Getting ready for a big bathroom remodel and you may be thinking to yourself, “I can handle this” but in the back of your mind you may be thinking, “Am I getting in over my head.” Ready-to-Assemble Cabinets or RTA Cabinets are an option to manufactured cabinets that arrive fully assembled.
Are they really that hard to assemble? Will I run into any problems? Is it really as easy as they say it is? Surely all of these sobering questions have run through your head. Here’s the run down on what you should know about RTA Cabinets.
Photography by Scott Lewis.
Key Points:
- RTA stands for Ready to Assemble. All parts and accessories are included. You have to do the assembly & installation.
- Assembled Cabinets are more expensive due to shipping costs and labor however some companies offer Free Shipping. Learn more.
- Assembled Cabinets offer higher quality with dovetail drawers while RTA cabinets use wooden dowels.
- RTA cabinets save money because they take up less room when shipped.
- Most online retailers pay for shipping costs so you do not absorb the added cost of shipping an assembled cabinet.
Read this nightmare story one homeowner had with RTA Cabinets to learn about the problems associated with product quality, fitment, and manufacturer support/instructions.
What are RTA Cabinets?
RTA Cabinets are cabinets that arrive to you and YOU have to do the assembly. You receive all of the proper materials, fittings, brackets, screws, and mounting hardware and you have to put everything together. The cabinet panels have already been cut to size and are drilled wherever required.
RTA Cabinets are available from big-box stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot and you can also find them online. The benefit is that you save on the production costs and labor and put in a little sweat equity of your own. For some, this may be a feasible and wise idea while it may lead to a series of never ending headaches for others.
Are they Easy to Assemble?
Ready to assemble can have a very ambiguous meaning. When you say “easy,” how easy is it really? Is it easy for a professional cabinet maker, the Do-It-Yourself homeowner, or someone with absolutely no experience swinging a hammer? As you can see, one persons idea of easy vastly differs from another.
RTA cabinets are fairly simple to install, most requiring nothing more than wood glue, wood dowels, and screws that are supplied by the manufacturer. You should always RTFM (Read the Fun Manual)! It will save you lots of time trying to guess where everything goes and if your husband insists that “he doesn’t need it,” make him read it anyway!
Cons of RTA Cabinets
RTA cabinets are not as strong as quality made cabinets mainly because of the type of joints they use. Think about it, assembled cabinets are made by skilled woodworkers who have been practicing their techniques for decades. To think that you could do a better job is a stretch of the imagination.
As aforementioned, most RTA cabinets use wood dowels, a type of joint that features a simple wooden pin that is crammed between two pieces of wood. Wood dowels are inferior to dovetail drawers that are made up of a series of pins cut in a way that allows two panels to interlock into a series of tails. Others use tongue and groove joints which are better than dowels but still not as durable as dovetails. Dovetail joints are known for the tensile strength and are much more durable and sturdy than the simple wood dowels.
For heirloom items and cabinets that you want to last for ages, RTA cabinets simply do not hold up to the same quality standards of high end cabinets. They’re very similar to RTA furniture that can be purchased at a local big box store which isn’t to say that its “bad” however, they do not hold up to the same standards of the cabinets from the Premiere Collection.
Many RTA Cabinets also use cheap particle board or MDF and market it as solid wood? In these cases, you may end up with a veneer finish instead of a real wood stain. In short, there are many more variables that can go wrong with RTA cabinets that you don’t have to worry about with assembled cabinets.
What Could Happen with RTA Cabinets?
Since they don’t use the same quality joints, RTA cabinets can become loose and sometimes even begin falling apart. They may require re-tightening of screws every now and then as vibration may loosen these screws. Although the RTA cabinets have improved largely in the past few years, you simply can’t replace the quality of skilled cabinet makers. You’ll also likely have to purchase the countertop separately. Find bathroom cabinets with tops.
RTA vs Assembled Cabinets: Cost Comparison
RTA Cabinets are cheaper than Assembled cabinets because of the way they are shipped and the cost of labor which you avoid by assembling it yourself. That’s not to say that RTA Cabinets are always less expensive than assembled cabinets. View these low end assembled bath cabinets to compare. RTA cabinets can cost more based upon the type of wood, material finish, drying techniques, and presence of elaborate design accents.
RTA cabinets are typically priced by the lineal foot (width of the cabinet). This cost is normally around $250 per lineal foot and can go up to $750. You can find fully-assembled bathroom cabinets for the same price for under $800, all with Free Shipping. The choice is yours. View our Closeout Section for examples.
Why Choose Assembled Cabinets
RTA Cabinets may save you a couple hundred dollars but the overall value of these types of cabinets is minimized when you consider all of the work that it will take to put together. Most handy men and women can put together an RTA cabinet but this doesn’t take into account occurrences when a screw, dowel, or bracket may be missing. In this case, you will have trouble driving around trying to find the right one to finish putting together your new cabinets.
The other reason is that there are many cabinets that you can purchase for a little bit more but you eliminate the uncertainty. Granted, shipping expenses will cost more but most online retailers will pay for your shipping anyways to the cost is not absorbed by you.
–Find Alternative Solutions to RTA Cabinets–
38″ to 58″ Soprana Single Bath Vanity. $989.00 with Roman Vein-Cut Travertine countertop.
More In-Depth Information:
- 10 Solid Wood Bathroom Vanities that Will Last a Lifetime
- The Bathroom Vanity Buying Guide for Beginners
- 20 Small Bathroom Vanities that Are Big on Style
- The Best Bathroom Vanity Brands
About the Author
Cheryl Khan is a designer and writer at Tradewinds Imports.com, an online specialty site dedicated to retailing fine bathroom furnishings. She has extensive knowledge about all the finer details that go into planning the perfect bath renovation project and is an expert on all things bathroom! Send her your bathroom Q’s on twitter @SuperInteriors!