1. Discontinued products: Manufacturers discontinue products all the time. When this happens, retailers want to move the old product to make way for the new. What isn't sold at a "normal" retailer is then sent to the discount retailer.
2. Floor models: Kitchen cabinets used for floor models in showrooms are also sold at discount stores because they aren't considered new.
3. Slightly damaged: Cabinets that are slightly damaged either through handling at the warehouse or during shipping are also offered at a steep discount rate. These dings and scratches are rarely noticeable. Many times, in fact, the damage is in a place that cannot be seen, like in the back of the cabinetry.

With the demand for cheaper building materials and the rapid housing boom a couple of years back, many kitchen cabinet manufacturers started looking overseas for a way to make a cheaper kitchen cabinet. In order to conform to the KCMA standards (Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association), they required the kitchen cabinet manufacturing plants overseas to increase the quality of the materials they used and increase the durability of the kitchen cabinets. Discount kitchen cabinets or RTA Kitchen Cabinets up until this time had been made of fiberboard or particleboard, with staples or dowels holding the cabinets together. Many of the cheap kitchen cabinets at that time had a veneer surface that would warp or buckle when it came in contact with too much water. Because of these inferior features, they didn't compare to the cabinets that were being manufactured in the U.S.

With the improvements to meet the standards of the KCMA, cheap kitchen cabinets are now being built with solid plywood sides, solid wood face frames and doors. and cam locks to hold the cabinet together. Cheap Cabinets is no longer the right description for rta kitchen cabinets. With the improvements in design and function, discount cabinets started being imported by more and more companies to provide an alternative to the name brand manufacturers in the US that were asking, in some cases, 2-3 times as much for their kitchen cabinets as discount kitchen cabinet importers were. Even the big box stores started carrying their own lines of rta kitchen cabinets or discount cabinets, in both knockdown and pre-assembled form. There are some drawbacks to buying discount kitchen cabinets... most manufacturers only carry 5-6 different styles or finishes, which limits your choices. In order to get discount cabiets at their cheapest price, you have to buy them rta or ready-to-assemble, which requires additional time and labor to assemble them.

The good news is that with the cam lock assembly, most discount cabinet lines only require a screwdriver to assemble them. So before buying your new kitchen cabinets at retail price, may sure you stop to take a look at discount kitchen cabinets or rta cabinets.

• The finish should be smooth and free of defects.
• The drawers should also have reinforced corners in order to withstand heavy use.