I looked at all of those brands when I shopped. Since I build homes and I am picky, I didn't buy them for my home. If you want a cheap fix, they are OK, but I saw too many faults in them.

I looked at Yorktowne while shopping for cabinets. The customer service from the local vender was OK. It took them two week to provide the initial quote but they were nice and thorough.

I found their prices to be very high. Their stains are expensive - 15% of the initial price of your cabinets. I ended up purchasing Thomasville cabinets with NO particle board for $2k less than the Yorktowne version with ALL particle board.

builderbob_2010 could you tell me what you saw the flaws in the Shrock line is and if you would recommend the Starmark or Mid-continent line over this?

The flaws I find in many cabinets (in that price catagory) is they just dont put them together well. You take a cabinet out of the box and look at the joints and often there are gaps filled with glue. Then there are the staples, badly cut dovetails, cheap plastic drawer slide mounts, bumpy finish, plastic interiors, weak hot melt glue, etc., etc. I've even had cabinets coming apart right out of the box. All this adds up to short cabinet life and who wants to remodel after a short time?

If that is the price range you have to be in, I wish you lots of luck. But if you can afford more, do it. I'm not trying to insult anyone that owns those brands. I'm just trying to caution people that they need to look very closely at how things are built.

Key Important Features:
Look for tight joints (sides, backs, frames, doors, etc.).
No hot melt glue (look all over for signs of this cheap glue - backs, bottoms, inside corners, etc.).
Smooth as silk surfaces.
Tight dovetails.
No particle board.
At least 1/2" thick quality plywood that doesnt have soft layers in between.
At least 3/4" thick plywood shelves.
If it has a fake wood grain inside, it is cheap material.
Drawer slides with metal mounts (not plastic mounts).
Mortise and white glue frame joints.
Metal shelf pins.

If you don't get these features, you will eventually regret your purchase and most likely someone will have to invest a lot of money...

Why did you choose those specific companies?

We put Schrock cabinets in our kitchen remodel of 1992 and have been pleased with them. They are oak and have held up very well. Our budget allowed us their "builder" grade--their shelves weren't quite as thick the next line up. I did go with nice crown molding and covered the contact paper sides with the matching plywood. My picky sister who is married to a builder thought for years that they were custom cabinets. Drawers, which were inportant for me have held up nicely.

That being said, I looked at them for our future build--I'd like to go with cherry this time--and have not been pleased at all with samples provided and kitchens seen. I think they use a lower quality wood--the stain has looked really splotchy, mainly in the darker stains. Their lighter stains are beautiful. I would have gone with them again in a heartbeat. Their doors are beautiful!

BTW, Shrock makes the Home Depot Thomasville brand & the Lowe's Diamond.