RE: RTA Kitchen Cabinets . . . Cabinets to Go

[firefighterjake]

Thinking about going with ready to assemble cabinets . . . specifically Cabinets To Go . . . anyone have experience with RTA kitchen cabinets in general and Cabinets To Go specifically? I haven't been able to find many opinions on line with CTG.

 

[DAKSY]

I re-did my kitchen with 3 bases & 6 overheads.
A couple of doors weren't pre-drilled for the European-style
cabinet hinges, but a 38mm Forstner bit & my drill press solved THAT issue.
I also had an issue with the formica on the door over my coffee maker
de-laminating due to the repetitive steam...Hadda replace the door...
They were from Home Cheapo & were more pricey than I thought they'd be...

 

[pastera]

Last kitchen I did was eight years ago so my experience may no longer apply.

Looked at RTA cabinets but found that full wood faced (particle board elsewhere) was so close in cost that the upgrade made sense.

That said, not everyone can wait six weeks for the cabinets - I planned well by removing the existing kitchen BEFORE ordering the new cabinets.

Aaron

 

[gpcollen1]

the cabinets from https://www.meikitchens.com/ were recommended in this thread from a few months back...and that is what I think I am going with.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/63711/

 

[firefighterjake]

the cabinets from https://www.meikitchens.com/ were recommended in this thread from a few months back...and that is what I think I am going with.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/63711/

I looked at them . . . but no local store to take a look at the product. My wife and I are thinking of taking off Monday to look at some of the cabinets at the Cabinets to Go store in Manchester, NH . . . not exactly "local" . . . but the price is definitely right . . . just want to see what they look like . . . especially since she was all set to go with stock cabinets until she saw a set hanging in a friend's house.

 

[yooperdave]

jake-please keep this post updated...i also am looking for cabinets and am open to recommendation's. the ones i have found so far are a pre-finished product from a store called "menards". i also stopped by a cabinet shop and found some cancelled uppers and one full height cabinet/pantry. they gave me a good price, but when i am ready for them, i will go back and make them an offer

 

[gpcollen1]

the cabinets from https://www.meikitchens.com/ were recommended in this thread from a few months back...and that is what I think I am going with.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/63711/

I looked at them . . . but no local store to take a look at the product. My wife and I are thinking of taking off Monday to look at some of the cabinets at the Cabinets to Go store in Manchester, NH . . . not exactly "local" . . . but the price is definitely right . . . just want to see what they look like . . . especially since she was all set to go with stock cabinets until she saw a set hanging in a friend's house.

Samples if you want them...and decent enough pictures. I guess I have seen enough cabinets of various quality to be comfortable with not having a showroom to see them in...

https://www.meikitchens.com/order/products.php?cat_id=5

 

[firefighterjake]

Well since YopperDave asked to keep updated . . .

Traveled down south to Manchester, NH yesterday to look at the cabinetry at Cabinets To Go! in person . . . glad we did . . . we had narrowed our choices to a few and quickly eliminated one of the choices (Honey oak) since it was a little more yellow than the wife liked . . . after some hemming and hawing we opted to go with the red oak cabinets since my wife thought they were a bit fancier than the maple or cherry shaker style.

I have to say after looking at lots of cabinets in a number of local stores I really liked the look of these cabinets -- most had dovetail drawers and all were solid wood with plywood boxes and soft close drawers . . . I may elect to purchase some after-market soft close devices for the cabinetry doors as well . . . in addition they appear to go together pretty easily . . . and the price was hard to beat . . . stuff at the big box stores that we priced out was easily twice as much . . . and with less quality.

Will post pics of the install after we're done . . . and let folks know how easy or difficult it was to assemble these cabinets.

If everything works out I'll be traveling south this Friday or next week to pick up the cabinets . . . well worth the drive.

 

[gpcollen1]

Well since YopperDave asked to keep updated . . .

Traveled down south to Manchester, NH yesterday to look at the cabinetry at Cabinets To Go! in person . . . glad we did . . . we had narrowed our choices to a few and quickly eliminated one of the choices (Honey oak) since it was a little more yellow than the wife liked . . . after some hemming and hawing we opted to go with the red oak cabinets since my wife thought they were a bit fancier than the maple or cherry shaker style.

I have to say after looking at lots of cabinets in a number of local stores I really liked the look of these cabinets -- most had dovetail drawers and all were solid wood with plywood boxes and soft close drawers . . . I may elect to purchase some after-market soft close devices for the cabinetry doors as well . . . in addition they appear to go together pretty easily . . . and the price was hard to beat . . . stuff at the big box stores that we priced out was easily twice as much . . . and with less quality.

