My very excellent cabinetry link isn't working but head to to www.keidel.com, there is other good info and perhaps the cabinetry part is just being updated. In my opinion the notion that decent quality particleboard construction is not durable is one of the great consumer myths of the kitchen industry. A couple of the pro KD's here have indicated that they do not advocate plywood upgrades. It isn't that the plywood isn't better but in a lot of lines you will get the same guarantee and function from their standard construction as you will if you upgrade to plywood. A fair number of Ikea kitchen on here and their boxes are only available in 3\4 inch particleboard. RTA is usually only going to save you money if you can assemble the cabinets yourself but you can usually spring for the installation and still save a fair bit. Don't know price point but Conestoga Woods has a well thought of RTA product. I have heard pretty good things about MasterBrand's frameless RTA line which is sold as Maple Creek (among other names), you can get it through Qualitec on-line. Things to watch for: Stapled drawers, if your shopping at a moderat to lower price point you want metal sides and a 1\2 to 5\8 bottom. Usually if the drawer is metal the track for the roller will be as well (I would avoid plastic drawer mechanisms). On frameless don't go less than 5\8 thick on the basic material. Good luck.

jpdunlop- My post above has an old link to the NY Times with plenty of articles on Chinese products and recalls. Let's not pretend that Chinese manufacturing practices are the same as in the US, or the products they use to produce these cheap as possible goods have vigorous safety standards. Does the US produce junk? Of course- every country does. But no other country seems to produce as much "unsafe" junk as China. Of course it's up to the individual, and based on how popular Walmart and it's ilk are, we'll continue to import the crappiest of the crap, because we want the cheapest of the cheap, and just take our chances. But if I don't absolutely need to buy Chinese made or sourced, which is nearly impossible these days, I won't - my choice.

Don’t expect seconds from a seconds company to be able to have small grout lines or be flat enough to do any herringbone. And you are NOT getting a good looking herringbone out of any 12x24 tile anway. The size is too large, and the space is much too small for either herringbone or chevron. And the proportion is too off. It’s too wide compared to length. Herringbone needs a narrower tile. And if you actually do mean chevron and not herringbone, you can forget that. No installer is going to hand cut every tile to a chevron pattern without a HUGE upcharges in labor. HUGE. What uncoupling system is going to be used over that plywood? Have you checked the deflection rating of your joists and floor assembly to be sure that your flooring structure isn’t too flexible? Because you will get cracked tile if you move forward and the floor is not supportive enough. You have some Giant Red Flags here. You need to put the brakes on and talk with some competent Pros ASAP. That would be a Kitchen and Bath Designer, and their fully qualified tile contractor. https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/homeowners-guide-to-hiring-qualified-tile-installer https://nkba.org/info/why-hire-a-designer [https://www.houzz.com/discussions/10-tests-for-you-and-your-contractors-first-meeting-dsvw-vd~5332686?n=90[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/10-tests-for-you-and-your-contractors-first-meeting-dsvw-vd~5332686?n=90)

When was the house itself built? The interior design aspects are on point with the mid 1980s but the architecture is earlier mid century. I can't really picture someone building a house in that style and decorating aspects of it in late Modernism/post Modernism at the same time. I can picture someone updating a 1960-odd house this way.