Ready to Assemble Kitchen Cabinets: Quality Counts
Ready to assemble kitchen cabinets are a great way to create a kitchen that you can be proud of. RTA kitchen cabinets can provide a homeowner a great way to potentially save a few bucks without compromising quality or flexibility.
Cabinets are made up of a couple of different components that can really deliver the goods when properly put together. Here are a few things to consider when looking at buying a set of RTA cabinets.
Quality is one thing that has a broad definition. When it comes to cabinets this typically translates into a couple of major categories.
One consideration is the fit and finish of the exposed surfaces. Kitchen cabinet surfaces take a lot of abuse in terms of getting dirty and exposed to grease. This means that you will need to be able to easily and effectively clean the exposed surfaces.
When you are selecting your hardware consider the ability to be able to easily and thoroughly clean it.
The cabinets' ability to stand up to daily use in terms of pulling and pushing is another consideration. The joinery is critical.
There are a number of different types that are widely used. The cheapest and most inexpensive is simply gluing and stapling the joints together. This method is prone to becoming weak over time. The glue begins to dry and the staples begin to loosen up creating a rickety drawer.
The preferred method is to use a dovetail joint. This method uses interlocking fingers that join the wood from the top to the bottom of the joint. This sturdy type of joinery is time tested and will be less likely to fail over time.
The final consideration is the drawer slide hardware. The hardware MUST be of good quality in order to ensure years of trouble-free use. There are few things more frustrating than a drawer that gets jammed when opening or closing! Look for slides with ball bearings--these are the best quality slides.
