You are looking for some good cabinets, let it be for your kitchen or your bathroom, or both. You do some research, browse around a little, then your eyes get caught on this: Ready-to-Assemble (RTA) Cabinets.

Now, you are probably wondering: What is this? Should I get this type of cabinet instead? Is this better than “regular” cabinets? Before you open a new tab to search more, let us briefly explain to you what RTA cabinets are and what are the main benefits of them!

Just like the name suggests, ready-to-assemble (RTA) cabinets are cabinets that are ready to be assembled upon delivery. In other words, all the parts and components of the cabinets are shipped to you, and you get to assemble and finalize the cabinets into their final stage. Most RTA cabinets assembly process will probably require you to have some basic tools such as a hammer, screwdriver, wood glue, but with the measurements labeled on corresponding parts and holes drilled on the boards, the assembly process is made to be fairly easy.

And now you might think: “that sounds like more work for me, what makes RTA cabinets worth it?” Continue on reading and we will get that answered for you!

Cost-Efficient on Labor and Shipping

It might or might not be obvious right away, but you actually save a lot of money on labor costs and shipping costs by purchasing RTA cabinets. Since you will be in charge of assembling the entire cabinet into a complete one, you save a lot on labor cost. Almost all RTA cabinets will come with clear written instructions with diagrams, some companies (like Luban!) even offer online PDFs and video tutorials on their website as extra resources. Even if you end up acquiring the help of a cabinet professional, your overall labor cost will still be lower. Shipping-wise, RTA cabinet components take up much less space to ship since all the parts (boards, glass doors, and hardware etc.) will be shipped in a compact and smaller boxes, therefore resulting in a much cheaper shipping cost in comparison to regular cabinets.

Faster Turnaround Time

RTA cabinets have a much faster delivery and turnaround time because there isn’t much work to be done on the seller’s side before the products are shipped. After you place an order, pre-assembled and customized cabinets require extra time to be assembled together then shipped out, and delays could potentially occur if the warehouse workers are busier than usual. On the other hand, after you place an order for RTA cabinets, they can be packed and shipped out much faster. Since it does not take as much time to pack the components altogether and ship them out, the overall more convenient process results in a shorter turnaround time and faster delivery, with delays being very uncommon.

More Flexibility and Customization Options

RTA cabinets generally offer more flexibility and customizations, in that you have more options over the sizes and configurations of the cabinets. Let’s say your kitchen has an atypical installment room and none of the “typical” sizes will fit, RTA cabinets are usually offered in various configurations (Ex. standard width + longer length by increments, or vice versa), thus you will likely find a customized size that will work for you. Assembly wise will be the same procedure throughout, just different sized parts you will receive based on the specific customization. Besides just having a customized cabinet that will fit, this will also allow you to maximize the storage room your space can offer, and not leave any potentially usable space to waste.

More Affordable than Custom Cabinets

While custom cabinets can turn out extremely beautiful and well-crafted, they are usually done at an extremely high price. Most of the time, custom cabinets are made only with the highest quality material, and only done by small independent designers and/or craftsmen that have an entire thorough and meticulous work process from designing to crafting the cabinets. Therefore, if you aren’t ready to drop some big bucks for some extremely specific cabinets, RTA cabinets will save you quite a bit of money while still giving you customizable high-quality cabinets.

More Worth It than Premade Cabinets

Among all cabinet options, pre-made cabinets are probably usually the cheapest, but they are usually also of the poorest quality. Premade cabinets are mostly manufactured to sell at stores that aren’t specialized in cabinets, hence the quality, material, hardware, and craftsmanship are nowhere near the equivalent of RTA cabinets. On the other hand, RTA cabinets are generally made out of much higher quality materials such as 100% wood or plywood, which allows the cabinet to “do its job” better and last much longer in the long run. Nonetheless, it is probably a smarter move to purchase a cabinet that is more worth the value in the long run.

Time Consumption

We’ve just explained several out of the many benefits with RTA cabinets, but we know nothing is ever 100% perfect. One potential inconvenience with RTA cabinets is that, if you aren’t too familiar with the basic kitchenware assembly process, it might be time-consuming to complete the whole process. Like we’ve mentioned earlier, almost all RTA cabinets will come with clear written instructions with diagrams that will assist you during the assembly process, though we understand it still can still be a bit of a hassle at times if you run into a specific issue that might not be stated in the instruction. In that case, we suggest you search online to see if there are video instructions available, if there is a customer support line from the brand that you can contact, or if a simple search can just solve it if it is a minor common issue.

Takeaway

Overall, ready-to-assemble cabinets is an absolutely fantastic option to consider while cabinet shopping. RTA cabinets offer the best comparably in cost, material, turnaround, customization, and value. Remember, a good cabinet can last for long years and save you a lot of money and time when it comes to kitchen or bathroom remodeling, therefore it is definitely important to consider the bigger picture when choosing the cabinet that best works for your situation!