Stainless Steel Countertops

[lldks]

We've finally got Seadation in Houston, thanks to Pascal. So now begins the real work. Has anyone tried or seen stainless steel countertops in the galley? I know they would need to be laid over the existing formica (original).

 

[holtcl]

Back when I had a "land place" I had considered stainless countertops, however my contractor, a personal friend of mine, advised me against it- hard to work with (the install), easy to damage during use (e.g., dent, scratch), etc. There may be a reason why we never see them in 'residential' applications. You do see them though in commercial applications but this is very heavy grade and often not "countertops" but tables.

 

[rgy128]

I put stainless countertops and splashboards in a houseboat I redid. Also stainless countertops in the head. I liked them and thought they looked nice.
bob

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Any sheet metal will expand significantly when heated. This becomes a problem if you don't leave some relief around the edges. For example, on commercial buses (and probably airplanes too) they heat and stretch the skin so that it doesn't buckle and look wavy when the sun hits it.

If I were using sheet stainless, I'd find out how much it will expand per foot of length based on the temperature swings you'd anticipate and then have it cut short. You can caulk the edges with silicone. I'd also set it in silicone so that it essentially floats on the old formica top. Dents should not be an issue since you have a good backing to absorb the shock if something is dropped.

 

[Boatsb]

I used the sheet stainless on the walls in food prep rooms and it dents very easy and scratches too. We did the old DA polish trick to put swirls everywhere to hide it but it was not the shiny mirror finish you probably want.

 

[sandspur1966]

I had some counter tops made up out of stainless at an old beach house that got very heavy use.

i found them completely trouble free. The had a pretty rough sanded texture and if they ever scratched I would just hit them with a scotch pad to blend out the scratch.

 

[OBXTucker]

I haven't used it on countertops, but on my other stainless steel appliances (home and boat), fingerprints are always an issue. Mind you, they always wipe up easily, but anytime you touch it, prints are left behind (if you go shiny vs. brushed). My fridge and microwave are always covered with smudge marks.....

Kind of like having a black car. When they're clean and polished, they're beautiful....but when you have greasy fingers or it's pollen season....they're a pita to keep clean.

 

[bostonhatteras]

we just sheathed a set of stair stringers with 20 gauge #4 brushed finish stainless. aside from the 10' bends, we had no problem working with the product. Bosch makes a carbide tipped jigsaw blade and this is imperative as its too hard for anything else. otherwise just plan the bends well. we have a 4' box brake so we could make up all the small pieces on site. we also laminated it to the surfaces with 5200. we have no welds in it anywhere. if you like it, do it.
Russ

 

[StratPlan61]

I have them in my kitchen at home, absolutely no problems at all. No dents, no scratching. PO installed them, I'm sure they cost much more than I'd be willing to pay, but for me, they've been great - 15 years so far!