RTA Cabinets: Ready To Assemble Kitchen Cabinets
July 6, 2011 Leave a Comment
Ready to assemble cabinetry, RTA is the term used for ease of reference throughout the construction industry, is a MAJOR contribution to the Do It Yourself community and the construction industry as well.
In a nutshell, RTA cabinets are units that are packaged together, with all the components for one cabinet contained in one package. Sides, floor, shelving and shelf pins, door, drawer and drawer glides are included. Hardware such as handles and drawer pulls are usually not, however, but there is a large variety of such items available at retailers like Home Depot, Lowes, and other major home improvement centers. Selecting cabinets for your kitchen remodel is a somewhat technical decision, involving more than simply selecting a wood, stain, and door style. By choosing to gather information before you make that decision, will make it an easier one, if not less technical.
Construction and quality issues, purchase options (online, major retailer, from a manufacturer), are a vital part of your descision regarding which option you choose, since cabinets can easily consume half of your budget for the project, it makes sense to explore the different options available, becoming a bit of an expert yourself.
REMEMBER that your ultimate goal is a consideration. Do you intend to stay in your home for the next 20 years? 10 years? Or are you preparing to sell, and want to maximize the selling price? If the last is so, consider the point that it is “the kitchen and bathrooms that sell a house”, and be prepared to invest time and money into them. You will never regret it. Some survey’s say that a seller can increase the purchase price by double the amount spent to upgrade.
Most people believe that fine cabinetry is assembled using solid wood planks, joined together to create a box that will hold shelves, and a door to complete. This is inaccurate because ALL cabinet “boxes” are constructed out of plywood. Contrary to what you may think, plywood is strong, flexible enough to work with, and enduring. Solid wood planks will warp, especially quickly in a wet environment, such as a steamy bathroom or aromatic kitchen.
Plywood, used extensively today in construction all over the world, was invented by the Egyptians about 3,000 years ago, when there was a shortage of quality wood. They decided to glue a thin veneer of a high quality product to a lesser quality one. The method used today was invented by Emmanual Nobel, father of the inventor of dynamite Alfred Nobel. Al recognized that several layers of strong wood glued together would be stronger than one thick layer of wood. His concept is used the world over today.
Comparison graph for your cabinet options
| Custom | Semi Custom | Stock | RTA | |
| Price | Very high10’ x 10’ area
10,000 wood only (not installed) |
High10’ x 10’ area
5,000 to 10,000 Wood only (not installed) |
Moderate10’ x 10’ area
2,000 to 6,000 Units only (not installed |
Least expensive10’ x 10/ area
2,000 to 3,000 Units only, not installed |
| Construction | Very good quality | Good quality | Decent / acceptable | Builder or construction grade |
| Durability | 10 to 20 years | 10 to 20 years | 5 to 10 years | 5 to 20 years |
| appearance | Awesome | Also awesome | Decent | Decent to awersome |
GLOSSERY OF CABINETRY TERMS
The hyperlinks will lead you to sites with photo’s of the item being defined.
Box – a cabinet, no doors drawers yet attached.
Blind cabinet – a specialty cabinet that has a portion of it that is not visible from the
Room it is in. Used to give other units next to it more room to open doors.
Cathedral – a door style that has an arch at the top. There are MANY door styles, follow
the link for photos of some available.
http://www.kraftmaid.com/products/cabinet-doors/door-style/#/ds:/dwt:/do:/n:/p:1/bbt:DoorStyle
Dovetail – a carpentry technique used to attach pieces of wood, the cuts made in the pieces to
Be joined fitting together similar to puzzle pieces.
http://www.highlandsdesigns.com/content.php?content_id=10
Drawer guides/glides – hardware that is installed on the sides of a drawer, and inside the
Cabinet recess for it (the drawer) rides upon going in and out for use.
http://www.cabinetparts.com/f/drawer-slides/?gclid=CMPJuP3q9qoCFSE95QodExhgOw
Full extension drawer guides – allows the drawer to be pulled completely out of its
recess, giving access to the entire drawer.
http://www.rockler.com/c/ball-bearing-drawer-slides.cfm
Laminate – man made substance that is fused to a substrate / composite material of a unit, used
beauty. ALSO used extensively for countertops. A relatively inexpensive substance
that allows a homeowner/designer to have a custom look with minimum cash outlay.
Overlay – the amount a cabinet door covers on the box of the cabinet.
a) Full overlay – no part of the box shows when the door is shut.
b) Partial overlay – some of the box shows. This method is very popular in America.
Toe kick – the area at the bottom of base cabinets to allow for a persons toes to slip under them
while facing the cabinet.