PREMIUM CONSTRUCTION
Our cabinets are crafted with dowel and case clamp construction, using glue, staples, and screws to ensure furniture-quality durability. We also include integrated aluminum pulls on wall door cabinets for a contemporary finish. With Monogram Home, you can elevate your space with cabinets that combine timeless design, expert craftsmanship, and exceptional value.
FRAMED vs FRAMELESS CABINETRY
What does frameless, or European-styled cabinetry mean?
The term “Frameless” refers to the face that the cabinet is built without a “frame” of wood on the front of the box to which the top, Botton, sides and doors and drawers are attached. Instead a frames cabinet’s door and drawers are attached directly to the sides which in Hallmark’s case, are made from 3/4″ thick Birch plywood. This means the opening of the cabinet is MUCH larger than a framed cabinet, allowing for “full access” to the interior (hence the alternate name for the construction style).
CABINET CONSTRUCTION
1) PANEL FINISH SYSTEM
Live without worrying about everyday scuffs and stains. Our Six UV layer cabinet topcoat is just part of a 12-step high-quality finishing process that offers enhanced protection and wipe-clean kitchen cabinet durability.
2) HORIZONTAL STRETCHERS
4”wide horizontal stretchers on base cabinets are made with ¾” plywood and glued and doweled into the box giving it a solid framework for use.
3) ¾” PANELS
Strength comes standard too. You’ll find 3/4″ plywood panels on the top and bottom of all wall cabinets and on the bottom and end panels of all base cabinets. Furniture dowels and glue are used with a case-clamp to bind the box together.
4) FULL DEPTH ¾” SHELVES
Position your shelves to fit any storage need. The full-depth configuration provides 30% more usable storage compared to industry sized ‘half-depth’ shelves.
5) CABINET BACKS
No we’re not kidding! A ½” plywood back comes dado’d into the sides and bottom of all base and wall cabinets leaving no question to the strength and integrity of the box on the wall.
6) CUSTOM QUALITY DOORS
See our door descriptions.
7) SOFT-CLOSE HINGES AND DRAWERS
Keep the peace with soft-close doors and drawer hardware. Six-way adjustable hinges engage softly and quietly. Two way adjustable drawer hardware allows for quick adjustments.
8) MARINE GRADE PLYWOOD KICK
Our ¾” marine grade plywood kick pieces (sold in 8’ lengths) gives spills and water the dust off. The kick piece is generally matched to the color of the door on the cabinet.
9) DOVETAIL DRAWERBOX
Drawer sides are made with 5/8″ solid wood, these sturdy dovetail joints are capable of withstanding generations of use. You’ll find them on all four sides of a Hallmark Drawer; and a 3/8” drawer bottom that is fully captured and case clamped together makes this drawer the real deal. Also storage here is maximized with 25% more available space than drawers used in framed cabinetry.
10) CABINET LEGS
These high fortified composite legs are designed for cabinetry, allowing leveling while protecting the cabinet from possible water damage. Legs are doweled and screwed into the bottom of the cabinet.
MAKING IT BETTER
We’re always looking for ways to improve and enhance the performance and durability of your kitchen and bath. Here a few of the innovative products we’ve recently created to deliver higher levels of cabinet protection.
CONVERSION VARNISH PAINTS
Kitchen cabinet conditions demand a high level of durability. Monogram has worked with Sherwin Williams to upgrade our finish to a high-performance paint with durability that will serve your family for years to come.
DOOR PREP: The inside edges of our Door Stiles and Door Rails are actually pre-sanded and pre-stained prior to putting our Five Piece doors together. This minimizes buildup in the corners and does away with the ‘halo effect’ seen on other painted doors of lesser quality.
CENTER PANEL PREP: Monogram preps the center panels of our painted doors. It may not sound like much, but you won’t see unfinished marks around the inside of stiles and rails of our doors.
BASE COATS: Finish starts with the prep work, but is defined by the paint used – How many companies have you heard of that use 6 base coats for their doors before moving to sealers and topcoats? Monogram does! By using multiple UV baked AC base coats, the consistent buildup on both the front of the door and the back, offers a great surface to build on.
