When I designed our kitchen for our new coastal home, I knew cabinetry would be one of the project’s most important (and expensive) elements. Like many DIYers, I was determined to save money, but I didn’t want to compromise on quality or design. After weeks of research, I stumbled upon the possibility of high end, Ready to Assemble (RTA) cabinets and decided to consider that option.
So, what are RTA cabinets? RTA cabinets are a cost-effective set of cabinet components that manufacturers cut, drill, and finish in a factory so homeowners can assemble and install them on-site. They also come with all the necessary hinge/slider hardware for assembly. RTA cabinets can vary widely in their construction quality, so it was important to me to find a product that rivaled custom-built cabinetry.
To get that custom look, I also wanted inset cabinets where doors and drawers sit flush within the cabinet frame instead of overlapping it. This design creates a seamless, built-in look that’s both elegant and precise and almost feels like high end furniture. Unlike traditional overlay cabinets, where doors and drawers extend beyond the frame, inset cabinets require exceptional craftsmanship to ensure perfect alignment.
In the end, Cabinet Joint was the only company I could find that offered RTA cabinetry with inset design. Our final expense was much less than what we would have paid for custom cabinetry. I also paid $0 for installation and got a product that exceeded my expectations for quality, look, customization, and overall ease of assembly.
Assembly and Installation
If you have some experience with DIY, assembly of the cabinets was not too challenging. I would rate it a 3 out of 10 in difficulty. The most challenging aspect was that in my kitchen design, a couple of the end cabinets had “extended” panels that allow you to fit the cabinets exactly to the space and they had to be ripped down on the table saw.
The most time consuming part of the assembly was building the cabinet boxes. Cabinet Joint has really nice installation videos that I would pause and unpause while assembling the first few cabinets until I got a hang of the process. The main cabinet boxes had most of the installation steps and each took me about 45 minutes to unpack, organize, and build.
All of the drawer boxes came pre-assembed, so only the hardware had to be attached. And all of the drawer faces were pre-drilled so only the hinges just had to be screwed on. By the time I got to the end of the kitchen, I was building each fully assembled cabinet in about one hour.
Once you have the cabinets built, they have to be installed in a way that makes your final kitchen look like pros put it together. To me, this was harder than building the cabinets. If the floor is not flat and level, then shimming is often needed so the cabinets can be joined together without gaps and are flat enough for installation of countertops with very little gaps. (Note: countertops are ultra flat and if your cabinets are not, it will look like amateur work.) There are lots of good YouTube videos on how to install cabinets and I watched quite a few of them before putting our kitchen together.
Final Thoughts: Cabinet Joint is a DIY Game-Changer
In summary, Cabinet Joint was the perfect choice for our new kitchen build. The savings allowed me to stay within my budget without sacrificing quality. The cabinets are made from superior materials so I know they’ll withstand daily wear and tear. Their construction is solid, with strong joints and a flawless paint finish that makes them look custom and professional. And most important to me, they are one of the only RTA cabinet manufacturers that offer inset door design. If you like the look of our exact cabinets they are the “Madison” Door style in the color “Heron”. All the accessories in the kitchen and the cabinet hardware can be found here!
So, If you’re looking to tackle your next DIY kitchen project and want to save money without sacrificing quality, Cabinet Joint’s Ready to Assemble (RTA) cabinets are the way to go.
I have video on my Instagram account showing the process! Click here if you want to see more.