Will post pics of the install after we're done . . . and let folks know how easy or difficult it was to assemble these cabinets.

If everything works out I'll be traveling south this Friday or next week to pick up the cabinets . . . well worth the drive.

let us know what you pay for them - maybe X amount per foot if you don't want to divulge...

 

[firefighterjake]

Well since YopperDave asked to keep updated . . .

Traveled down south to Manchester, NH yesterday to look at the cabinetry at Cabinets To Go! in person . . . glad we did . . . we had narrowed our choices to a few and quickly eliminated one of the choices (Honey oak) since it was a little more yellow than the wife liked . . . after some hemming and hawing we opted to go with the red oak cabinets since my wife thought they were a bit fancier than the maple or cherry shaker style.

I have to say after looking at lots of cabinets in a number of local stores I really liked the look of these cabinets -- most had dovetail drawers and all were solid wood with plywood boxes and soft close drawers . . . I may elect to purchase some after-market soft close devices for the cabinetry doors as well . . . in addition they appear to go together pretty easily . . . and the price was hard to beat . . . stuff at the big box stores that we priced out was easily twice as much . . . and with less quality.

Will post pics of the install after we're done . . . and let folks know how easy or difficult it was to assemble these cabinets.

If everything works out I'll be traveling south this Friday or next week to pick up the cabinets . . . well worth the drive.

let us know what you pay for them - maybe X amount per foot if you don't want to divulge...

Right around $2,500 . . . I can't truthfully remember exactly what we bought -- my wife Heidi figured out what she wanted and what would fit . . . I know there are 9 "pieces" (not including an end panel for looks) . . . several base cabinets including a 3-drawer unit, a sink base, cabinet over the stove and a corner/lazy susan . . . I also know it was the taller cabinets . . . again, not sure of the exact price, but I know it was $2,500 or so -- more than what we would have paid for the stock stuff at Home Depot/Lowes but much, much cheaper (and better built to my eye) than their pricier stuff.

 

[firefighterjake]

Update . . . I should have put this pic up a couple of weeks ago . . . what reminded me to put this up to day is that we will hopefully be finishing off this side of the kitchen this weekend with the final cabinet leveled and the pantry built . . . and then we'll get to work on the other side.

As mentioned I was and continue to be pleased by the construction and attention to detail . . . the cabinets we picked out (Red Oak) are apparently built in China but they seem decently made with plywood sides (with veneer) and the front doors, face frame and drawer faces are solid wood. Drawers are also dovetailed joints. The doors themselves come pre-hung to the face frame and the drawers we purchased are already built -- you just attach the soft close sliders and the front drawer front and they're done.

Originally I was going to exceed the manufacturer's directions by using a thin strip of wood glue on the joints, but the salesperson said while I could do so, Cabinets to Go says this product can be built without glue and it still has a 30 year warranty so I opted not to use glue. In the end I found the cabinets actually seemed quite rugged with little to no flex while moving.

Putting them together was wicked easy . . . the salesman said it would take 10-15 minutes for each upper and lower cabinet with the exception of the lazy susan corner piece and he was dead on accurate in his estimate. I used both a flathead screwdriver and a cordless driver (for parts that required screws such as the corner brackets and slide mechanisms. Honestly, putting these together reminded me of putting together those cheap, press-wood cabinets . . . the ones that go to together wicked fast and easy, but fall apart in a few years . . . months . . . weeks. All in all I was impressed with how quickly these were assembled and the ruggedness of the box . . . although as I said one could opt to beef them up even more with some glue.

I did have a few negatives . . . some of the written directions were a bit vague and there was a serious lack of illustrations to show what needed to be done . . . some assembly was educated guessing. This was perhaps the one thing that could use some tweaking. I also would have added more brackets -- or at least something more rugged thant he plastic brackets sent with the kit . . . then again the firehouse recently put in some decent Merrillat cabinets and they had the same looking plastic brackets. Finally, I would be careful if buying cabinets . . . not all the cabinets were the same . . . some did not have dovetail joints for example and some did not seem as solidly built in my own opinion.

Anyways, so far . . . so good. I like the look . . . and will like them even better once the backsplash is done, counter is on, microwave is in place above the stove, pantry is done, etc. . . . we still have a lot of work to go. Here's the pic of the cabinets in place on one side . . . well except for the one cabinet.

Best part of this project by the way was getting rid of the 1970s vintage white formica countertop with the gold flecked flowers . . . it will almost be as satisfying to rip out the other side with the pink countertop that I detest.

