Im looking to replace my old counter tops with stainless steel ones. My problem is im not sure if they are going to look too medical like if anyone knows what im trying to say!! What do you think? And if you think something else would be a better idea please let me know!! Thanks so much!!
-TLM

Love 'em. A friend has stainless in her kitchen and I've seen them on a couple kitchen shows.

IMHO the key is that you have to break the lines a bit. In my friend's kitchen the stainless is mixed w/ butcherblock. I think long expanses of nothing but stainless would look somewhat severe and antiseptic -- but if you mix with other warmer materials and have other warm elements in your kitchen, they can look great.

I think it really depends on the rest of your kitchen. Honestly, I have pink counters (thank you 1986!). I'd choose stainless steel any day!

I have vintage countertops in my home (we're talking white with gold flecks from probably the late 60's). Would not trade them for the world.

I'm a chef and work surrounded by stainless all day. Wouldn't have it in my home. Too hard to keep looking clean and nice and fingerprint free. It's as bad as white for showing every little spill and splatter.

Too many stainless steel surfaces....and I just start thinkin' autopsy or mortuary labs!

I like the look of Stainless, but you will have to deal with fingerprints. You may want to consider a brushed finish which won't show fingerprints as much.

I would advise that you make sure that the company doing this (should you decide to go with it) is using a plywood substrate. This is where the SS is wrapped around a plywood plate that is templated to the countertop shape. Also, the better SS is one that is rated as a 304. This is a better alloy make up for stainless products.

It you like metals.. look at zinc... it patinas nicely... we did copper that has been fired.. it's fun and different....

What else are you doing in there? Would a honed gtanite be an option or a soapstone?

Becky

http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb49/becky42_bucket

I just moved into a new home. I have one stainless steel sink. I hate it!!! It always looks dirty. I have to use Barkeepers Friend every day. I have seen those new poured concrete countertops- they look great when they are waxed.
I would love to have soapstone or granite. Oh well, maybe someday.

I worked in a hospital kitchen a long time ago. Stainless countertops are everywhere. The look was quite stark. To each his own.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Delysia,

quote:

Originally posted by Becky42:
It you like metals.. look at zinc... it patinas nicely... we did copper that has been fired.. it's fun and different....

What else are you doing in there? Would a honed gtanite be an option or a soapstone?

Becky

Becky - one word - beautiful!!!!!

http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb49/becky42_bucket

quote:

Originally posted by conrad:
Too many stainless steel surfaces....and I just start thinkin' autopsy or mortuary labs!

i totally agree! and wouldn't they be noisy? i love becky's copper, though.

Glad you all like the copper... like I said it's a little different... the girls & I had fun doing it..

Delsyia ... it might be the finish or grade on that sink... and since you worked in a commercial kitchen you've seen the differences... we've installed some commercial range hoods... they clean up beautifully but no one worries about the fingerprints there...

I wanted to do a concrete countertop in our bath.. but ran out of time ... have you looked at the outdoor the couple that Mike Jenkins has done & posted here... he really did a nice job...

quote:

Originally posted by Becky42:ts there...
I wanted to do a concrete countertop in our bath.. but ran out of time ... have you looked at the outdoor the couple that Mike Jenkins has done & posted here... he really did a nice job...

Thanks for your comments. I will look at the Mike Jenkins post.

To each his own -- to me, metal surfaces in a house are cold and unwelcoming. Plus, like the poster above, I had a stainless steel sink for several years and I hated it because it always looked dirty -- plus, everything banged and clanged it in.

Wouldn't having stainless steel countertops magnify noise and make the kitchen really noisy?

I think they are clean and neat looking but too contemporary for my taste and I think they will be dated looking in no time.

I have to agree about the fact that they
are difficult to keep nice looking.
I own a Deli and have stainless work surfaces.
They show almost everything. Even cleaning
them with the recommended cleaning solutions, my
wiping towels still come off of the surfaces
looking black.
Yes, they look great in showhomes and for
displays, but if you actually use them on a daily basis I don't think you will care for them. If you want the stainless look...perhaps
having your appliances in stainless would be
the answer. But the counter tops I would personally avoid.

