Hey there, Kier here. I haven’t posted to this blog in over three weeks! YIKES! I promise that won’t happen again. I’m not going to lay out any excuses for you guys because in today’s world, EVERYONE is busy.
And frankly, I’m tired of people telling other people they’re too busy for this, or too busy for that – because what I’ve come to realize is that we are the creators of time. Time wouldn’t exist without us if you think about it. We choose what to do with our time all the time.
People make time for the things that are important to them. We prioritize every single second of the day. You are prioritizing right this second by choosing to read this blog post – which by the way is pretty cool and I thank you kindly.
On that note, I’ll stop rambling, I won’t go over my excuses and get on to this blog post which is about something you guys seem to have a lot of questions about! RTA Cabinets!
RTA cabinets stands for “ready to assemble”
Read to assemble means you put them together yourself, but I promise it’s not hard.
I remember when my mom first discovered RTA cabinets and was absolutely ecstatic. My parents had a bunch of rental properties and also flipped houses as their side hustle (although it definitely wasn’t called a side hustle back then) and once she realized how much money the discovery could save them she was gung-ho! So I learned a lot through her trial and error…
And ever since then Mr. Stone Head and myself have been using them in remodels, rentals, customer homes and even in our own home!
But we’ve come to discover that RTA cabinets aren’t only a money saver but they also offer many other benefits I never even thought of until I really started shopping around and comparing cabinetry for our most recent fixer upper.
6 Reasons Why I love RTA Cabinets
RTA Cabinets are Better Quality
You get better quality for a lower price – all because you have to put them together! Seriously guys, if you can put Ikea furniture together you can definitely put RTA cabinets together.
Most RTA cabinet companies have solid wood doors and frames as well as cabinet grade plywood as the box. Why does this matter? Because most cabinets from the big box stores are made of particle board and/or MDF.
I need to go off on a tangent about particle board real quick: Why on earth would you purchase cabinetry, especially bathroom cabinetry, that is made of something that’s going to wick water up, swell and expand? And no, it never looks the same afterwards! So it just doesn’t make sense to me since most cabinets are pretty much near water 100% of the time.
RTA Cabinets are Cheaper
Obviously, a huge part of the cost savings is that you put them together yourself – in fact, I got a quote to have the RTA cabinets in the apartment rental above our garage put together and it was almost $1,000 for 6 cabinets!! I would put together 6 cabinets to save $1,000 any day of the week.
I’d also like to point out that it’s cheaper to ship flat boxes than it is to ship fully assembled cabinets! If you can’t grab free or reduced shipping, it could cost you an arm and a leg to have cabinets delivered!
RTA Cabinets are Easy to Build
RTA cabinets are extremely easy to build. I’d dare go for as to say they are easier than building Ikea furniture. I found that I can easily put together cabinets up to 42″ wide by myself and only need an extra hand to hold things in place for anything bigger (so you don’t need a skilled helper – “Hey kiiidddssss!!”)
Truthfully, I prefer to build my RTA cabinets! I use wood glue in all the dovetail joints and I don’t think that’s something any old cabinet-putter-together would do.
I also have peace of mind knowing they’re put together the right way, they’re plumb & level and none of the screws are stripped.
RTA Cabinets are Sturdy
All of the RTA cabinets I’ve ever ordered have dovetail joints – which I highly recommend gluing as well for added durability. But you won’t find dovetail joints with a lot of big box cabinets.
Most of the RTA cabinets I’ve built also come with metal corner brackets for the cabinet box itself as well as brackets for the front and back toe kicks. I really love the added element of sturdiness that the brackets provide – because if for some weird reason the joints fall apart you have backup! 
(Which I don’t see happening unless there was an earthquake… which would be really scary might I add.)
The Variety & Options RTA Cabinets Provides…
I don’t know where you currently get your cabinets, but if you get them off the shelf from a home store you’re missing out on options baby!
I’m talking the option to have three drawers instead of two doors & one drawer on a 36″ base, the option to get a matching pantry, the option for slide out drawers, the option for end shelves, matching bookcases and even bathroom vanities! There are wine racks, stem glass holders and microwave cabinets (for those who don’t want it above the stove.)
They also have beautiful pantries in all different widths and heights!
And don’t be intimidated by designing your own kitchen, most of the RTA cabinet sites now have a program where you can design your kitchen right in an online program. (And if you’re intimated by that, most RTA cabinet companies also offer free design services.)
RTA Cabinets are Already “Upgraded”
For the same price as you would spend on prebuilt box store cabinets, you can get a few extras with the cabinets. Things like soft close drawers and doors, roll out drawers… you can even get a farmhouse sink base cabinet for the same price as a regular sink base (although watch out when you go to buy the farmhouse sink they can get expensive!)
We were also able to purchase matching crown molding for the kitchen cabinets since we were saving so much money on the cabinets. So, maybe you can spring for the matching crown molding or scribe molding or whatever little extras you want!
We also turned the false drawers on the sink base into useful little tip out sponge, scouring pad and ring holders!
Companies We’ve Ordered RTA Cabinets From:
Barker Cabinets – (On the pricier end but made in the USA!)
And there you have it – just a few of the major reasons we order RTA cabinets for all our remodels! I truly hope you give them a shot (and b-t-dubs I am not an affiliate for any of the above companies.)
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