 

[deegato]

Update . . . As mentioned I was and continue to be pleased by the construction and attention to detail . . . the cabinets we picked out (Red Oak) are apparently built in China but they seem decently made with plywood sides (with veneer) and the front doors, face frame and drawer faces are solid wood. Drawers are also dovetailed joints. The doors themselves come pre-hung to the face frame and the drawers we purchased are already built -- you just attach the soft close sliders and the front drawer front and they're done.

Originally I was going to exceed the manufacturer's directions by using a thin strip of wood glue on the joints, but the salesperson said while I could do so, Cabinets to Go says this product can be built without glue and it still has a 30 year warranty so I opted not to use glue. In the end I found the cabinets actually seemed quite rugged with little to no flex while moving.

Putting them together was wicked easy . . . the salesman said it would take 10-15 minutes for each upper and lower cabinet with the exception of the lazy susan corner piece and he was dead on accurate in his estimate. I used both a flathead screwdriver and a cordless driver (for parts that required screws such as the corner brackets and slide mechanisms. Honestly, putting these together reminded me of putting together those cheap, press-wood cabinets . . . the ones that go to together wicked fast and easy, but fall apart in a few years . . . months . . . weeks. All in all I was impressed with how quickly these were assembled and the ruggedness of the box . . . although as I said one could opt to beef them up even more with some glue.

I did have a few negatives . . . some of the written directions were a bit vague and there was a serious lack of illustrations to show what needed to be done . . . some assembly was educated guessing. This was perhaps the one thing that could use some tweaking. I also would have added more brackets -- or at least something more rugged thant he plastic brackets sent with the kit . . . then again the firehouse recently put in some decent Merrillat cabinets and they had the same looking plastic brackets. Finally, I would be careful if buying cabinets . . . not all the cabinets were the same . . . some did not have dovetail joints for example and some did not seem as solidly built in my own opinion...

Thank you for this information.
I am seriously considering this cabinet store.

I thought after putting them together I would be too tired and frustrated to install them myself,
yet I did not want to hire an installer, since it would negate the savings.
However you make it sound like the construction is not so bad.
I could put them together one day and hang them the next maybe??

What about trim panels and filler pieces.. did you use those and how did they look?

I wondered what the final project looks like.
Do you have any pictures to post? And will you put them up?

Thanks again for the info

 

[firefighterjake]

Update . . . As mentioned I was and continue to be pleased by the construction and attention to detail . . . the cabinets we picked out (Red Oak) are apparently built in China but they seem decently made with plywood sides (with veneer) and the front doors, face frame and drawer faces are solid wood. Drawers are also dovetailed joints. The doors themselves come pre-hung to the face frame and the drawers we purchased are already built -- you just attach the soft close sliders and the front drawer front and they're done.

Originally I was going to exceed the manufacturer's directions by using a thin strip of wood glue on the joints, but the salesperson said while I could do so, Cabinets to Go says this product can be built without glue and it still has a 30 year warranty so I opted not to use glue. In the end I found the cabinets actually seemed quite rugged with little to no flex while moving.

Putting them together was wicked easy . . . the salesman said it would take 10-15 minutes for each upper and lower cabinet with the exception of the lazy susan corner piece and he was dead on accurate in his estimate. I used both a flathead screwdriver and a cordless driver (for parts that required screws such as the corner brackets and slide mechanisms. Honestly, putting these together reminded me of putting together those cheap, press-wood cabinets . . . the ones that go to together wicked fast and easy, but fall apart in a few years . . . months . . . weeks. All in all I was impressed with how quickly these were assembled and the ruggedness of the box . . . although as I said one could opt to beef them up even more with some glue.

I did have a few negatives . . . some of the written directions were a bit vague and there was a serious lack of illustrations to show what needed to be done . . . some assembly was educated guessing. This was perhaps the one thing that could use some tweaking. I also would have added more brackets -- or at least something more rugged thant he plastic brackets sent with the kit . . . then again the firehouse recently put in some decent Merrillat cabinets and they had the same looking plastic brackets. Finally, I would be careful if buying cabinets . . . not all the cabinets were the same . . . some did not have dovetail joints for example and some did not seem as solidly built in my own opinion...

Thank you for this information.
I am seriously considering this cabinet store. So far I have no complaints . . . well one . . . I did pick up three more cabinets and one of them looked like it had been stepped on in transit . . . the store manager was willing to replace it when I discovered that one side was slightly damaged, but I repaired it to my satisfaction and didn't want to make the 6-hour round trip to return it for another.


