Cabinets – The Homestead

We opted to put RTA (Ready-to-Assemble) cabinets in the house that we purchased from mycabinetplace.com. As I mentioned in an earlier article, the quality of the RTA cabinets is very good, but with huge savings when you assemble them yourself. I documented receiving the cabinets, but realized this morning I had failed to post about assembling and installing them in the house.

We have learned a few things as we passed this milestone that might be helpful to others:

1. The instructions are only a rough idea of what to do…

The hardware mentioned on the instruction sheet may or may not match what you receive with the cabinets, but will work if you just work with it a bit. We found there were some boxes that did not have the same type of hardware as the rest… some missing corner braces, some missing soft close door hardware… extra screws of one type, extra shelf hangers, etc. Overall, we were short some things and contacted the distributor about getting them sent (no word yet).

2. Large shipments tend to have more damages in shipping. We had a pretty large order the first time… and LOTS of damage to the shipment along the way. I documented the damages and we received a second large shipment with replacement pieces. It also was a large order and had quite a bit of damage. Luckily, we could make use of most of the second shipment, placing end pieces with scratches where they wouldn’t show (butted up against another cabinet, etc.). The last shipment (with backordered cabinets) was very small and had no damage at all. I’m sure the distributor would rather get a single large order and be done with it, but my thought is that you could possibly save yourself and the distributor (and, of course, the warehouse) a lot of hassle by ordering the smallest quantity you can at a time.

The company we used had a minimum $2500 order for free shipping. We could have split the order into three separate orders and still had free shipping. In hindsight, I’d do that, grouping like-size items together (all the tall cabinets and long trim pieces in one order, for example).

3. Hang the wall cabinets before you place base cabinets… much easier to work without having to lean over base cabinets while setting wall cabinets in place.

4. Buy the correct screws for installing cabinets… makes the work go better.

Here are some photos of the process and finished product:

Trim complete and Dishwasher in place...

Oldest son's bath with hardware installed...

As I mentioned in a previous article, Discount Kitchen Cabinets, RTA (Ready to Assemble) cabinets are a cost-effective way to get good quality cabinets at a much lower cost. We ended up ordering our cabinets online from myCabinetPlace.com, a company out of Minnesota. After checking and double-checking final measurements for Kitchen, Laundry, Master Bath, Two bathrooms for the boys and the Powder bath, I made a call and spoke to a very nice and helpful person (with a definite Minnesota accent) at the company phone number. He answered all my questions about specific details and what he could offer for concerns with installation, etc. The company offers free shipping on orders over $2000, plus the no sales tax benefit of ordering out of state. Our shipment was large enough to warrant a freight truck delivery.

Our color choice for the entire house was: Gander Maple

The company’s online description of the cabinets makes them appear very attractive:

“Burnt Sienna” stained baked finish on maple
Completely stained, baked finish inside and out
Exposed sides are stained to match
Greater assortment of cabinet sizes and accessories provides high end design without high end price
High Quality All Wood Construction
Face Frames: 3/4″x 1-9/16″ Mortise & Tendon Construction
End Panel: 1/2″ Plywood
Top and Bottoms: 1/2″ Plywood
Shelves: 3/4″ thick Plywood edge-band on front
Back: 1/8″ Plywood, Sink base cabinets may have an open back or may require holes to be cut in the back for plumbing
Hang rails for wall cabinets: 1/2″ Solid wood
No particle board!!!
Doors and Drawer Fronts are Solid Wood, 5-Piece construction with raised panel
Drawers are Solid Wood Dovetail Construction with full extension under mount self soft-closing drawer glide system
Six-way adjustable fully concealed, European style hinges
Full Overlay Doors and Drawers

As we passed through the local Home Depot, I happened to look at their in-stock cabinets for comparison… at similar prices, their cabinets were made up of particle board primarily. These RTA cabinets, while requiring assembly, are much higher quality.

Just for a comparison, I looked up what HD had to offer that would be of similar quality. Their RTA cabinets are almost entirely made up of particle board, so I didn’t think it was a fair comparison. Their Home Decorators Online Cabinet line seemed of similar quality, although they arrive fully assembled. So, to do a quick comparison, I looked up the cost of a Base Cabinet, 24″ in their Lewiston Toffee Glaze. Their price (which will also have the additional sales tax added) for this base cabinet was $469. The cost of the same cabinet from myCabinets.com was $166 when I ordered it. The pricing of their other cabinets and accessories was similarly different for the rest. In short, we were able to get everything we need for 42″ high wall cabinets, crown molding, under cabinet light rails, decorative posts, etc., etc., for the entire house for a price of only $9626, delivered. I think we would pay nearly triple the price for a similar product from HD, or any other cabinet company locally.

Note: Since we ordered our cabinets, our particular color has been discontinued. The Kingston maple cabinets are similar.

So, the cabinets came in, delivered by a freight delivery company. Unfortunately, we had bad luck with the delivery. Out of the two double pallet shipment, we had 16 boxes with visible damage (scraped, crushed, forklift driven into it) and, upon opening the boxes, lots of unseen damage was found on the cabinets due to the rough handling (dented cabinet fronts, etc.).

One thing to keep in mind when you order RTA cabinets is that you are responsible for documenting any damage when you get them and working with a long-distance company to get the issues resolved. It took me a good couple of days to go through every box, looking at all the individual pieces to assess the damage. While I was doing it, I had to keep in mind that the boxes had to be re-packed (like a puzzle) so that the carton could be returned if necessary.

I made a complete listing and have submitted it to the company, requesting replacements of some of the worst damage and touch up paint for the more minor scratches.

All that being said, I love the cabinets and am very impressed with the high quality of the construction. Had they not been damaged in shipment, I would be ecstatic.

I still think this is a great way to get high-quality cabinets for less… but it isn’t without its costs in time. More to come as we wait for the replacement parts… Here are a few pictures:

Tag: Cabinets

RTA Cabinets are in place

RTA Cabinets Delivered