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Stainless steel countertops

Stainless steel countertops bring a unique look to the kitchen appearance. They are very popular in commercial buildings with a heavy traffic such as restaurants due to easy cleaning and durability. With its professional appearance this type of countertops is a perfect choice for any of contemporary style kitchen. This type of material is nonporous and heat resistant. It doesn’t chip and easy to maintain. It is possible to make any shapes and forms of stainless steel countertop.

Basically, installation of stainless steel countertop is a two step process. First, the base or substrate (plywood or MDF) should be installed or cut by desire sizes, then sheets of stainless steel suppose to be glued (using proper adhesive) over the face of a base. After welding, grounding, and polishing seams will be invisible. Stainless steel under mounted sink can be welded to the counter. There is different thickness of steel and homeowners should know that prices mainly depend on this factor – the thicker material the more expensive it is. Most residential countertops are in the range of 16 -14 gauges thickness. In commercial buildings or in the places where it is a possibility of heavy impacts on the counter – it is better to go with 12 gauges thickness.

Stainless steel countertops come in different finishes, textures, and colors. Some of the most popular finishes are matte, mirror, and satin. Now with advanced technologies, manufacturers offer much more options to choose from. Even colors can be changed by adding different color pigments during the production process.

There are some cons when it comes to the stainless steel countertops. Even thought, not deep scratches can be sanded and eliminated, some deep impacts from sharp objects are impossible to hide. That's why, it is better do not cut food directly on the counter. By its nature stainless steel is a shiny material and fingerprints might stand out on its surface, but there are products, offered by manufacturers which help to eliminate this drawback. This type of countertop is relatively not cheap, but professionally installed it will definitely pay off with a time.