Ideal Wood Species for RTA Kitchen Cabinets

Ideal Wood Species for RTA Kitchen Cabinets
The unique atmosphere of your home is essentially your signature. It is important to understand how the wood species, cabinet style , color and finish of your RTA kitchen cabinets will influence the look and feel of your home. Our RTA kitchen cabinets utilizes the most ideal wood species for cabinet construction to deliver to our customers the perfect balance of quality and affordability.

Maple Wood Cabinets
Maple is recognized as one of the best hardwoods found in North America, with a light color, fine texture, straight grain, and a subdued attractive uniform grain. This wood species has been treasured by furniture and cabinet makers for centuries. Maple is abundant in North America, making it a valuable comodity for furniture and cabinet makers. Maple has natural strength and stability. The mild texture of maple lends itself well to both contemporary or traditional cabinet styles. An occasionally curly or wavy variations in the grain pattern may appear. The colors of maple wood range from light tan or cream to yellow to light reddish-brown. The sapwood is creamy white with a slight reddish brown tinge and the heartwood varies from light to dark reddish brown. The amount of darker brown heartwood can vary significantly according to growing region and will darken with age upon exposure to natural light. myCabinetPlace.com carries several cabinet styles featuring maple wood including Wheaton, Georgetown, Rockport, Lexington, and Colonial Maple.

Oak Wood Cabinets
Oak is a very strong, open-grained hardwood that ranges in color from salmon-pink to almost white. The wood posses a straight-grained, with a coarse texture. Oak may have dramatic variations in color, knots and grain pattern. Oak wood provides the cabinets a rich look and feel enhanced by its natural characteristics of pin knots and flecks, and ocassionally streaks of green, gold and black mineral deposits. The prominent open grain pattern and textured surface of oak RTA kitchen cabinets make it a natural choice for those interested in a more traditional or casual country look. Finished natural oak is a durable wood, and is the most popular wood species for kitchen cabinetry. Due to the abundance of supply, Oak is our most affordable line of cabinetry. myCabinetPlace.com carries a high quality line of RTA kitchen cabinets made from this durable wood species. Take a look at Oak Island kitchen cabinets by JSI Cabinetry.

Birch Wood Cabinets
Birch is a close-grained hardwood, whose colors go from cream to reddish-brown. Its texture is fine and even, and the grain is often straight but can also come in wavy or curly patterns. This diffuse-porous wood is hard and strong. The texture is fine and uniform. Birch has a smooth surface, that takes a stain very well. Birch can be stained to resemble mahogany or walnut, or sealed with a clear coating to display its natural beauty. Birch is a hard and strong wood that is easy to work with making it an ideal wood species for intricate furniture and cabinet design. myCabinetPlace.com carries a high quality line of RTA kitchen cabinets made from red birch. Take a look at our Sturbridge kitchen cabinets by JSI Cabinetry.


Alder Wood Cabinets
Alder is a close or fine-grained hardwood similar to Cherry, Birch, and Maple. This medium density wood dries rapidly and has relatively low shrinkage and is easily worked making it an ideal wood species for cabinet makers. Other qualities of Alder that makes it an ideal wood species for cabinets is that it is moderately light in weight and posesses good strength properties with no visible boundary between heartwood and sapwood. Alder wood is extremely uniform in its light tan or honey color, and there is no color difference between heartwood and sap wood. This makes Alder much easier to match and finish, even with clear "fruitwood" finishes that require no stain. myCabinetPlace.com carries a high quality line of RTA kitchen cabinets made from light stained alder wood. Take a look at our Jamestown kitchen cabinets by JSI Cabinetry.


Basswood Cabinets
Basswood is soft and light but is quite tough and possesses a fine and even tight grain and non distinctive texture. Basswood working properties are excellent and is a premium carving wood. Basswood, also known as Tilia, is a great wood for cabinet doors. Basswood is native throughout most of the Northern hemisphere, including North America. Basswood cabinet doors have little grain and are durable. The wood’s nature is softer and easily worked. The color of Basswood is creamy to light brown with some dark streaks. Basswood cabinet doors are attractive, durable and easily finished. Basswood takes stains easily making it a great candidate for dark stained furniture and cabinets. myCabinetPlace.com carries a high quality line of RTA kitchen cabinets made from Basswood. Take a look at our Hampton kitchen cabinets by JSI Cabinetry.

