Stainless Steel Island Top - Help!

11 years ago

I am working with a kitchen designer who has chosen a company to fabricate a stainless steel island top for me. I spoke to the company myself to iron out the details and have a few concerns.
First, one of the reasons I wanted stainless steel is that I could have a prep sink fabricated out of the same steel. This company welds in the sink of your choice. They do this without creating any seams which is great but when I asked how it matched the steel of the counter top they said it didn't completely match but that after it is all scratched up you barely notice. I'm not too crazy about this idea but without seeing it I can't tell if it is a deal breaker for me. Does anyone have a sink from elsewhere welded in to their stainless steel top - how does it look? Is it standard practice or is this company unusual?
Second, I want a non-drip or marine lip so that liquids don't spill over the edge. This company manufactures one where the lip is raised by 1/4 inch. In the images this looks a bit steep, I would rather it were a more subtle incline. On this forum another member posted that he had an incline of 1/16 inch but when I requested this the manufacturer said it wasn't possible and that it had to be 1/4 inch for it to work. Any experience with this?
I might have to go with another manufacturer. Does anyone have a recommendations in the New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania region?
Many thanks!

Comments (6)

Fori
11 years ago
Welding in a sink is normal. But the two companies I've used would also fabricate one. Sadly, neither are in your area.

Have you been to the shop and seen a sample of their work? I think a 1/4" marine edge would be fine, but there are certainly different ways to execute it.

I think they should be able to get a brushed finish on the counter to match a sink well enough...
oldbat2be
11 years ago
I love the idea of the SS island. I don't know whether this helps at all, but we worked with a local shop to create a SS surround for our cooktop. I wanted to match the curve of the cooktop overhang, but my shop couldn't. The SS's are a little different but it's not something I ever notice or think about. Wow, spec'ing out something in SS is a huge challenge, they want to know every little detail. Definitely visit the shop, that's great fun! Best of luck, oldbat2be
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youngdeb
11 years ago
We've had a couple of stainless counters installed over the years - we had a marine edge in our last house which was great, but chose not to do it in this one because I think it gives a vintage-y look I wasn't really going for. I'm sure ours was 1/4 inch. We welded a sink into that one as well, and I never really noticed a difference in the color/grain of the stainless.

In this kitchen, we did the counters around the existing stainless cooktop, and again, I haven't really noticed a difference in color/grain either.
SarahFK
Original Author
11 years ago
You've all really helped to put my mind at rest! I've made my peace with having the sink welded in and it was helpful to see how well the different steels work together in the photos. I wouldn't have a problem if it ends up looking like that. Youngdeb, your new kitchen looks gorgeous! I love both the tiles and the cupboards! Thanks everyone!
sedona_heaven
11 years ago
I love this look, particularly around the sink. Can any of you tell me how you went about finding fabricators who could do this work for you?
firstmmo
11 years ago
Post more pics of SS island everyone--I love the look of them and so will be following your progress. Thinking of adding a piece of SS to extend my island.