Whether you are building a new home or planning a remodeling job, odds are the kitchen is a major area of focus.

Beautiful countertops are typically at the top of the wish list for the majority of homeowners, but with the vast array of materials on the market it’s often hard to know where to start. If your head is already swimming with visions of marble, granite and travertine, plan a visit to Palmetto Surfacing, Inc. The experts at this North Charleston countertop fabrication and installation company can answer all of your questions so you will soon be enjoying the kitchen of your dreams.

From the moment clients walk into the 2,000-square-foot showroom, Kim Clark and his staff of designers, fabricators and installers guide them through the process of putting together their own special kitchen. Palmetto Surfacing offers a wide selection of colors and materials for the traditional or modern kitchen. They carry everything from man-made solid surfaces (like Dupont’s Corian) to exotic granites and marbles. Furthermore, Palmetto Surfacing is the exclusive local fabricator of Cambria, an extremely durable quartz surface.

Clients can look over a variety of kitchen designs in the showroom, then head over to the on-site fabrication facility to make a selection from among the company’s inventory of 600 slabs. At this time, a client might realize that he or she really prefers the look of granite to marble—or that a color that looked good in a magazine is actually much darker when viewed up close.

Clark sees customer service as the key to his company’s success. Since 1984, he has been at the forefront of providing great service and satisfaction to his clients as the Lowcountry’s choice for custom countertops and other surfaces.

“Our goal revolves around the customer,” Clark says. “Everything we do is based on communication with customers and ensuring their satisfaction. We’re focused on the process from the first time the customer calls the company until the project is complete. If they’re happy, they keep coming back.”

If you’re worried that a remodeling job will keep you out of the kitchen for weeks, don’t be. The team from Palmetto Surfacing can come in on a Monday to design the template and return on Thursday to install the countertops.

The design process is totally automated. When designers visit a house, they take measurements of the space. Back at the showroom, a template of the new kitchen design is made using a laser for accuracy. Next, a new design tool called a “slab smith” takes photographs of the slabs and places them in the template so clients can see exactly what the kitchen will look like with their chosen material. This helps designers and clients make sure the veins in the stone line up correctly with the veins in adjacent pieces. Finally, the company uses a dual-table water jet to cut the stones with precision. No aspect of the design and installation process is left to chance.

“The photographs,” Clark says, “allow us to show customers exactly how the slab will be laid out. We want to make sure customers get exactly what they want and that they’re happy with the end result.”

Penny Parker, a native Charlestonian, works as a copy editor and reporter for area publications.