Buying RTA Kitchen Cabinets On-Line

Buying RTA kitchen cabinets on-line is a smart move for the home remodeler. It is a great way to shop to compare products and prices. But be careful not to be too hasty, because not all RTA kitchen cabinets are the same. At myCabinetPlace.com we carry high quality RTA kitchen cabinets by JSI Cabinetry at affordable prices. We have a wide selection of styles and finishes that would update any kitchen. In addition, our RTA kitchen cabinets are constructed from solid wood and plywood with absolutely no particle board or medium dense fiber (MDF).

When choosing your RTA kitchen cabinets, there are several different things to consider. Not only do the cabinets need to look great, but they also have to be durable as well as affordable for the homeowner. Check to see the type of materials used and method of construction. Are the doors and fronts made of solid wood? Are the sides made from plywood, particle board, or MDF? Although many claim that their RTA cabinets are constructed from solid wood and plywood, check the thickness of the fronts, sides, and the shelves. At myCabinetPlace.com all our kitchen cabinet faces and frames are 3/4" thick with mortise & tendon construction. The end panels, top and bottoms are 1/2" plywood. Depending on the cabinet style, the shelves are 5/8 " thick or 3/4" thick. The backs are 1/8" plywood. Hang rails are 1/2" solid wood. Toe Kicks are 1/2" plywood. Drawer boxes are 5/8" thick solid wood or plywood with dovetail, full-extension, soft close, steel, undermount glides, , ,, or with 4-sided epoxy coated side mount drawer glides. Concealed cup hinges comes on all our RTA kitchen cabinets. Why settle for anything less?

myCabinetPlace.com also carries a wide selection of styles and finishes to update any kitchen. The rich elegance of our RTA kitchen cabinets will enhance the design of any kitchen and create that distinct custom look and feel. Selecting the right kitchen cabinets can maximize the space available. Because the kitchen is the most utilized room in the house, its attractiveness is just as important as its functionality.

The Kitchen Work Triangle

The Kitchen Work Triangle

The Kitchen Work Triangle is a practical method to maximize the efficiency of a kitchen. The Work Triangle is defined by the three primary work centers of the kitchen drawn in the form of a triangle. The work centers consist of the food storage center, the food preparation center, the clean-up center. In other word, the refrigerator, the range or cook top, and the sink. The total footage of the three sides of the triangle should measure between 12' and 26'. Less than 12' means your appliances are too close together and you may have a cramped kitchen. More than 26' means it may require more time and steps walking between the work centers. Location of doors and traffic flow is also a major factor in your kitchen layout. While there are many ways to lay out a kitchen, there are 6 basic designs listed below.

1. The Straight Kitchen- The Straight Kitchen is the simplest of all designs. It is usually found in apartments, smaller homes, or office kitchenettes. All work centers are located on one wall. Countertop and storage space with this type of design is minimal. Use the straight kitchen design only when space is limited.

2. The Galley Kitchen- The Galley Kitchen has two opposing walls of cabinetry. More counter space is available but corners are present. Aisle space should be at least 48" for one cook and 60” for two cooks to avoid running into each other. In a Gallery Kitchen the work centers should be split to both sides of the kitchen. Which two of the three work centers are on the same wall is not as important as having the work centers located on both sides of the kitchen.

3. The L-Shaped Kitchen- The L-Shaped Kitchen is a more efficient design, providing ample counter space, good access to work centers, room for two cooks, and better traffic flow. This layout works well in medium sized kitchens.

4. The U-Shaped Kitchen- For larger kitchens, the U-Shaped Kitchen is also an efficient design. Counter space is ample, good access to work centers, and plenty of room for multiple cooks.

5. The Peninsula Kitchen- The Peninsula Kitchen is also an efficient design for larger kitchens and is similar in layout as the U-Shaped Kitchen. It provides lots of counter space, good access to work centers, and plenty of room for multiple cooks. An ideal kitchen seating and eating area could be created by adding a wide bar top to the peninsula providing a large work or serving area.

6. The Island Kitchen- The Island Kitchen adds useable counter top space substantially to the kitchen. The perimeter of the kitchen is defined depending on the placement of the island. A wide island top can provide a seating and eating area. The island also, invites the possibilities for placing the sink or cook top in the center of the