Top Reasons to Choose RTA Kitchen Cabinets
Choosing new kitchen cabinets is an exciting time, whether on its own or as part of kitchen remodeling. Kitchen cabinets define the room about as much as kitchen countertops because both use up a lot of visual space. It is very important to choose just the right one, because there is no do-over once you make your choice, and kitchen cabinets are a significant investment.
You may already have a few cabinet brands in mind, such as Schrock, Wolf Cabinets, and Fabuwood. These companies offer many different options in term of materials, styles, colors, finishes, and construction. So much so that it is easy to get just a wee bit overwhelmed and go into a paradox of choice situation.
The trick to getting out of analysis paralysis is to focus on one aspect of the cabinets and choose one. For example, you can choose one color that works with your existing kitchen or new kitchen design, and go from there. Another major aspect you can use to focus on is the construction.
Cabinets sourced from a remodeling company typically fall under three types of construction: custom, semi-custom, and RTA (ready to assemble). Another category is stock cabinets, which are assembled cabinets typically available from big box stores in limited quantities and options. In appearance, all these cabinets can look identical. However, there are important differences. Here are the top reasons to choose RTA kitchen cabinets.
Overview
Custom cabinets
Back in the day, all cabinets were custom cabinets. People would build their own cabinets on site, or hire someone to do it, based on their needs and the dimensions of the room. Today, you can order custom cabinets from a remodeling company with specific instructions as to size, shape, depth, material, and finish.
While this might sound fantastic, it takes a lot of time and money. Most kitchens have standard dimensions and cabinetmakers offer enough options to make custom cabinets unnecessary.
Semi-custom cabinets
Cabinetmakers produce semi-custom cabinets in standard sizes, but with you can customize some features to your needs. For example, you can specify the depth of the cabinet boxes, or resize the drawer fonts and cabinet doors. The customizability of these types is quite limited, but they do give you a little bit more control without having to pay the full price for custom cabinets.
RTA cabinets
RTA kitchen cabinets come in standard sizes and features and the most inexpensive of the lot. You cannot customize them, although they do come in a wide range of colors, features, finishes, and materials. The only thing you can customize with this type of kitchen cabinets is the hardware.
Why choose RTA kitchen cabinets?
You might be wondering why you should choose RTA kitchen cabinets when it gives you so little control. There are some good reasons to do so.
The cost is, of course, a major one. RTA cabinets are very affordable, so your choice often boils down to what you can or are willing to pay for your kitchen cabinets. However, this does not mean you are settling for an inferior product.
Some people might think that the lower price tag comes with some sort of trade off in terms of quality. This is not true at all. RTA cabinets are usually every bit as good as semi-custom or even custom cabinets as they often use the same materials. For example, RTA maple cabinets will have the same type of wood for a custom one.
The lower cost of RTA cabinets is attributable to three things: labor, quantity, and shipping. Cabinetmakers save a ton of money on labor costs because they have standard dimensions. They use machines to turn them out in the fraction of the time as cranking them out manually. Human operators still oversee the process, but machines can do it much more efficiently.
This also means they produce RTA cabinets in huge quantities without compromising the quality of the workmanship, so they are able to sell more. It is all a matter of scale.
In addition, cabinetmakers produce all the parts of a kitchen cabinet, but do not assemble them. They cut more labor cost this way. The manufacturers ship these parts to retailers and remodeling companies in flat packages, each box representing a complete cabinet. This means they can ship more RTA cabinets than assembled stock cabinets in the same space, which cut shipping costs considerably.
All these savings mean more profit for the manufacturer as well as lower overall costs for the consumer. You can comfortably go for RTA cabinets knowing you are saving money and still getting a great product.
The fact that RTA cabinets come in parts also means you can inspect them more closely and thoroughly for quality, defects and damage. This is not easy to do with other types of cabinets.
Choosing RTA over other types of kitchen cabinets may also mean potential savings on your end of the equation. RTA cabinets come with clear labels and instructions for assembly, so you can actually put them together with a bit of time and effort. You will probably need to hire someone to install them on the wall or the floor for you, but assembling it yourself shaves a bit off the top.
Another excellent reason to choose RTA kitchen cabinets when planning a major kitchen remodel is they are easy to store. You can order them ahead to make sure they are ready to go when the remodeling company is ready for them. Since they come in flat boxes, they take up very little room. You can stack them against a wall in the garage or basement to keep them out of the way until needed.
Conclusion
RTA cabinets are a great choice if you are short of money, time, space, or all of the above. The quality is quite as good custom and semi-custom cabinets if you choose them from a reputable remodeling company. Fairfax Kitchen Bath is the one for you in the DC, MD and Northern Virginia metropolitan areas.
We are a Class A, licensed and insured contractor, registered in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We have a showroom in Fairfax, Virginia, which houses all our products.
We sell only top-quality products for all your kitchen remodeling needs, from top-brand kitchen cabinets of all type materials to natural and engineered stone slabs. We carry products from Schrock Cabinetry, Fabuwood, Silestone, Blanco, Kohler, and Mosaic Décor.
Contact us today to get free in-home design consultation and quote for your RTA kitchen cabinets and other remodeling projects. We guarantee you will love it for life!
