Ready-To-Assemble Kitchen Cabinets Pros & Cons

Do you remember when the homeowner did all home maintenance and renovations? It wasn’t that long ago. Being handy with tools like a hammer and a saw was in our DNA, mostly out of necessity, as it was much cheaper to do it yourself than pay someone else to do it for you.

However, fast forward to today, and the plethora of home maintenance businesses have made it more economical for homeowners and dwellers to outsource just about everything that needs doing around the home.

The good news is, we do know how to unpack a flatpack of furniture from IKEA and put it together, so how difficult would it be to take on a more significant project with ready to assemble kitchen cabinets? Not that hard, so let’s first understand what it is and then look at the pros and cons of taking on a project of this magnitude.

What Are RTA Kitchen Cabinets?

Ready to assemble cabinets have been customised and cut to measure with the joinery holes drilled for your convenience. All the parts you need to construct the cabinets, including screws plugs, are packed and delivered to your door in much the same way as a flatpack table or wardrobe.

There are intuitive instructions on how to assemble the cabinets in easy steps (not wordy explanations). If you prefer visuals, you can also find video instruction for almost everything on Youtube.

So you’d think it’s easy to do, and therefore, why doesn’t everyone choose to do it instead of choosing custom cabinets and an installer. Well, let’s look at the pros and cons now of RTA kitchen cabinets.

Pros

• Cost – There are substantial savings with RTA anything. If you’re required to do a lot of the work yourself, you can expect to save money that would go to the cost of using an external installer.
• Quality – You’re in control in choosing the materials and finish, and where you’re saving money on the install, you can spend it on a higher specification. You could have dovetail joinery and choose real solid wood or choose to pocket the saving with a middle-of-the-road style and material. There is no ‘one size fits all, so it pays to be thorough in your research and get quotes so you can set a spending budget before you commit to a purchase. Usually, the money dictates what you want from the cabinets. However, even so, you will get a choice of visuals, e.g., a wood finish or maybe a veneer like plywood.
• Service – The customer service is usually outstanding, and let’s face it, it needs to be as homeowners are taking on a project that’s not second nature to them. Getting the product to you is their priority, then you can seek help if you’re not making progress with the installation.

Cons

If you don’t want to end up in a bloopers video for your install, consider avoiding common kitchen design mistakes and things that can go wrong with the kitchen makeover.

• Extras Can Be Expensive – You get what you pay for, so if you want additional features, they will more than cost you dearly, and it is why it pays to do your homework ‘before’ you are ready to buy.
• Time – There is no escaping the time taken to do the construct. And it is what you sign up for with ready-to-assemble products. If it’s your first such project, give yourself hours, not minutes, and don’t expect it the first time to go smoothly. Practice makes perfect, so it will take less time per cabinet as you progress.
• Delivery – There could be delivery delays, and you may not get all the parts you need to assemble it.

Summary

There’s a saying if it scares you, then that’s why you should do it. How hard can it be? It’s easy, and that’s why the RTA movement is so popular. Plus while you’re at it consider how you can make better use of space too. You’ll be proud. You did it yourself, and in no time, there’ll be another home improvement project waiting at the ready.