I thought after putting them together I would be too tired and frustrated to install them myself,
yet I did not want to hire an installer, since it would negate the savings.
However you make it sound like the construction is not so bad. I'm quite pleased with the construction . . . I would say it's no better or no worse than most mid-level cabinets you would purchase. Uses cam locks for the most part to tie things together along with plastic corner braces . . . which is comparable to many cabinets I looked at. Drawers on the particular model I went with had dovetail joints . . . something I was looking for in cabinets.

I could put them together one day and hang them the next maybe?? Depends on how fast you are and how good you are at hanging cabinets. Most of the uppers and base cabinets I can put together in 10-15 minutes. Instructions aren't all that clear, but once you get one done and figure out how they go you can whip through the rest in record time. It helps to have an impact driver or electric screwdriver. The corner lazy susan cabinet took us a bit longer -- maybe 30 or so minutes.

What about trim panels and filler pieces.. did you use those and how did they look? Didn't buy any filler pieces . . . we did buy one trim panel . . . haven't installed it yet though.

I wondered what the final project looks like.
Do you have any pictures to post? And will you put them up? Still working on the kitchen renovation . . . so no final project photos yet . . . in fact we should have our countertops measured this coming Friday . . . but I will post pics when I finish.

Thanks again for the info

 

[joefrompa]

I looked at this type of cabinetry as well during my kitchen re-do 3 years ago. I also looked at Ikea and a few others.

A builder recommended going to a high-end cabinetry shop about 30 miles from where I live. In a back corner, they offered "Timberland" brand which is a low-end, standard size brand.

They were dropped off at my door pre-assembled/glued/etc., beautifully boxed, with hardware and everything ready to go, for $2300 (u-shaped kitchen including one 8' tall pull out pantry cabinet). And I had great selection and service throughout.

Solid maple fronts and doors, solid plywood construction elsewhere. Not amazing construction, but good. I kept them for 2 years before I sold the place and they still looked awesome.

Just saying - sometimes those "expensive" looking places offer really good deals for builders/contractors in the back of their showrooms. I was just a regular customer.

 

[deegato]

@FFJake: Thanks for the reply.
I figured by now you would be fully enjoying the fruits of your completed work!
Remodel jobs do go on and on and on don't they?

Honestly I'm not even close to being ready for kitchen cabinets as I am still trying to
finish my bathroom! Which has been dragging on for over 5 months :grrr:
Just got word my sink left Jersey yesterday, but alas without the faucet...
researching the kitchen cabinets has kept my spirits up!!

I don't suppose you're getting High Definition Laminate counters?
I've been looking into those and have heard many good things.
Granite is too high end for the neighborhood I'm in,
and solid surface/Ceaserstone doesn't have the right colors.

Anyway can't wait to see the end result...Good luck


@JoefromPA: I guess those high end stores intimidate me a bit.
I can't afford to get tempted by, or talked into something I really can't afford.

But that's a pretty great deal. Maybe I'll call around just to check.
Thanks for the tip.

D~

 

[firefighterjake]

@FFJake: Thanks for the reply.
I figured by now you would be fully enjoying the fruits of your completed work!
Remodel jobs do go on and on and on don't they? Yes . . . they do . . . especially when I pretty much only work on it every other weekend when my wife is not working . . . and on a few evenings here and there . . . slow and steady wins the race though.

Honestly I'm not even close to being ready for kitchen cabinets as I am still trying to
finish my bathroom! Which has been dragging on for over 5 months :grrr:
Just got word my sink left Jersey yesterday, but alas without the faucet...
researching the kitchen cabinets has kept my spirits up!!

I don't suppose you're getting High Definition Laminate counters? Actually we figured we had saved enough that we opted to go with granite countertops . . . which was a bit of a surprise since originally we were considering either quartz or something like Corian . . . or a good laminate . . . however with the savings in the cabinets and when we did the maths the cost of granite was pretty darn close to what we would have paid for other products.

I've been looking into those and have heard many good things.
Granite is too high end for the neighborhood I'm in,
and solid surface/Ceaserstone doesn't have the right colors. Hehheh . . . you sound like my wife . . . she is always telling me we need to not go overboard and renovate to what the neighborhood is like . . . which is funny since our neighborhood ranges from some decent homes to shacks and 1960s-1970s vintage trailers.

Anyway can't wait to see the end result...Good luck


@JoefromPA: I guess those high end stores intimidate me a bit.
I can't afford to get tempted by, or talked into something I really can't afford.

But that's a pretty great deal. Maybe I'll call around just to check.
Thanks for the tip.

D~