The jury is still out on the rest though, it's probably down to something natural though (stone or wood).Stainless steel can be used to cover your kitchen countertops if you like shiny surfaces. Every time we see this (bars, wineries, distilleries ~ lol, I think we may have a drinking problem), it strikes us as a great look. The key difference is that we will encourage the patina. I think it requires frequent maintenance though.įor our kitchen remodel we know that the island will be copper-clad for all the same reasons you're thinking about stainless. Of course, they go away if you rub more oil into it, but it never looks super polished/like a showpiece that's never used (that's Granite IMHO, something to look at and never use). It marks up easily though, even from just touching the counter with your hand, you'll leave oil-prints behind. If you're okay with a natural/uneven finish then it's the winner of all the 'stone' products I've been around.

Ding it, burn it or cut on it and you can quickly and easily 'fix' the damage with a little light sanding. You have to like it, but that was the best kitchen surface I've ever used. The house before that were solid-surface (and I still have a cutting board made from the sink cut-out). If I were to do it again and need to have a seem, I'd hire someone to cut the corners at a 45degree angle (think of a picture-frame), and then fill it with glue and sawdust to blend the seem together. I installed them myself as a DIY job and the only regret were the seams (U shaped kitchen so there were 2). We sealed them with Waterlox (food safe sealer that used on boats.), water would stand on the finish in a tall and proud bead until you wiped it up or it evaporated. I'm so looking forward to getting these things (and the cheap-azz home depot boxes they're installed on) out of my house. Show EVERY little crumb, smudge, drip and drop of water.

it's in my current house (prior owners) and I can't stand them. It seems like every material I look into requires the owner to sorta pay attention to the countertop to some degree - is stainless the countertop material you can truly forget about? If so, that may be very appealing in the long run. I know that stainless will scratch easily, but apparently it's 'patina' once you have so many and they all blend together. I also think I'd hate having to seal it every few months. I'm also considering butcherblock because I LOVE the look, but I know that in my house we are pretty lax about cleaning stuff off the countertops right away.for example an iced beverage could sit four hours and sweat or water from cleaning dishes may accumulate around sink and sit for a while. From what I see it doesn't look as cheap as laminates. Aside from cost, the things getting me interested in stainless is that I don't have to worry about stains, seams (quality of install) chipping, sealing, colors going out of style, or burn marks from sitting down something from the oven. I called a local metal fab shop and they said if I make a template they can make the countertop using 14 gauge steel for $800-900. I've been reading about stainless countertops and so far they seem like the most durable material that requires the least amount of maintenance.

Stainless steel countertops home depot