RTA Cabinet Store Review: What to know before buying [2022]
Today, I am reviewing another popular RTA cabinet seller: RTA Cabinet Store. RTA Cabinet Store has some great cabinet options, although they are very similar to other RTA cabinet brands.
Table of Contents
- About RTA Cabinet Store (RTACabinetStore.com)
- RTA Cabinet Store review: selection, variety, and pricing
- How difficult is it to assemble RTA Cabinet Store cabinets?
- RTA Cabinet Store review: cabinet quality
- RTA Cabinet Store customer service
- Comparing RTA Cabinet Supply to other RTA cabinets
- The verdict: should you buy RTA Cabinet Store cabinets?
About RTA Cabinet Store (RTACabinetStore.com)
The RTA Cabinet Store (not to be confused with TheRTAStore) is a Pennsylvania based RTA cabinet seller. It’s part of a larger company that has several home improvement products for sale on multiple niche sites.
RTA Cabinet Store review: selection, variety, and pricing
With almost 50 different cabinet styles, RTA Cabinet Store has one of the biggest selections in the RTA industry. Going through the list of options, it’s very easy to understand why. Most other RTA cabinet sellers only sell one variation of a certain design, whereas RTA Cabinet Store sells multiple.
For example, Lily Ann Cabinets and RTA Cabinet Supply both sell a line of cabinet doors called Charleston Linen (RTA Cabinet Supply calls it Vanilla Glaze). This line is similar — but not the same as — The RTA Store’s Signature Vanilla line:
RTA Cabinet Store, meanwhile, sells both styles. There is a variation of the Lily Ann’s Charleston Linen/RTA Cabinet Supply’s Vanilla Glaze door called West Highland, and there’s a variation of The RTA Store’s Signature Vanilla Glaze door called Maddox Canvas.
RTA Cabinet Store has a nice variety of cabinets, but unfortunately, some styles have no glass door options. Also, there’s not much consistency between options, which makes ordering a bit confusing.
How difficult is it to assemble RTA Cabinet Store cabinets?
RTA Cabinet Store’s cabinets are easy to assemble, and you don’t need any special skills or knowledge to do it.
Do you need any special experience or expertise to assemble RTA Cabinet Store cabinets?
If you’ve ever assembled flat pack furniture, such as you would get from IKEA (and often Wal-Mart or Target), you can assemble RTA Cabinet Store cabinets.
What tools do you need to assemble RTA Cabinet Store cabinets?
To build these cabinets, you only need a few tools:
A cordless screwdriver with a full bit set
A Black and Decker cordless screwdriver with several different sizes of bits is optimal for building RTA Cabinet Supply cabinets. There are different head sizes in use, so using a non-optimal size bit will quickly strip the screws.
A strong wood glue
When you’re putting together RTA cabinets, it’s important to glue each joint with a good wood glue. Personally, I really like to use Gorilla Wood Glue. This will help keep the cabinets sturdy and prevent them from coming apart due to vibrations or normal wear and tear.
A rubber mallet
You will need to use a rubber mallet when assembling RTA cabinets, especially when building the drawers. A rubber mallet is less likely to damage the parts than a regular hammer.
How much time does it take to assemble RTA Cabinet Store cabinets?
| Standard (upper) wall cabinet | 30 to 45 minutes |
| Standard base cabinet without drawers | 45 minutes to 1 hour |
| Base cabinet with drawers | 1 to 1.5 hours |
| Full height utility cabinet | 1 to 1.5 hours |
| Individual drawer assembly | 20 minutes each |
| Small upper cabinets | 30 minutes |
RTA Cabinet Store assembly tips and tricks
Here are some tips that I have found to be useful when assembling RTA cabinets. There is more information here.
- Use only enough wood glue to hold the pieces together. This will avoid a sticky mess.
- Inspect the cabinets for damage upon arrival, so that you can order replacement parts if necessary. You don’t want to have to pause your whole project while waiting for parts.
- I recommend assembling the full height cabinets with a helper. You will need plenty of space to slide the parts into place if you assemble them right-side-up; you will also need a high ceiling. If you assemble them horizontally, however, you will only need a large open area.
RTA Cabinet Store review: cabinet quality
The quality of the cabinets from RTA Cabinet Store is very high. Since a lot of the products are similar (or overlap) those sold by other companies, you can read reviews of individual styles in other articles on this site.
In this section, I will expand on the quality in-depth: materials, craftsmanship, durability, and feel.
RTA Cabinet Store quality: materials
Like other RTA sellers, RTA Cabinet Store user high-quality materials in their products. Their different cabinet styles have varying construction methods and materials, but they all seem to be constructed out of good quality plywood. You can see pictures of this type of plywood here.
The RTA Cabinet Store’s door faces are either constructed of solid wood or high-density fiberboard (HDF). Unfortunately, the RTA Cabinet Store provides a bit less information on the specific makeup of each style than other brands.
HDF is a type of engineered wood that consists of compressed wood fibers. It is denser than particle board and has a smoother surface, making it ideal for cabinetry, flooring, and furniture. HDF is also more resistant to moisture and extreme temperatures than solid wood, making it a good choice for high-quality furniture.
In the following pictures, I have used a miter saw to cut a cross section of some of the RTA Cabinet Store’s doors.
Here is a cross section of the RTA Cabinet Store’s Weston door, which is made of solid wood on the outside, and :
Here is a cross section of The RTA Cabinet Store’s Maddox doors:
RTA Cabinet Store quality: millwork
The millwork quality the RTA Cabinet Store is very good, and I didn’t have any issues with it.
RTA Cabinet Store quality: hardware
RTA cabinets do not come with a lot of hardware, and you will find that online RTA cabinet sellers tend to have very similar (if not the same) parts.
Generally, cabinets are shipped with the hinges, frame support pieces, and screws. Drawers will also come with drawer glides.
I found the hardware for RTA Cabinet Store cabinets to be very good. This includes the hinges and drawer glides, which both have a soft close feature as well as full extension glides.
RTA Cabinet Store customer service
I didn’t have much interaction with the RTA Cabinet Store’s customer service, so I can’t personally review this aspect of the company. However, there are mixed reviews from customers for the company. You can see the BBB report here.
Comparing RTA Cabinet Supply to other RTA cabinets
There is a lot of overlap between RTA cabinet suppliers. Nevertheless, there are some differences:
RTA Cabinet Store Pros
- Good quality
- Quick order fulfillment
- Huge selection
RTA Cabinet Supply Cons
- Some styles don’t have glass options
- Mixed customer reviews
Do you have experience with the RTA Cabinet Store? Post in the comments below.
The verdict: should you buy RTA Cabinet Store cabinets?
I was happy with my RTA Cabinet Store purchase, but some other people seemed to have issues.
Given that the RTA Cabinet Store sells similar cabinets to the other RTA sellers, so you can generally find their products elsewhere. So you may want to look into alternatives like TheRTAStore.
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