What are RTA cabinets?
RTA cabinets are ready to assemble cabinets: they ship flat in a carton, and you put the box together before you hang it. Shipping flat cuts freight and labor, so an RTA cabinet usually costs less than the same cabinet sold assembled, and in-stock orders ship sooner. RTA describes how a cabinet ships, not how good it is: some are particle board under a printed wrap, others are plywood with real paint and stain. RTA Cabinets Plus sells the second kind, a semi-custom build priced below comparable cabinets with the same build, and the box clicks together about 10x faster than screw-together RTA on a licensed system, with 100% tool-free box assembly.
What is in the carton.
An RTA cabinet is a finished cabinet that has not been put together yet. Everything is cut, drilled and finished before it is packed.
- The box panels
- Sides, bottom, back and top or stretchers. In ours they are plywood, and they click to each other: anything wood-to-wood clicks together, no tools, no glue, no screws.
- The face frame
- The solid wood frame across the front of the box, which clicks on the same way.
- Doors and drawers
- Doors and drawer fronts arrive finished in the cabinet's paint or stain. Drawer boxes are 5/8" solid wood with dovetail joints.
- The metal parts
- Hinges and drawer glides, the only parts that need screws, fitted with a screwdriver.
RTA, stock, semi-custom and custom.
Stock, semi-custom and custom describe how much choice you get and how a cabinet is built. RTA describes how it ships. That is why a ready to assemble cabinet can be built to almost any standard.
- Stock
- Built ahead in standard sizes and a short list of finishes, and sold off the shelf. Quality ranges from particle board to plywood.
- Semi-custom
- Standard sizes with a wider choice of finishes and options, usually a sturdier build, usually made to order, and priced higher for it.
- Custom
- Built to the room's exact measurements. The longest wait and the highest price.
- Ready to assemble
- The same standard sizes as stock, shipped flat. Ours pair that with a semi-custom build: a plywood box, a solid wood face frame, 3/4" plywood shelves, full overlay doors, concealed soft-close hinges, and a 5/8" solid wood dovetail drawer box on soft-close, full-extension glides, in real paint and stain finishes, never paper, thermofoil or melamine.
The old way, and the click-together way.
- Traditional RTA is held together with cam locks, dowels, screws and often glue. It works, but it is slow, it usually takes two people to hold a box square, and it is where RTA got its reputation for eating weekends.
- Click-together RTA is what we sell. The panels click to each other on a licensed system in under 2 minutes a box, about 10x faster than traditional RTA. Anything wood-to-wood clicks together, no tools, no glue, no screws; the only parts that need screws are the metal ones. Very DIY friendly: it saves you time, headaches, and possibly your marriage.
What people ask next.
What does RTA stand for?
Ready to assemble. An RTA cabinet ships flat in a carton and is put together before it is hung, instead of arriving as a built box.
Are RTA cabinets cheaper than assembled cabinets?
Usually, yes. A flat carton costs less to ship than a built box, and nobody is paid to assemble it first. At RTA Cabinets Plus the same cabinet is offered both ways, and both prices are printed on the product page.
Are RTA cabinets good quality?
They can be. Ready to assemble describes how a cabinet ships, not how it is built. RTA Cabinets Plus cabinets have a semi-custom build: a plywood box, a solid wood face frame, 3/4" plywood shelves, full overlay doors, concealed soft-close hinges, and a 5/8" solid wood dovetail drawer box on soft-close, full-extension glides.
Are RTA cabinets hard to put together?
Traditional ones take time, with cam locks, dowels and glue. RTA Cabinets Plus boxes click together on a licensed system in under 2 minutes each, with 100% tool-free box assembly. The only parts that need screws are the metal ones, and hanging the cabinets takes a drill.
Are RTA cabinets the same as stock cabinets?
Not quite. Stock is about choice: standard sizes and finishes, built ahead. RTA is about shipping: the cabinet arrives flat. Most RTA cabinets come in stock sizes, but the build can be anything from particle board to a semi-custom plywood box.
Who we areRTA Cabinets Plus is an independently owned retailer that sells ready to assemble kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities direct to homeowners, remodelers and trade buyers. Made by a manufacturer that builds cabinets for one of the largest semi-custom brands in the U.S.
What makes the best RTA kitchen cabinets?
How to judge ready to assemble kitchen cabinets: plywood or particle board, real finish or a wrap, drawers, hinges, how the box assembles, price and warranty.
RTA vs assembled cabinets: which should you buy?
RTA or assembled kitchen cabinets: what differs in price, lead time, returns and work. Same cabinet, same build; the difference is who builds the box.
How much do RTA kitchen cabinets cost?
What RTA kitchen cabinets cost: a typical 10 x 10 kitchen (13 cabinets) runs about $2,480 in Sterling Snow before freight and tax, what moves the price, trade pricing.
How long does it take to assemble RTA cabinets?
Our RTA cabinet boxes click together in under 2 minutes each, about 10x faster than traditional RTA. What needs tools, what does not, and the order of work.
Plywood vs particle board cabinets: which is better?
Plywood or particle board kitchen cabinets: how each handles water, screws, shelf weight and repairs, where MDF fits, and how to tell which one you are buying.
Are kitchen cabinets safe? Formaldehyde, CARB2 and TSCA Title VI explained.
What CARB Phase 2 and TSCA Title VI mean for kitchen cabinets: the formaldehyde limits for plywood, particle board and MDF, the label to look for, and why it matters.
What is a shaker cabinet door, and which style should you choose?
What a shaker cabinet door is, wide rail or slim rail, how a door style differs from a finish, and which finishes our Sterling, Studio and Mantel doors come in.
Painted vs stained cabinets: which is better?
Painted or stained kitchen cabinets: how each looks, wears and touches up, and why paper, thermofoil and melamine wraps are a different thing altogether.
What are the standard kitchen cabinet sizes?
Standard kitchen cabinet sizes: bases 34 1/2" tall and 24" deep, wall cabinets 12" deep in seven heights, tall cabinets to 96", vanities 21" deep, and every width.
How does a free kitchen design work?
How our free kitchen design works: what to send, what a designer sends back within 1 business day (floor plan, 3D renders, parts list and price), and what it costs.
Want a person to check your plan?(305) 782-7587, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm ET. Or send your measurements for a free design.