RTA Garage Cabinets: What Actually Arrives in the Box
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Part of the garage organization guide.
RTA garage cabinets are sold ready to assemble: the cabinet arrives in pieces and you build it. Not every garage cabinet is sold that way, and the difference decides what your delivery day looks like.
What arrives in the box decides your delivery day. Check the product page before you order.
- 4ways a cabinet can arrive, from pieces to fully installed
- 1the depth your car leaves you, page 3 of the planner
- 2clear floor to lay the pieces out on
- 3a second person, for anything tall or heavy
Before you drill, check what is inside that wall. Scan with a detector that finds metal and live wires while the power is still on, then turn that circuit off at the panel, then drill. If anything in your garage runs on gas, a water heater, a furnace or a dryer, a gas line may run in that wall too, and that is not something to find with a drill. When you are not certain what is behind the spot you picked, have the holes placed by a licensed professional. The full list of checks is in the garage guide. If anchoring into your wall is new to you, that is the step to get help with.
Anchor before you load. Tall units get anchored to the wall before anything goes inside them, following the instructions supplied with them.
The lifting, not the screws. The parts are bigger and heavier than a closet’s. Armadillo Tough’s shipping page asks for “at least two able-bodied people present to move your order” when the boxes are large or heavy, and a second person is worth having for anything tall during the build too.
Page 3 of our free Garage Fit Planner is the depth your car leaves you, and page 5 is the short list to check on a listing before you order. Both are easier to take now than on the day the boxes arrive. Five printable pages.
The floor RTA garage cabinets need on the day
What to measure
The clear floor you can lay the pieces out on, and the depth your car leaves you once both doors are open
A ready to assemble cabinet ships in pieces, with its fixings and instructions, and the building is your job. It travels in smaller boxes than a built cabinet, and it goes through a normal doorway. What it asks for is clear floor space to lay the pieces out, time, and usually a second person for anything tall.
What to check before you order RTA garage cabinets
1
How the unit arrives
The product page states it. Armadillo Tough sits in the middle of the four possibilities: its resources page says most of its garage cabinets and products “come pre-assembled or require minor assembly”, and that “no extra tools are required other than what your product provides”.
2
Whether the fixings are included
This maker says its cabinets, shelving racks and wall shelves “have the necessary hardware for the installation”, and that concrete anchors come with the units meant for a concrete wall.
3
Whether your unit is free standing or has to be mounted
Its resources page says “many of our garage cabinets are free-standing, and others must be mounted to a wall”. Which one you have changes the build, and it changes the wall checks in the box above.
4
Whether you want to do it yourself at all
Paid installation exists, and it is worth pricing against your own time. This maker sells it as a separate service, through what it describes as “a national installation company”. That service is, in its own words, “a paid-for service”, and it covers unboxing, assembly, installation and debris consolidation. Settle the layout first with the planning sequence.
The product page for each cabinet states what you get in the box, so that is the page to read before you order. See the cabinet range
The four ways a cabinet can arriveand what you do on the day
| How it arrives | What you do on the day |
|---|---|
| Ready to assemble | Build it from pieces |
| Pre-assembled | Position it and fix it |
| Minor assembly | A few steps, with the parts provided |
| Professional installation | Someone else does all of it |
The delivery day is the part people forgetfrom the curb into the garage
Whichever way the cabinet arrives, it has to get from the curb into the garage. Armadillo Tough’s shipping page asks for “at least two able-bodied people present to move your order” when the boxes are large or heavy.
It also says UPS “will place your shipment inside your garage if you are home at the time of delivery”, and that if you are away “UPS will leave your order outside of your home”. Being in for the delivery is worth arranging.
Who self assembly suitsand who should price the installer
Anyone comfortable with ready-to-assemble furniture and a drill. The parts are bigger and heavier than a closet’s. Plan for the lifting rather than the screws.
If anchoring into your wall is new to you, that is the step to get help with.
Frequently asked questionsfour answers
What does RTA mean in garage cabinets?
Ready to assemble. The cabinet ships in pieces with its fixings and instructions, and you build it. What custom means covers the grades above it.
Do Armadillo Tough cabinets need assembling?
The maker says most of its garage cabinets and products “come pre-assembled or require minor assembly”, and that “no extra tools are required other than what your product provides”. Check the product page for the exact unit.
Can someone install garage cabinets for me?
This maker offers installation through what it calls “a national installation company”. It states that installation is “a paid-for service”, covering unboxing, assembly, installation and debris consolidation.
What do I need on delivery day?
Help. The maker asks for “at least two able-bodied people present to move your order” when boxes are large or heavy, and says UPS leaves the order outside if you are not home.
Know your depth before delivery day
Page 3 of our free Garage Fit Planner is the depth your car leaves you, and page 5 is the short list to check on a listing before you order. Both are easier to take now than on the day the boxes arrive. Five printable pages.
Check how each unit arrives
The product page for each cabinet states what you get in the box.
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