With all the options and various factors out there it may seem impossible to be able to create your dream kitchen. Don’t worry, Shakespeare Home Improvement Co. is here to help.
Customizing Your Kitchen
There are many cabinet companies out there, but not all are created equal. Sure, if you have the budget, why not go with custom or semi-custom cabinets. There are many benefits for going with, albeit more expensive, a higher quality cabinet. By buying higher quality, you are investing in a long-lasting, durable cabinet that will last you a lifetime. If you don’t plan on keeping your home, then they will increase the value of your home. One such company that offers high quality, durable cabinets it StarMark Cabinetry.
StarMark cabinets come in eleven different species of hardwood. These species include: Alder, Rustic Alder, Cherry, Rustic Cherry, Hickory, Rustic Hickory, Lyptus, Maple, Oak, Quarter, Sawn Oak, and Walnut. Each species has its own unique wood grain pattern, and combined with any one of StarMark’s various stains, tinted varnishes, or glazes will give your kitchen a distinctive look.
StarMark Cabinetry has over a hundred different styles of doors to choose from, so you are almost guaranteed to create your dream kitchen. These doors are grouped into six different style categories: Traditional, Arts & Crafts/Shaker/Mission, Ornate, Transitional, Contemporary, and Cottage/Shabby Chic.
These door styles can also be broken down into full-overlay doors, partial-overlay doors, and inset doors. Full-overlay means that the doors and drawers completely cover the cabinet’s face frame, while partial-overlay means that the doors and drawers only cover part of the face frame. Inset means that the doors and drawers are made to fit within the face frame’s opening. StarMark’s inset doors are manufactured with tight tolerances between the doors/drawers and the face frame to ensure that there are no large, unsightly gaps.
The drawers also have several header options. The header – also known as the drawer face or drawer front – is the visible front part of the drawer and it is attached to the front of the drawer box. The options available depend on the door style, but they can include Profiled Headers, Regent Headers, 5-Pice Headers, Slab Headers, or Decorative Headers.
Not only does StarMark Cabinetry have over a hundred different styles of doors/drawers to choose from, they also have multiple options for the doors and drawers. These options include decorative panels that are made out of glass (including clear, tempered, etched, colored, patterned, and textured), wire, or resin. StarMark also has faux panels that resemble leather and various metals. There are also has mullion options for decorative panels. Other unique characteristics of StarMark doors are numerous edge profiles and optional furniture pegs.
To finish the cabinets and give them a distinctive look, StarMark Cabinetry has many different stains, tinted varnishes, and glaze options. Every piece of the cabinet is stained or varnished at the same time to guarantee that everything matches, and each piece is oven-cured at least twice for a set finish.
The stain adds color to the wood and reveals the grain. The same stain will have a different look on each species of wood due to the differences in the grains. And every coat of the stain is applied and rubbed into the wood by hand.
The tinted varnishes add a paint-like finish to the wood, and are only available on cabinets made out of maple, oak, and quarter-sawn oak. The maple’s grain will be concealed while the oak’s grain will show through.
The glazes are optional finishes, and will bring out the details on the doors, drawers, and all of the decorative details such as the profiles and corbels. If you can’t find a cabinet color you like out of StarMark Cabinetry’s wide variety of options, if is possible to have a custom color done. So, if you really want you kitchen cabinets to be purple, StarMark Cabinetry can make that happen.
For an even more distinctive look, StarMark Cabinetry has several distressing options to choose from, including: worn edges, rounded corners, worm holes, rasping, knife cuts, chiseling, dips, light chain distressing, padding, rub through on flat surfaces, spattering, speckling. Certain colors also have their own specific distressing techniques.
Finally, StarMark Cabinetry also has countless organizational accessories (including roll-out drawers, cutlery dividers, and mini-pantries). For an even more refined finished, StarMark Cabinetry has countless accent pieces (including posts, corbels, and moldings) for you to choose from.
Why Choose StarMark Over Other Custom Cabinetry Companies or Stock Cabinets?
All StarMark cabinetry products come with a limited lifetime warranty – and that is a good thing, because StarMark cabinets are made to last a lifetime. Sounds like a huge benefit for creating you dream kitchen, huh?
StarMark Cabinetry is certified by the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA). The KCMA sets the standards for the materials and construction of quality cabinets, and they perform various tests set by the American National Standards Institute to make sure that those standards are continuously met. StarMark is also a certified brand in the KCMA’s Environmental Stewardship Program due to their ongoing commitment to sustainability. StarMark only uses environmentally responsible materials. They minimize their impact on the environment by recycling waste products and using low emission coatings.
While tools and machinery are used to produce the cabinets, the majority of the work done on StarMark cabinets is done by hand. The doors and cabinets are assembled by hand. The cabinets are also stained, varnished, and/or glazed by hand. The cabinetmakers also distress the cabinets by hand. Also, all StarMark cabinets are made in America. The StarMark Cabinetry manufacturing plant is in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and they have inspectors at every step of the manufacturing process to make sure that everything is done right and only quality pieces are sent to the customers.
While some cabinetmakers mass produce cabinets, each StarMark cabinet is made to the exact specifications of your order. Because they are handmade to exact specifications at 1/16 inch increments, you can rest assured that your cabinets will perfectly in your kitchen area.
The base and wall cabinets come in widths that vary by 3 inch increments. Because of the various widths, it is easy to pick out cabinets that will fit in your kitchen. The wall cabinets also come in various heights so that you can choose if you want the cabinets to go all the way to the ceiling or if you want to leave room for a top molding or soffit. The standard depth of the wall cabinets are 12 inches, but the depth can be increased to up to 15 inches. Utility cabinets such as pantries and microwave cook centers also come in varying heights and widths.
Unlike some manufacturers who used inadequate butt joints or simply glue/nail their cabinets together, StarMark Cabinetry uses dovetail and dado joinery to connect the various parts of the cabinets. StarMark also uses hardwood plywood veneers and drawers opposed to particle board that will absorb moisture and bubble. StarMark Cabinetry can also accommodate non-standard ceiling heights and other irregularities (including soffits, ducts, chimneys, etc.).
Not Just For Kitchens
StarMark not only has kitchen cabinets, they also produce custom bathroom vanities, desks, bookcases, and chests of drawers. If you are looking for a custom vanity for your bathroom or want to add a desk area to your kitchen, Shakespeare and StarMark can design that for you as well.
At Shakespeare Home Improvement Company, we work closely with StarMark Cabinetry to design custom cabinets for our clients’ dream kitchens. Between our in-house designer and StarMark’s creative team, we can create a customized layout and look just for you. If you are looking to remodel your kitchen, contact us at Shakespeare and we can create your dream kitchen for you.
What are you waiting for? Contact Shakespeare Home Improvement Company today, and we can get started on designing your dream kitchen!
Shakespeare Home Improvement Co. is Lancaster County’s premier kitchen remodeling company. You can take a look at photos from our past kitchen projects here.