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DIY Installing Stainless Steel Counters

Wed Apr 11, 2012 4:32 am
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Comments: 27

When you remodel your kitchen there are so many different decisions to make: what shade or color for the cabinets, what type of backsplash, what floor, what type of countertop? Granite and marble counters have been all the rage these last couple of years, so those might be high on many people's list. More recent popular options such as Quartz or concrete might be also be something many consider. However, there is one material that is functional, nice looking and that can be very affordable if you do the work yourself, and that is stainless steel.

our final kitchen countertop

The secret here is to not go with a large store that would install the counters for you, but to do a bit of research and be willing to do some of the work yourself. If you go that route you can end up with gorgeous counters that also cost a fraction of many other options out there. When we first started to think about counters, we were set on butcherblock counters because we love the look of nice wood! However we quickly realized we didn't want to constantly be careful and on guard for waterspots, so then we turned our attention towards stainless steel.

the old Formica counters

First up we went to our local super store - Home Depot. They quoted us $150/square foot installed, which I guess isn't super expensive, but it was definitely more than we wanted to spend. We have a really small counter, only about 20 square feet, but for that price it would still have ended up costing about $3000.

Next up we checked our local sheet metal place and they gave us the much more reasonable quote of about $400 (about $20/square foot!). This price was for ordering and bending the steel to shape, that required we did some of the work ourselves. Happy to try our hand at a new project, we agreed and went to work.



First of all we needed to make a plywood model of our counter. The old counters were Formica laminate from the 40s, and we decided we would just leave them as is and simply install the plywood and stainless steel on top of that to make it easier. This would mean a counter that was raised about an inch or so, but we did not have an issue with that at all.

So, we carefully measured our counter and cut out a plywood sheet that fit perfectly. At this point we had to remove our sink so we could cut a hole out for that on the plywood.

Darren from our local sheet metal place told us to make the plywood model pretty snug, but to leave just a little leeway so the metal wouldn't be buckling. We tried to follow his advice, and once we had our plywood model we brought it to Darren so he could get to work doing his part. 

Now he worked with a 20 gauge stainless steel sheet that he made to fit right on the plywood model with a hole cut out for the sink.

A few days later Darren came by both with our plywood and our new stainless steel counter which was covered by a protective film. We tried everything on: plywood first, then stainless steel and tada - it fit almost perfectly, we just had to do chisel out a small amount of wood to make it fit perfectly.



Now when we knew it fit right, we put some liquid nails on top of the old formica counter and then fitted the plywood on top.

 

To make sure it was properly secured, we also put some screws in.

Then we put some more liquid nails on top of the plywood and fitted the stainless steel on top of that.

We added some weights and clamps to the counter and let it set over night.

Once we had installed the counter, we could turn our attention towards installing our new top mount stainless steel sink.

That was a project in itself, that took a fair amount of time and tinkering to get right... Once installed we added some clear silicon on the edges to protect it against water.

Darren had made sure he made a pretty wide edge to cover the extra height of the plywood on top of the old counters, and I really love how that extra height adds a nice touch. The edge is tucked in a bit, so it isn't sharp at all.



We have received some questions regarding scratching - does the stainless steel scratch easily and are we happy with it now, a few months later? I must say, we couldn't be happier with the counter.

completed kitchen remodel

It is so great because it's not sensitive. You can bang it up pretty good, and it still looks great, you don't have to be concerned about water spots, you can put hot pans on it etc… We haven't had a problem with any major scratches at all; sure you get tiny scratches all the time, but over time those small scratches almost polishes the metal and makes it look even better. 

I love this technique we used here and would love to try doing it again using copper - that is if we ever get the opportunity to remodel another kitchen! Overall though, I think choosing stainless steel was a great choice. It's a natural material, it's not fake, it's extremely durable and it turned out to be cheaper than any other options around, really!



Comments
Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:24 am
Name: John @ Our Home from Scratch | Comment: Beautiful!! I love the look of stainless steel. Wow.

www.ourhomefromscratch.com
Mon Jan 23, 2012 11:54 am
Name: Sara {House Bella} | Comment: I love it! So jealous your counter is one long line. I wonder if I could do something similar with my u-shaped counter tops.
Mon Jan 23, 2012 12:08 pmJohn, Thanks so much! Sara, I would find a local sheet metal place and see what they say. Good luck!
Wed Jan 25, 2012 2:41 am
Name: Concord Carpenter | Comment: Great job guys
Thu Jan 26, 2012 8:52 am
Name: Marj | Comment: ohmy! THOSE are beautiful. I have been in such a quandary about remodeling my kitchen. It's presently tiled which I love very much. I do not like the look of granite. Your work is so beautiful, especially when integrated with the dark butcher block. I do need to know whether they can shape a strange "L " piece for me....
Thu Jan 26, 2012 9:59 amThanks Concord Carpenter & Marj! I would be curious too how easy an L piece would be to make!
Thu Jan 26, 2012 12:21 pm
Name: David | Comment: Looks great! One tip I learned about cleaning stainless steel is that WD-40 works very well.
Sun Jan 29, 2012 2:36 pm
Name: BeckynRobin | Comment: LOVE! LOVE! The stainless steel look. You guys did a great job. We want to do the same thing. Our kitchen is L shaped . Hope to find a sheel metal place soon. Got any ideas where I start searching 1st.
Sun Jan 29, 2012 3:02 pmWe found our sheet metal shop by the way of a local flooring and counter store. They sometimes used this shop when they needed some specific work done like a stainless steel backsplash for their customers. So if you have a local store nearby that works with tile / flooring / counters etc... then that might be a good place to start.
Mon Feb 06, 2012 5:55 pm
Name: Andy W | Comment: Great job on your countertops! Way to be resourceful and spend the time to search out a local shop to fabricate these for you. One tip for anyone thinking of doing this, try www.thebluebook.com it's a contractor listing service. You can search for sheetmetal or stainless steel and see if there is anyone in your area. As always make sure to ask alot of questions and if you keep striking out see if they have any referrals of local people that my be able to help you out.
Tue Feb 07, 2012 6:15 am
Name: Holly | Comment: I love it! Can you come do my kitchen now too? :)
Tue Feb 07, 2012 7:45 am
Name: Greg | Comment: Thanks so much for posting this! We've been trying to get the exact same thing done for the past 8 months, but our contractor moves slow. Might be time to take things into our own hands!
Tue Feb 07, 2012 7:51 am
Name: Jessica Snell | Comment: Hi, followed over from Retro Renovation! We have a 20s Craftsman bungalow with original stainless steel counter tops surrounding our sink - I love them. They have aged beautifully, the scratches are barely noticeable. I use Barkeeper's Friend to scrub them down every once in a while, which works great. I'd been wanting to cover our other counter area (laminate added in the 70s) with stainless steel to match, but had no idea how to go about it cost effectively. Thank you for posting this great how-to!
Tue Feb 07, 2012 9:45 amHolly, Sure I'll be right over!

