Cabparts Custom (But in a Ready-to -Assemble format) Kitchen and Closet Cabinetry PLUS The Cabinet Joint
Hi everyone. I saw this company mentioned in recent edition of Fine Homebuilding magazine. It’s a custom design and manufacturing company that sends you your cabinetry in a flat-pack, ready-to assemble form. As always, I’m not affiliated with this company in any way nor do I receive any compensation or benefits from mentioning them.
They seem to be a nice option to ordering cabinet boxes from Ikea and then getting another company to make you custom doors or other ready-to assemble companies that only have a set number of box sizes and no custom options.
Has anyone used this company before? PS. So many people mentioned The Cabinet Joint I added it to the title.
GBA Detail Library
A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part
Replies
I have not, but am also interested in them for an upcoming job. I am curious about the amount of VOC as well.
I haven't used this particular company but I've done a fair bit of RTA work and never been disappointed.
I often work by myself, and it's easier to carry a flat-pack into the room where it's going to go and assemble it there than to try and carry an assembled cabinet by myself without damaging it. It can also be super-handy if you're dealing with existing plumbing to assemble the cabinet around the plumbing. Transporting and storing RTA's is much easier than assembled cabinets.
I've heard -- but can't verify -- that many local cabinet shops just assemble RTA's they purchase from manufacturers and deliver locally. So it really boils down to whether it's worth your time to do the assembly or pay the shop for it.
I have used "The Cabinet Joint" RTA's twice. They are made in the USA. Beware of those that are not.
They are high quality, solid wood cabinets that you can get in many different wood species, designs stains or paint. The hardware is also high end. I recently put together my kitchen in the apartment over our garage and am very happy with the result. Everything fit together well.
I would definitely use them again and may for the main house we're renovating. Prices are probably 2/3 to half of local custom cabinets. My small kitchen cost me $8800 and came out great.
Cabinet Joint is one of the places I've used. I have them in my own kitchen. I have a friend who works in the cabinet shop of a local high-end builder and when he came over he complimented them, he's not the type to give praise freely.
They're good to work with. They don't get every order perfect, but when there are issues it's either stuff I can just fix in my shop or they'll ship a replacement piece pretty quick.
I do have one quibble with them. When they ship a job, the carcasses and the frames, drawer fronts, doors and drawers come from different shops. (I think they might subcontract them out but I'm not sure.) The carcasses come with all the pieces for one cabinet in a package, and the package is labeled with what cabinet it is. The other stuff comes labeled, with a sticker on each piece -- but the sticker only has the order number! I did a job that was 56 cabinets -- kitchen, 4 baths, office and living room built-ins -- which meant 56 face frames, around 100 doors, 50 or so drawers and an equivalent number of drawer fronts. Getting everything all matched up was a giant game of concentration.
If I were to do an order of that size again I would break it into multiple smaller orders.
Yeah, they have a youtube video on how to get all the parts organized before assembly. I followed their instructions and it worked out fine.
"They seem to be a nice option to ordering cabinet boxes from Ikea."
I sometimes use Ikea, they're great for something like a laundry room cabinet where you're not terribly picky about the size or the style, they'll have something in stock that you can take home today. They are what they are, and for what they are they aren't bad.
That said, the RTA cabinets I've dealt with are nothing like Ikea. They're not particle board and they don't screw together, they're plywood cut the way a real cabinetmaker would make them, you assemble using glue and clamps and an air nailer.
The Cabinet Joint ones are nicer in that the joints in the carcass are dovetailed, so they stay together without clamps. The face frames have little rubber things to hold them together while the glue dries.
Thanks for the RTA supplier links. I'm getting closer to pulling the trigger on a set of cabinets so this will be very helpful. I do wish The Cabinet Joint offered a shaker version of the frameless cabinets.