Home Improvement, Kitchen Cabinet Review for 2008


by GARY NEALON - Date: 2008-07-09 - Word Count: 694 Share This!

Shopping for kitchen cabinets can be as stressful as the actual renovation project. The mistake most homeowners make is to run to the big box stores for everything. They do a very good job of offering every door style, wood type, and finish under the sun. They also do a very good job of distracting you from the two biggest features that you should be focused on- price and quality of construction. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is impulse buying or letting your emotions affect your decision. It is really important to do some research before going into the store and have a budget in mind. Minor changes in the look of the cabinet can end up adding hundreds, if not thousands, to the same of your kitchen. The same thing applies to unnecessary upgrades and accessories.

I always tell homeowners to start by doing some research on the internet. The big box stores will offer the big, name brand cabinets, but if you search online you will find that there are similar, if not identical cabinets for significantly less on-line. Since kitchen cabinets are a high ticket item that you will have to live with for a long time, it often becomes an emotional purchase. By distracting you from the total cost, and getting you to focus on each feature and upgrade, they can increase their overall sale.

As you start your shopping process, you should pay close attention to the quality of the materials that they use. What you will find is that price doesn't alwasy mean quality. Ironically, most of the higher priced cabinets don't actually use solid wood for the cabinet box. They may have a great looking cabinet door, but they are using particleboard or fiberboard for the construction of the cabinet box. The problem with both of these materials is that they are adversely affected by water and moisture. Sounds kind of funny, but something that is going to be in a kitchen, with plenty of moisture, can actually have an adverse reaction of excess moisture. What you will find on-line is that a lot of the lesser-known cabinetmakers actually use solid plywood, which creates a much stronger cabinet box. The other big factor in materials is how the cabinet is held together. Since most of the big manufacturers mass produce their cabinets, they end up using staples or simple wooden dowels to hold the cabinets together.

In doing some research on-line you will more than likely come across another common term in the cabinet industry- RTA, or Ready-To-Assemble. Don't be scared away from this type of cabinet. If you ever go into the big stores and see pre-assembled or stock cabinets, they are actually RTA cabinets that are pre-assembled for your convenience (and significantly more expensive). There are three categories that separate RTA Cabinets from their competition-

1) Assembly- they are so easy to assemble that you can actually eliminate the added expense of hiring someone to assemble and install them

2) Price- if you find the companies that are importing them directly, the saving can be as high as 40-50% versus the name brand cabinets

3) Construction- Not all RTA cabinets are the same, but most of them use solid plywood for the cabinet box, solid wood for the face frames and doors, and they have an interlocking cam lock assembly that is a stronger bond than staples, nails, or wooden dowels

With all the advantages of RTA Cabinets, there are some inferior products on the market that you should steer clear of, but they are definitely worth doing some research on. So before you go running to your local big box supply store, take the time to do some research on-line. At the very least you will be a more educated customer and you can avoid the mistake of exceeding your budget for your kitchen. I have been remodeling house for 15 years, and I have the secret to getting high qualityRTA cabinets at an affordable price. Interested in finding out my secret? Follow these links to find out the secret to getting RTA Kitchen cabinets at 30-40% below retail prices


Related Tags: cabinets, kitchen cabinets, rta cabinets, buying kitchen cabinets, cabinet construction, kitchen cabinet facts, cabinet quality

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