Conestoga, Barker, Ikea. That’s it.

I am planning to go look at IKEA - can you both expand on what the issues are with other RTA brands? It looks like IKEA's are made with MDF vs plywood. Lily Ann cabinets for instance seems to have good reviews.

We have conestoga in our kitchen and Barker in a bathroom and would consider both these to be quality cabinets, better than what we see in most new construction homes.

I have Conestoga. You can customize every last detail. It’s totally a high quality cabinet, just that you do the job of assembling rather than the factory. You have to know what you’re doing regarding the design, measurements, fillers, crown, etc. Every RTA brand will use the same buzzwords - all wood, soft close, etc. It’s hard for most people to understand the difference without knowing the exact specifications, and I don’t remember details. But there is not a “cheap” thing about my cabinets. You asked to recommendations because you could not distinguish. Now, if you are not in your forever home, or if you wouldn’t mind renovating again in 15 years, or if cabinet construction and design details aren’t things that you’d like to spend your money on, then that’s totally fine, and you can choose any other RTA brand. (At that point, I would skip RTA and go with a low priced already built cabinet!)

@mojavemaria & @emilyam819 - thank you for your recommendations - I will look into them.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC, Do you have any recommendations for cabinet brands you have used in the past?

Thank you!

We have IKEA cabinets and have been very happy with them, as have many others here on the forums.

Make sure you research Conestoga and their role in SCOTUS ACA lawsuits- they partnered with Hobby Lobby - you may find you no longer want to give them your money. Or you may be pleased with your choice. YMMV

Ikea cabinets come with a 25 tear warranty. The board they use is high quality to go along with that. If you don't find a door you like, Cabinet Face offers more choices sized specifically to interchange with Ikea doors. Link.

@User - thank you so much for that post! I think that will be very beneficial, I am starting to digest it now.

IKEA makes fine RTA cabinets.

Scherr’s. Made in the USA, top quality, though not cheap.

look into local cabinet makers. You might be surprised with the options and pricing. Make sure you see the work and just don't get someone's buddy who says he can make cabinets.

Most areas have a few local cabinet makers.

Not really wanting to step into this again, but there are surprisingly good no-name RTA cabinets. I installed some five years ago when re-doing my son's house, as that was what he could afford. The materials were decent (Chinese plywood, no evident gaps and selamination, better than the Home Depot typical material), joinery and fasteners worked and made tight joints, everything ended up square and the right size. The finishing could have been better, but no one other than a furniture maker would notice. No complaints or problems so far.

These were about 2/3 the price of Ikea, and were assembled by the shop where we bought them for that price.

No warranty, you get what you see, which is fine with me-- I could see they were pretty darn good for the price. How many people have ever actually used a kitchen cabinet warranty? I sure havent; if something breaks it's way easier to just fix it than fight with the manufacturer about it.

FWIW, we put very high quality used cabinets in our own kitchem. Continue to be quite happy with that choice as well. Spent a month in Italy on the cost differntial vs new.

wiscokid sold me on Conestoga!

I am in the middle of a VERY LARGE Ikea installation.

While I have had a few frustrations (30" width is 30 1/16", which, when working with concrete walls and 9-10 cabinets wide can make for some interestingly new compound swear words), I contunue to be impressed with the thoughfulness and ingeniousness of IKEA design.

The boxes are easy to assemble and remarkably consistent. They have "everything" for fitment. Need a high capacity shelf with wide adjustability on height for a heavy wall oven? Check ($26). Need a closeout panel to hide the sink when you open the doors? Check. Need a ventiliated rail for the induction cooktop? Check. In the 80" tall cabs, the included shelf has different shelf supports so that the single shelf falls halfway between the 20" and 60" doors, so they both can line up and get a bumper. (Standard shelves / pins are a little higher and don't line up with the lower doors) Base cabs have almost limitless configurations with 5, 10 and 15" tall drawers.

Everything is adjustable. We've done most of the doors in the kitchen and they are all precise. Drawers too. Still have to do the pantry but once you get the hang of the adjustments, you can easily have VERY plumb, square and consistent spacing that LOOKS very high end. The execution is key in almost all RTA cabinets. And planning so that you don't need oddball sizes. I don't have any corner cabinets so that makes it easier.

In the end my space layout won't change, but I'll be able to replace my doors and drawer fronts in 2 days if I want to reface / remodel (God forbid)