4 Reasons Why RTA Kitchen Cabinets May NOT Be Right For You

Sounds strange that the owner of a kitchen cabinet company would be saying that his cabinets might not be for you, doesn’t it?  It may sound strange but it is true.  Our cabinets are NOT for everyone and we don’t claim that they should be.  For 98% of the population, our cabinets are absolutely perfect for your home and will not only add value but will also last a long time.  For the other 2% of the population, you shouldn’t be buying our cabinets.   If any of these examples applies to you, then I am encouraging you to NOT buy our cabinets.

    If you think that REAL wood is going to be blemish free or that the grain pattern is going to be exactly the same on each and every piece, then our cabinets are NOT for you.
    Yes, real wood will have grain patterns… it will have knots.. it may stain differently based on the way the grain is running… but that is REAL wood.  If you come across a cabinet line that isn’t painted and has zero grain pattern or is exactly the same on every single cabinet, than it isn’t real wood.   Wood is a living, breathing material that will expand and contract, sometimes bow, and will inevitably have differences in the grain pattern… but that is exactly WHY you would buy real wood.   If you want something that is perfectly uniform in color and doesn’t have any pattern or character, then I would recommend buying a painted MDF or laminated particle board cabinet (they will last half as long, and will sag over time, but at least you won’t have any grain pattern! 

    If you don’t know how to use a screw driver, then our cabinets are probably NOT for you.
    You don’t have to be a certified cabinet installer to work with our cabinets, but you should be able to at least use a screwdriver and a cordless drill.   While the assembly instructions may look like they were written by 5 year olds, they really couldn’t any easier to assemble.   An average wall cabinet will only have 6 pieces that need to be secured together using a screwdriver.  As crazy as it sounds, every now and then we will have someone order a kitchen, it arrives at their home and we get a call “I didn’t know we had to put them together”.   Labor is the most expensive part of any home improvement project, so shipping them ready-to-assemble, we eliminate that part of the labor expense and pass the savings on to you… but seriously…. If you have NEVER assembled anything before and don’t know the difference between a Phillips head and flat head screw driver.. our cabinets are probably NOT for you.

    If you own a McMansion that is worth over a million dollars and you are trying to be cheap… our cabinets are NOT for you.
    The expectation level of the cabinets for a house that is valued over a million dollars is going to be custom cabinetry.  Most builders at that price point will create elaborate kitchens with intricate detailing and custom storage areas, which are possible, but not practical with stock cabinets.  We can show you how to make just about any layout with our cabinets, but when it comes to high dollar homes, custom cabinets are going to be expected (so is a budget of $100,000 plus for a kitchen…. Don’t be cheap, throw down the $100k for a kitchen that matches the rest of the home)

    If you are naïve enough to think that your kitchen renovation will be completed on time, on budget, and without any unexpected problems.. our cabinets may NOT be for you.
    Having worked with literally thousands of homeowners and contractors at this point, I can almost tell which customers are going to have the most problems.  I am sure there are statistics on this somewhere, but from my experience less than 2% of projects going exactly the way they are planned.  So what does this have to do with our cabinets? I would LOVE to say that every kitchen we ship (roughly 200 a week right now), arrives without a scratch, dent, or crack, but it doesn’t…. I like to be open and honest about this up front.  Roughly 5% of our orders have a claim filed, which is actually pretty low by industry standards…and a lot of them are in places that will never be seen once the cabinets are installed (on the side, in the back, etc)   We are dealing with a natural product that expands and contracts in large boxes that are being handled multiple times and being shipped all around the country using third party trucking companies.  Occasionally a door will end up scratched, or a panel is cracked, but we have one of the most extensive replacement part programs in the industry and try to resolve the issue as fast as possible.   If you are a dooms day person who thinks the world is ending because a door is cracked, or that we should buy you a new home because you had to wait an extra day for your cabinets to arrive, than our cabinets are NOT for you….as a matter of fact, NO RTA kitchen cabinet line is right for you.    95% of our customers understand have a realistic expectation of how a home improvement project is going to go and that there will inevitably some issues with the electrical, framing, or installation… it’s the 5% that don’t understand that who end up having the worse experience of their lives.

While I was trying to make light of some of the issues we run into with customers, we do know that our cabinets are not necessarily for everyone… but for 98% of the population they are.   If you are looking for high quality, solid wood cabinets at a very affordable price, that will last a lifetime while adding a ton of value to your home, than our cabinets are definitely for you!   If you understand the renovation process, understand that inevitably delays or issues with occur, and you see the big picture of how your dream kitchen is going to look, than our cabinets are definitely for you!   A kitchen renovation is a big investment, so we know it takes a certain personality to have a vision of what your dream kitchen is going to look like and to have the patience and confidence that it is all going to come together (whether you are tackling it on your own or having a contractor do it for you).  Thanks for being an awesome home owner!

P.S.- If you are not following us on Facebook yet, you are missing out on some great contests!  We are going to be giving away a bunch of FREE stuff this year.  Head over to our facebook page and ‘Like’ us!  http://www.facebook.com/rtakitchencabinetstore

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