side of the corner and contains either shelves along its rear walls or a carousel with shelves “pie-cut” to accommodate the doors (a center hinge allows opening either the first door or both); (2) the asymmetircal easy reach — this cabinet is a little shorter on one leg (if it includes a carousel, that diameter will be the length of the cabinet’s shorter leg); (3) the revolving — this cabinet is like cabinet #1 but its doors revolve with the carousel shelves; (4) the diagonal-front — this cabinet allows a full-circle carousel; and (5) the blind — this cabinet looks like a straight-run cabinet but it extends into the corner along the side of an adjoining cabinet, structure, or appliance thus making its “buried” shelves accessible only from the front door (to allow better use of the “blind” corner cabinet, some manufacturers have cleverly created a cabinet with a first section which, on opening the door, pulls out and pivots to the side to expose roll-out trays which can then move forward to present their contents). Finally, there is a sink base corner cabinet that can be either an “L-shaped” cabinet to hold a butterfly sink or a diagonal-front cabinet with a regular straight-line sink — a caveat whenever a corner sink cabinet is used: be sure that adequate standing area (for loading and unloading the dishwasher) is created by placing a 12-inch wide regular cabinet between the dishwasher and the corner cabinet’s side.

Wall corner cabinets include: (1) the diagonal-front — this cabinet has a modified pentagon shape (this is the one most frequently chosen for this position); (2) the easy reach — this cabinet appears to be two adjoining wall cabinets (it has a center hinge to allow opening the first door or both and allows direct access to the contents on the shelves); and the blind — half of this cabinet is buried in the corner itself and can be accessed only by the front door of the cabinet — this cabinet is the unfortunate choice in instances where structure or an appliance allows no other option.

In conclusion then, when choosing cabinets in general and wall or base corner cabinets in particular, your best choices will depend on the size and shape of available space, your budget and the items that you plan to store there. Additionally, you really should make every effort to: (a) be as fully informed as possible about your cabinet options and (b) carefully review all of your decisions before ordering any cabinets — whether or not you have bottomless pockets.

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