SEALER COATS: Sherwin Williams AC sealer coats provide excellent resistance to stains and moisture, providing a clear and non-yellowing finish, making it a perfect fit for kitchen and vanity cabinets.
TOP COATS: Five separate Cefla flat line finishing systems apply our top coats with minimal flaws and maximum durability. , Its smooth and non-porous finish acts as a protective barrier, preventing moisture from seeping into the wood and causing warping or decay.
ANSI 161.1 tested and certified for the North American market
CONVERSION VARNISH STAINS
The beauty of real wood is enhanced with the right stains – Sherwin Williams stains offer the best of the best color consistency with a deep finish build for your home.
TONER AND SEALER COATS: Sherwin Williams toner and sealer coats provide great color vibrancy and excellent resistance to stains and moisture, providing a clear and non-yellowing finish, making it a perfect fit for kitchen and vanity cabinets.
TOP COATS: Five separate Cefla flat line finishing systems apply our top coats with minimal flaws and maximum durability. , Its smooth and non-porous finish acts as a protective barrier, preventing moisture from seeping into the wood and causing warping or decay.
ANSI 161.1 tested and certified for the North American market
SUPERPLY® PLYWOOD
Plywood components make up over half of the cabinet we produce. To control the quality of our boxes, we manufacture our own plywood for high performance and customer satisfaction.
Marine Grade Plywood: Made with Phenolic based glues, our plywood is not chemically treated to increase its resistance to rot, mold, and moisture. Instead, it’s composed of many thin layers bound together with waterproof glue.
PLYWOOD COMPOSITION:
Utilizing Eucalyptus and Pine in the layers, this premium plywood is highly rigid with sustainability built-in.
VERTICAL INTEGRATION FROM THE LOG
At Hallmark, we try to make use of every aspect of the raw materials that we can. We procure logs internationally and process them in our own shops to control product quality. Firsts and Second cuts of rough lumber go to our cabinet division, Seconds and Third cuts go to our flooring division. Veneers are also cut from the same logs where possible.
MOISTURE CONTROL:
Hallmark is one of the few manufacturers to have dry-kilns on site to ensure the correct moisture control of solid wood. By locking in the moisture at the initial production phase and utilizing environmentally controlled curing rooms, we can create a more stable product for our customers.
VENEER CUTS:
Instead of using industry standard rotary peeled veneers for wood doors, Hallmark goes beyond the standard by choosing to straight cut from the log, ensuring a closer match to the stile and rail of the door. Most of the cabinet industry uses a rotary peel veneer for their center panels which may not come from the same area as the original logs and may not tend to match the grain as much.
CABINET TESTING REQUIREMENTS
At Monogram Home, we have in-house testing facilities along with 3rd party certifying agencies. We test our cabinets beyond industry standards to ensure they stand up to the wear and tear of daily life. These testing facilities recheck our vendor’s certifications and give extra peace of mind that the products we provide fall within the standards we need for you.
| TEST | ICC – ES (ANSI A161.1) REQUIREMENTS |
|---|---|
| Drawer Glides | To ensure smooth operation and years of durability, we open and close our drawers 25,000 times |
| Door Hinges | Similar to the drawer glides, our Door hinges have been tested by opening and closing them 25,000 times, and they live up to the industry standard as well. |
| Resistance Against Chemicals | To ensure the integrity and resistance of our finished doors, drawer fronts & end panels against different chemicals, we expose them to different chemicals for 24 hrs. The chemicals tested include detergent solution, alcohol, lemon juice, orange juice, grape juice, coffee, vinegar, ketchup, mustard and olive oil. No discoloration, stain, deterioration or whitening of the finish after rigorous testing of all the chemicals are allowed. |
| High Heat | Our finishes showed no signs of discoloration or blistering even after exposing them to 120⁰ F at 70% relative humidity for 24 hours. So, based on our extreme tests we can confidently say that you will enjoy years of use without worry about finish deterioration because of regular cooking activities, dishwasher steam or extreme shipping environments. |