Greg, Try it out on your own, sure our kitchen is small, but this is not THAT difficult to accomplish!

Jessica, That's what I love about stainless steel, you really can't destroy it. Thanks for the tip!
Wed Feb 08, 2012 3:55 am
Name: N. | Comment: I love this! We also have a laminate countertop in our 70s ranch that I've been stumped as to how to re-do. I too have had my heart set on a butcher block countertop, but I know it's not practical for our growing family or lifestyle. I think this stainless steel countertop could be the answer to our dilemma! Thank you!!
Wed Feb 08, 2012 6:50 pm
Name: Renee | Comment: This is awesome! I am dividing my home and creating an effeciency apt. It is good I enjoy working with my hands and tools, since I have a very tight budget for this project. I have considered many surfaces for the countertop, but was frustrated because as a rental unit- it MUST be nearly bullet proof.... that is when I thought of steel today. Now, 'here' are the answers I needed. Thanks so much... "I" can do this!!!!!! You are my heros!
Wed Mar 07, 2012 5:22 am
Name: Laura Comment: I skipped the DIY part and found a sheet metal fabricator (easy to find on Craigslist, my guy specialized in fabricating countertops for restaurants it turned out) to make and install the whole countertop. He made a 10foot run of stainless countertop for under my cooktop. It turned out great. Paid him cash and cost a FRACTION of the Cambria that was installed in the rest of the kitchen. It's been in almost a year, and has held up great, it's getting that "patina" you see reataurant countertops have from geting used. But they can always be periodically buffed if you want to maintain that sleek polished look.
Wed Mar 07, 2012 6:19 am
Name: Elizabeth@themustardceiling URL: http: Comment: Terrific solution for countertops! I love the look of stainless steel in the kitchen. This may be the perfect solution for our Airstream renovation. We just did a 1950's kitchen remodel too. We had to get rid of the Formica and built wooden countertops out of solid wood doors from Habitat.
Wed Mar 07, 2012 11:21 am
Name: Hope URL: http://www.thethriftyqueenspeaks.com Comment: I love, love, love your stainless steel countertops!! So great and so inexpensive. Way to go!!
Wed Mar 07, 2012 7:40 pm
Name: Jennifer Comment: Gorgeous! Thanks for sharing this budget-friendly idea!
Thu Mar 08, 2012 9:03 amElizabeth, countertops made from solid wood doors from Habitat sounds beyond amazing. I'm going to have to check that out!
Sat Mar 10, 2012 1:26 pm
Name: Ramsey Comment: I wonder how easy it would be dent the surface? if a heavy cup fell from the top of a cabinet would it dent?
Sat Mar 10, 2012 6:44 pmThe stainless steel is flat on top of the plywood. There are no air pockets and we used a good quality plywood + high grade stainless steel. So no, I don't think it would dent. You probably would have to use a hammer to dent it! So to reduce the possibilities of dents: don't go cheap - use good plywood, good stainless steel and do a good job with adhesive etc... Although, if you did get a dent, would it really be the end of the world?
Tue Mar 13, 2012 6:06 pm
Name: Heather Comment: I love your blog and updated kitchen! We just bought a 1940s post-war home and are planning so do some work to the kitchen, this is a perfect idea! Thanks for sharing!
Sun Apr 01, 2012 4:24 pm
Name: Nancy Comment: We've done this with 3 kitchens on our farm, working with local sheet metal fabricators each time. They had no problem welding the L shapes. You can find sheet metal fabricators by searching for welders, machine shops, or fabricators.

Light olive oil spray works well for cleaning the counters (MUCH less toxic than WD40, which is a very toxic product that you don't want near food!).

The counters hold up well and look gorgeous.
Tue Apr 03, 2012 10:34 pm
Name: Mild Steel Sheet URL: http://www.metal-supplies.com/12201/17653.html Comment: Thankyou so much for sharing this information.
Wed Apr 11, 2012 4:32 am
Name: Abby Comment: I loved what you did so much, we decided to go with stainless for our farm house kitchen renovations! The countertops and island top are being fabricated as I write this, hopefully finished in the next few days.. Quick question, exactly which type of liquid nails did you use? Having trouble picking out the correct one. Any help you could offer would be appreciated!
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