Ready-to-Assemble Cabinets

When it comes to kitchen remodeling, cabinets take a big chunk of the budget. An alternative to traditional factory-built boxes, RTA cabinets promise big savings in exchange for some sweat equity

- SAL VAGLICA

FOR EVERY SUCCESSFUL kitchen remodel, many more never make it past the dreamy, dog-eared-magazine phase. And for good reason: Renovating a typical kitchen with about 1742 linear feet of upper and lower cabinets can cost an average of $25,000 or more, with new cabinets accounting for at least a quarter of the budget. It's no wonder that many homeowners balk at the price and get by with a fresh coat of paint instead.

But there is an alternative to pricey traditional cabinets. Ready-to-assemble (RTA) cabinets arrive flat-packed in cardboard boxes with the hardware needed for assembly. Because homeowners handle building them, and they cost the manufacturer less to transport and store, RTA cabinets can be half the price of factory-assembled versions. And these DIY-friendly cabinets can arrive quickly, too: Pick an in-stock profile and color from a big-box store, and they could show up at your door in as little as two weeks. But shoppers aren't limited to stock options; the RTA market is growing, and today there's an abundance of styles, colors, and finishes to choose from-although made-to-order options will take roughly 8-12 weeks to be delivered, longer if supply-chain issues continue. As RTA cabinet businesses have become more established, “design choices have expanded, finishes have improved, quality-control measures have become more rigorous, and manufacturing has been streamlined," says Samantha Rougeux, co-CEO of The RTA Store, who has been selling RTA cabinets for more than a decade. The ordering process is now easier to navigate, too.

As with any type of cabinet, you'll get the most for your money if you focus on the build quality and hardware, not just aesthetics. Here's what you need to know about materials, ordering, assembly, and more.

VITALS