Ready-to-assemble … just the words can conjure up images of cheap particle board furniture from an office supply store, of junky cabinets in low-end apartments, with the fake plastic wood veneer peeling from the particle-board doors. But it doesn’t have to be that way! RTA Cabinets can be cheap without being “cheap.”
No Particle Board. Ever.
At RTA Cabinet Store, despite how cheap (that is, affordable) our RTA kitchen cabinets are, in reality they’re made of premium materials through and through. In fact, we consistently use the best materials for the job in each individual part.
That means furniture-grade plywood for the box frames and structural elements. We use this rather than solid wood because it’s far more warp-resistant and actually stronger. Plus, it holds fasteners even better than solid wood, for sturdy connections that last a lifetime. We even make ours thicker than the industry standard, for improved durability and sturdiness.
Beautiful Hardwood and Silky-Smooth HDF
For the parts you can see, like doors, face frames, and drawer fronts, we use one of two materials. For stained models in natural wood tones, we use only real, solid hardwood, sourced from the lush forests of Northern Asia. This genuine oak or maple has distinctive grain patterns, perfectly shaped and stained in a variety of styles and colors to match any décor.
For painted RTA cabinet lines, we use high-density fiberboard. HDF is an engineered wood product, compressed until it’s just as strong, and even more dense than hardwood. Why use this instead of solid wood? Well, for one, it lets the paint go on silky-smooth, without blemishes, texture, or wood grain underneath to soil its appearance.
Another reason for choosing HDF is that paint isn’t very flexible. Natural wood swells and contracts as it goes through different levels of temperature and humidity throughout the day and year. Over time, this leads to little fine lines and cracks in the paint, resulting in an unpleasant, weathered appearance over a matter of years, rather than decades. With HDF, this doesn’t happen, so your painted cabinets will still look like new ten or fifteen years from now.
We Can’t Speak for Everyone
Just because our cabinets at RTA Cabinet Store are cheap for your budget without being cheap in end result, doesn’t mean others’ aren’t. The world of kitchen cabinets is big and varied and, sadly, there are those who try to take advantage of unwary consumers. To help you avoid pitfalls and mistakes, we’ve created a handy e-book, The Consumer’s Guide to Buying Kitchen Cabinets, to help you avoid getting ripped off, and to make sure you know what to look for. Grab it as our gift for considering us, and keep it whether you decide to shop with us or not. We hope to hear from you soon!
