Did a search and didn’t come up with much…Where can I find info on stainless kitchen counters? Things like limitations on sizes, shapes, joint locations, integral sinks, etc. I assume it’s not practical to try to order on-line or from out of the area…I have absolutely no desire to try to install it myself. When I start talking with fab shops, I want to know if they are competent.
Do it right, or do it twice.
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Replies
You really need to deal with companies that are in the resturant supply industry. They are the ones with experience on expansion and contraction when the metal is welded...
i wouldnt do it if i were you unless you want that commercial look
seen a few ss tops, and first of all a joint on site is almost imposible.
restaurant tops are usually short or in segments of maybe 8 ft at the most
asthetics in a home are much more important than in restaurant kitchen and a stainless top would be very difficult to scribe and join segments together
a large ss section as part of a solid surface or laminated(formica) top would work though
My first comment to the wife when she mentioned ss was that it would look commercial...she said that's fine, that's the look she wants...husbands says it's her kitchen, she can do what she wants.
Do it right, or do it twice.
You will not see the joints if you have a good stainless installer. I have worked on a lot of commerical kitchens and a good installer can field weld, grind and polish. You will not be able to see the joints.
That's what I'm looking for.Do it right, or do it twice.
"When I start talking with fab shops, I want to know if they are competent."
The best way to do that is to visit your local fab shop(s), see some work in progress and then go to some previous installs. Some of these shops couldn't finish a paperback book let alone build a stainless job.
Good craftsmen can put together any configuration your heart desires and it will fit where it is placed. Many shops cannot do rolled edges even though their square edged work is supurb. For that you may have to go out of your area (and pay). The more forming toys the shop has to play with the better the job (usually)
ELCID72, make a few phone calls to your local HVAC (heat/vent/ aircondtioning) companies. My guess is that one of them will want to help, answer your questions, cause it's a break from their daily routine, and they had fun (I hope) on the last one they did. Best of luck Jim J
I'm planning to put SS backsplash and bottoms on cabs above the stove in our kitchen remodel.
I asked a counter top fabricator to give me a list of shops that do SS, and I got several.
Havn't gotten that far yet, but I did get some ballpark quotes on what I need.
It is going to come down to welding stainless. I sell stainless steel custom electrical enclosures and my wife is an engineer for a Bradley washfountain working over the assembly of SS fountains toilets, shower columns, etc.
It isn't just melting metal and grinding off whatever doesn't look right. it expands, warps, discolors and gets pinholes if done in a imperfect manner. It is a highly skilled job and is not std job shop material.
How big is the assembly? I feel like I'm grabbing a cloud with the descriptions I've read here and you'll be raped for price if you don't walk in to a fab shop with a clear print of dimensions, details, and gauges. Take a shot at it and draw up your dream. Go to a restaurant supply and look at the standard counter setups. There is a standard. 304? 316?
You've got some leg work to do.
It's probably as bad as it can get. The jobsite is 30 miles from here, in a very small town. The counter has four sides, with a drop-in sink and cooktop, and a peninsula for bar stools. The dimensions of the drip edges are as follows, working clockwise: left end butts against cabinet, 2'-8", 90* corner, 6'-11" with sink, 90* corner, 7'-4" with cooktop, 90* corner, 3'-7" peninsula. Three sides are 22" +/- deep and the peninsula is 36" deep. Three sides have a backsplash.
I visited one shop and they said they could do the work. One other shop stopped doing stainless because the old craftsman went blind from diabetes; one other well known shop does not install residential...they would fabricate, but I woiuld have to arrange installation. The first shop said they would probably use 16 ga ss, possibly 14 ga. He showd me a sample of a fabricated gadget, and it was very difficult to find the welds on the finished side.
The one problem is that they do not do sinks...I would have to buy one separately and do a normal drop-in installation. Question: is it practical to have the installed weld the sink in place?
304? 316? What's the difference/preferred?Do it right, or do it twice.
Question: is it practical to have the installed weld the sink in place?
304? 316? What's the difference/preferred?
You bet you can get it welded. All you need to do is find the sink they like. (probably not an 89$ elko) If the customer is into this kind of wierdness then they will probably want some specific style. Consider that a standard sink can be trimmed by your fabricator. They can cut off that self rimming stuff. Plus you won't need the studs or clips to hold it in place.
Find the sink and talk to the shop about welding it in place. These are probably 304. that is what most of the world uses. 316 is Pharmaceutical & food service high tech. Normal is 304. 16 Ga ought to be great.
Whatever type or style it should work. Put some profit in this. You are going to do some screwing around to find and get what they want. It shouldn't be your treat. Oh Yes, keep your source confidential from the customer. Last thing you want is an end run for all of your leg work.
Have fun.Jack of all trades and master of none - you got a problem with that?
I installed granite in an architects kitchen a year or two ago. He used butcher block in his food prep side of the kitchen. Granite on either side of the stove and stainless for the sink/clean up area.
He had a local mechanical contractor fab the stainless with a welded integral sink. It looked great and the only way he will ever suffer water damage is if the waste or supply lines leak. The entire unit is virtually splash/spill proof.
By combining three different materials (all with an 1 1/2" flat edge on the front) he avoided having to do corners ie. he just used three rectangular sections that mated up against eachother. I may not be explaining it as well as I would like but it looked great, seemed very functional, and I suspect was relatively economical.
My mom has all wood countertops which take a beating around the sink. I have granite and many of our knives have bent broken tips from dropping onto the countertops. A pizza restaurant I am installing granite in next month complains that stainless is way too institutional. I think combining the three balances out all the postives and negatives in a very effective manner.
Good luck with it.
Karl