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My wife and I are in the process of remodeling our kitchen and are considering all types of counter tops. Does anyone have experience with using stainless steel for a counter top? I have access to the tools to cut, form and weld the steel. I would probably use .050 thick material.
What are the pro and cons to using this for a counter top? I would appreciate all comments and advice.
Thanks!
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SS is great around heat and moisture, tough as nails. IMHO looks best when NOT used everywhere, unless that's the look you want. Pricing is crazy, however. The material itself is reasonable, and if you can cut & weld it yourself, do it!
*About Stainless Steel countertops: - You will die the first time you scratch it. Deal with that and as soon as it is all scratched all over evenly it will take on that nice patina that you've seen in restaurant kitchens. It scratches very easily, but will take you longer to fully scratch up than in a restaurant where they've got a staff of 20 to do that for them all day long (i.e. you'll have worn areas all around the microwave and blender and other things that don't move around much, so plan to move them around to even-out your traffic patterns). - Fingerprints will be a problem. I recommend that you NOT use so called 'stainless steel cleaners', they contain waxes or some other kind of oily residue that greatly increases the fingerprintability of the stuff. On the other hand, if you use Bon Ami or Barkeeper's Friend (which have no soap or things that leave residue) you'll find the surface comes very clean and wipes down very well in-between cleanings.Fingerprints make things look dirty, and you'll see all of them on SS, so be ready for that.I like my SS island and refridge, but it took time to adjust to the things mentioned.Visitors walk in and always comment how great it looks (cost relatively little, looks like a million dollar kitchen).If you want low maintainence, go with formica or tile.
*I'm a sculptor working mostly in stainless steel. I do alot of custom furniture, tables,ect. SS in very hard to form and weld. Thin SS material distorts much more than mild steel when welded and it's hard to sand out all the scratches you put in while working it. Consider a brushed finish. SS counters make alot of noise in a small kitchen. If you're still sold on the idea, consider used resturant counters. I've bought massive counters with cabinets for as little as $40.00. A little beat up but easier to repair than to fab brand new ones. Call scrap yards in your area. They often re-sell SS scrap because the new material is so expensive. I built my counter this way for about $80.00 in materials. Hope this helps!
*Commercial Stainless work tops have a formed edge and welded reinforcing channels in both directions to keep the top from flexing. Anything stiff enouth to be rigid would weigh too much for me to install it. Maybe too much for a home project. The laminate companies make plastic laminate made to look like metals if you just want the look, you could look into these.
*I formed a 4'x8' conference table completely out of 10ga SS and it only weighed 350lbs. Any SS countertop I can imagine wouldn't weigh nearly as much as a stone one. Consider using thin guage SS slipped over a solid substrate. Commercial counters come in a variety of thicknesses and edge treatments, just a matter of lucking onto the right one. My 3'x8' countertop weighed maybe 125lbs and took less than 8hrs to get from the scrap yard, modified,polished,and installed. If you've got the tools,try to think outside the box and go for it! You can always replace it if you hate it.
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My wife and I are in the process of remodeling our kitchen and are considering all types of counter tops. Does anyone have experience with using stainless steel for a counter top? I have access to the tools to cut, form and weld the steel. I would probably use .050 thick material.
What are the pro and cons to using this for a counter top? I would appreciate all comments and advice.
Thanks!