I’m considering ordering ready-to-assembly cabinetry for my new kitchen. Although not a professional, I have considerable woodworking experience, so am not intimidated by assembly, IF the parts are well constructed. Any experience that might help me identify manufacturers to seek out or avoid? Features you’ve found particularly helpful?
Thanks much,
George Tremblay
Troy, NH
Discover a cost-effective system for applying continuous insulation that can help you achieve targeted R-values.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial NowGet instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
Replies
With your experience, why not build cabinets? RTA is a far cry from shop or site built. Haven't seen any good ones yet, but maybe someone else has. I think IKEA sells them.
CaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
Yeah, I gave serious thought to that, but I lack both time and facilities these days to take on a major cabinet-building project.
Just curious why you would want to go the RTA route. From my experience RTA and "woodworking experience" are mutually exclusive. Meaning I don't think one has anything to do with the other. But I've never seen a true "professional grade" RTA, and apparently some here (Gene Davis) have found a source for some better quality stuff.
Years ago RTA was touted as the wave of the future in woodworking and cabinetry - and it has impacted the furniture field in a big way. I'm just skeptical about the quality.View Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product” – Charles GreeneCaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
Scherr's is as "professional-grade" as you can get, but you gotta remember, what you're getting is frameless cabs. If faceframed is a gotta-have, Scherr's isn't the source.
What is more professional than all joints in carcase parts done with 8mm glued dowels and confirmat screws? Anything beyond that is just cabinetmakers' fancy.
Scherr's will make your boxes in any mel-coated PB of your choice, or in prefinished cabinet plywood, your choice of species for the veneer facing.
Finally, Walzcraft will sell to non-pros. Just get out your Visa card, and order. Walzcraft would be a good choice for all the non-carcase stuff, while you get your RTA boxes from someone like ComponentsPlus or CabParts. Both those outfits, however, will only make your box parts in either white mel or hardrock maple mel.
View Image
"A stripe is just as real as a dadgummed flower."
Gene Davis 1920-1985
You might flip through this thread.
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=85114.1
Gene's done a number of posts on RTA cabinets and spoken highly of both http://walzcraft.com/ and http://www.scherrs.com/
View Image
Thanks--I did check out the thread you referenced, and it's helpful. Looks like Scherr's, which is the supplier I've been looking at, is a reasonable bet. Walzkraft sells only to pros--a distinction I gave up 20 years ago.
George
I kind of recall a thread from the past that 'George Tremblay Design' would be enough to get you in the door there.But I could be wrong.'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
View Image
gtremblay-
Coming from Jaffrey, down Rt202 I think it is, just before you get to Peterboro there's a large gravelpit to the left with an old deserted Victorian sitting there just off the road in front of it.
Is that house still sitting there?
A quick hijack and I'll return to topicrez-I got excited to see Jaffrey N.H. mentioned-it's just across the line from my old home town.......... Winchendon Mass. gtremblay-
Anyway back to topic-I don't think RTA and high quality are mutually exclusive. We have the technology to mill off site to very high standards and to your perameters. Check out http://www.ecabinetsystems.com.They provide free cabinet software and sources for RTA to your custom order.
In my opinion, the "quality" of any cabinet is the quality of the raw material, how the pieces are assembled,the doors, the hardware and the installed crown mouldng. The rest is just boxes and RTA from a good manufacturer
will have "higher quality" than most shops because of their huge investment in high end milling technology.Although I have my own equipment, I would consider RTA on a large order.my 2 centssilver
76643.1 76201.1
61673.1
cool pixs-thanks for the memories of new england...I was born and raised there.Cheerssilver
Fat
Sherr's does rta cabinets but Walzcraft does not. Walz sells door/drawer fronts, faceframes, trim and misc, but not broken down cabinets like Ikea, Sherr's .........
Walzcraft is my first choice when buying out doors/drawers so I highly recomend them, great company.
Doug
Edited 9/2/2008 9:42 pm ET by DougU
Thanks Doug,I'll file that away. I've seen you and a couple of others highly recommend them.Hope life's treating you well.Best,
Steve'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
View Image
My opinion on Ikea type cabs is, why?
If you're going to redo your kitchen put in some good boxes unless you plan to do this every couple of years.
These cabinets remind me of the 70's / 80's TV cabinets and those remind me of cheap.
The last client I had that wanted those put in had a 45k lease car in the driveway and $25 cabinets in her kitchen. Again I ask, why?
Do what you want, but either way, you'll get what you pay for.
Family.....They're always there when they need you.
I've used Scherr's and they were great. I've used their RTA cabinets and I've also built my own cabinets and bought drawer boxes and fronts from them.
Billy
Although I've been happy with Scherr's, be careful if you order cabinets with drawers that need specific clearance for, say, CDs or DVDs. Their construction drawings they send for approval don't have the stretchers marked in them, and I've had them install stretchers and change drawer heights so they didn't have the proper clearance. The problems could have been avoided if they showed where they would put the stretchers and how they would change the drawer box heights to make room for the stretchers. That was a two years ago -- maybe they've corrected this problem.
Billy
In doing a number of jobs using Scherr's, I learned very quickly that when geometry had to be specific, all it took was the right instructions to Leon Scherr, and everything happened correctly.
They have done some things for us that were quite special, but it took detailed drawings from us to make it happen.
View Image
"A stripe is just as real as a dadgummed flower."
Gene Davis 1920-1985
I agree, Scherr's is top notch. But they should put the stretchers on the drawing, don't you think? And they didn't follow all my specific directions on drawer sizing. Other directions as far as dividers, etc. they handled OK. It happens sometimes. At times I've been guilty of not following specific directions, too...
Billy
Edited 9/6/2008 6:10 pm ET by Billy
in my loft project (i'm at the painting stage btw) i ordered a container load of RTA cabinets out of china... raised panel with a trim... honey glazed finish, all wood... faceframe with all doors prehung 3 euro hinges per door.... finished inside as well as out... go together fast...so far zero problems... each was put together at the factory then knocked back down to assure the fit... each wall cabinet can be rt or left door swing... just flip it over door have underlip ? so that hardware in not required if u don't want it... i can't think of one thing i'd improve ( or could) on... and i doubt many shops could build them to the standards these are built to... maybe i got lucky... but i think what i have would be considered...." high end..."
p
Edited 9/8/2008 12:05 am ET by ponytl