I am dying to have stainless steel countertops (like in 7-Elevens) but no contractor I can find has ever heard of this. Does anyone have an idea of what this costs, where to find someone to do it, etc.? Thanks.

Go to a kitchen hood builder. They work in stainless all the time. They can build them for you. Very expensive.

There is a web site that has a project calculator for estimating the cost of stainless steel countertops for residential kitchens. You calculate a price for most standard shapes and can add integral sinks, backsplashes, etc. The link is www.specialtystainless.com It looks like they do beautiful work too. Let me know how you make out. I'm trying to talk my wife into doing a copper countertop in our kitchen.

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You can also order stainless steel counter tops online from http://www.kitchensource.com. They have two different brands and they can be custom made to fit your specifications. They also can accommodate an integrated sink. Here is a link to the countertop section of their site. Hope it helps!!!

Just last month I moved into our new house which has about 56 square feet of stainless counter top area in the kitchen. The homebuilder simply contacted a local commercial stainless fabricator and it was handled like any commercial job would be. There are quite a few things to consider. Personally I wouldn't order any of this online -- after seeing the process, I would strongly recommend having them made locally and installed by the fabricator.

A commercial fabricator is probably not familiar with certain aspects of residential construction. In particular, homes tend to be a little more "loose" in their tolerances, so be careful -- we had to get several areas re-framed because the stainless was very square and straight and the framing was not.

Get price quotes for different gauges of steel, as this will vary the price dramatically. I went with a thinner 14ga on the low-traffic surfaces and 12ga on the heavy-use areas.

Be sure to specify what kind of lip you want on the underside, or you'll probably just get it cut straight. Also, be sure to specify cosmetic details like where welds will be done and how they're finished, how corners will be finished, etc.

Get the plumber involved, particularly if the stainless fabricator is building the sink into the counter. We had a problem where the fabricator didn't make the drain opening large enough to fit a standard sink basket, and cutting a larger hole is very difficult.

Good luck -- they look awesome, and they're great if you cook a lot!

Stainless Steel countertops are a great addition to any residential or commercial space. If you would like to know more please visit our blog at www.metalcountertops.blogspot.com. If you have any questions please contact us for more information.

Finding a contractor who deals with commercial stainless steel countertops should be easy. I would start by searching your phone book. Adding a stainless steel countertop to a kitchen is a terrific idea. There is a lot of information about stainless steel counters including videos, how it is made, installation, cost, and more at stainless steel countertops