My own personal opinion.

Stainless countertops do remind me of a medical office or a mortuary. I am a nurse, so to me, are very clinical in appearance.

BUT, I am old, and I happen to like laminate..lol. Granite, concrete, marble are all nice, but there is something very comforting (like chocolate pudding and macaroni and cheese) about a nice laminate in a kitchen.

I have stainless appliances and the hubs and I both rue the day we got them...hard to keep clean and with animals, the fridge is a hair magnet. Wish we had stuck with white.

Becky42 said "me and the girls had fun doing it." WOW! Talk about a nice looking weekend project(if it was only a weekend). Great job and a really nice looking countertop.

www.tools4granite.com

I'm with MainCoon -- I love laminate countertops, both vintage and modern.
Someone mentioned stainless steel reminding them of a mortuary table; granite reminds me of tombstones. I'll be lying on the stainless steel and getting my slab of granite soon enough; I'll stay with laminate as long as I can.

I think if YOU like them, then YOU should get them! If they are done correctly, are in the right setting, and have the right accessories, they can be very beautiful. IMHO, the only thing that makes them look sterile or medical is their surroundings. (And I have worked in the medical field for almost 20 years!)

Anything can be beautiful if it is done correctly!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: JoyNTheJourney,

Feds.. I better qualify that then.. all our copper was cut & rolled by a sheetmetal shop we use for a/c... the girls & I did the firing ..

If you've visited my house you know I like things I can do in 1 -2 day projects...( pantry door was 1 day... red barn door was 1/2 day.. fireplace cabinets.. 2 days...).. staining floor.. 2 days.. Sandblasting glass for vanity.. 1/2 day... Sometimes I wonder why it took so long for us to finish this hose then..LOL...

This was our where's waldo on the tp of the island... OU... not Ohio either... Oklahoma Univ.... 50 yrs and counting.. my dad in 51 .. I finished in '74 and then my girls finished in 2001... so that was fun to do...

I don't find metal cold at all.. and I find it is a real work horse... All that being said.. you can see we don't stand on ceremony here... and we sure don't follow the leader!!!


Becky

http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb49/becky42_bucket

Becky, understood. I just got this picture of "you and the girls" donning welding helmets, heavy leather gloves and with a bottle of Pinot Noir at the ready as you proceeded to tear apart and re-fashion your kitchen

Very nice looking tops !

LOL... you don't want me to even try something like that....I am game for almost anything... this house took us 15 months to build because of my 1-2 day projects... even with things being pretty simple.... I like doing primative things because they don't show your mistakes... I've said it several times on these boards.. I flunked art in kindergarten.. and there were some serious parent - teacher conferences that followed ...I have zip for fine motor skills... I'm actually a a good quilter but that is the only "little" thing I do.. otherwise I need big tools ... if you looked at my coffee table labeled as welded table.. you'll see I did a da*n fine job on that.... it's pert near perfect and there were no adult beverages involved...

Now as the weekend winds down.. if everyone has worked hard .. those beverages can be found by the "cement pond"...


Becky

The "seeee-ment pond?" Got one.

And, 15 months to build a house?? Heck, in Florida, it took me 19 months just to have them add 1000 sq. ft. Go figure....

www.tools4granite.com

Most of our problem was we mistimed some things and once a/c season started up strong DH didn't even come out here for 6 weeks... that's when II did several od my little projects... during the winter months as we finished up I'd schedule his last call for around 3 then we'd work here till 9 or 10 ( in TX .. heat emerg. just don't happen that often)LOL...

What part of Florida.. ??? my uncle moved to Orlando in the early 60's ... he was a photographer there.. he had a ranch otside of the city with some of the nicest orange trees ... We loved to get honey from him... It was always nice to visit...

To each his own, but stainless counters just seem to be an extension of that trend of everyone wanting their kitchens to look like a restraunts.. the big "pro" stoves etc. Plus I thing they would dent or ding too easily. I love solid surface counters..
I went with corian "aruba" last year. It has a nice "feel" to it. Cool and smooth without the cold feel of granite. There is a new product to do concrete coating on laminate too.