Copper material for kitchen counter top

[alia176]

Has anyone here applied copper to their existing kitchen counter tops? Lots of pics here

There seems to be several thicknesses of copper sheets available so I was curious which thicknesses you went with. Patina copper sheets sure do look nice!

 

[Pin_Head]

No, but it would look pretty cool with a matching distillery.

 

[Cuerno Largo]

Tofudebeest on here did it and I think he made some comments about not being entirely enamored with the results.

 

[Doc]

Use pennies.

There's a old biker bar not too far from here that did it with pennies, and then a thick coat of bowling alley sealant over the top.

Anyway-

 

[45Kevin]

It's hard to keep clean, I know that.

How would you apply the copper? If you used contact cement you run the risk of something hot melting the glue. It would result in a popped up section of the counter.

If your plan was to use contact cement you might be better off using a plastic laminate (copper with a phenolic backing). Check out chem-metal and octo-lam products.

 

[scottm]

When I used to build kitchens there were some crazy laminates, the coolest were the copper laminates that were oxidized in swirls and shapes. I'm not sure how they were made, but they were expensive compared to the regular laminates I made countertops from. They were coated with aluminum oxide, same as flooring gets, clear and very hard, so I'd expect they'd be low maintenance. I'm pretty sure it comes in plain copper and other metals, most custom countertop places should have samples.

 

[alia176]

Copper that comes in rolls and in the proper width seems easy enough to work with, from what I can tell. Heck, garden and kitchen websites are full of examples that ladies did in their kitchens and they look great. It seems that there is an industry that caters to copper countertops and I'm finding all sorts of cement and other materials that facilitate a project such as this.

I'll keep perusing the sites to get more education. As of now, it sounds like leaving the surface unprotected and having a patina produced from day to day usage may not be so bad.

Thanks for the inputs.

 

[itbrokeagain]

It will be very expensive. Shouldn't be too hard but not for me. Don't like the look.

 

[scottm]

Copper that comes in rolls and in the proper width seems easy enough to work with, from what I can tell. Heck, garden and kitchen websites are full of examples that ladies did in their kitchens and they look great. It seems that there is an industry that caters to copper countertops and I'm finding all sorts of cement and other materials that facilitate a project such as this.

I'll keep perusing the sites to get more education. As of now, it sounds like leaving the surface unprotected and having a patina produced from day to day usage may not be so bad.

Thanks for the inputs.

Obviously people are doing it, but I'm not sure how they avoid creases or dents when handling the thin copper. It would have to be over a hard substrate, we always used waterproof particle board specifically for countertops, it is very hard (and heavy as s***). But if you drop something on the copper, it seems like it would still make a permanent dent.

The hardest part of building countertops was always getting the edges and seams perfect, new guys tended to mess that up. I usually hand planed and/or sanded the edges of the laminate at the seams to get a tight fit, with much test fitting before gluing it down. I'm sure there is some technique for seams in thin copper.

 

[alia176]

It will be very expensive. Shouldn't be too hard but not for me. Don't like the look.

Far less than going with Granite or any other composite counter tops. I've been seeing rolls of this stuff shipped for $600 or less. I think Granite for our kitchen will be in the thousand $$$.

Obviously people are doing it, but I'm not sure how they avoid creases or dents when handling the thin copper. It would have to be over a hard substrate, we always used waterproof particle board specifically for countertops, it is very hard (and heavy as s***). But if you drop something on the copper, it seems like it would still make a permanent dent.

The hardest part of building countertops was always getting the edges and seams perfect, new guys tended to mess that up. I usually hand planed and/or sanded the edges of the laminate at the seams to get a tight fit, with much test fitting before gluing it down. I'm sure there is some technique for seams in thin copper.

Good info Scott, thanks for that. In my case, I was planning on laying the sheets over the existing Formica counter top so hopefully that'll reduce the chances of large dents. Still, I have lots of learning to do on this topic.

 

[cody c]

Sounds cool, they're doing some interesting things with concrete these days as well.

I suspect getting copper done will cost close to what granite costs in the end though...

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Curious on how the copper surface is sealed if any and what effects a working kitchen will have on the finish?

 

[alia176]

Sounds cool, they're doing some interesting things with concrete these days as well.

I suspect getting copper done will cost close to what granite costs in the end though...

From what I've seen so far, the cost is far less than granite. You can buy rolls of this stuff for less than $1000 shipped. The labor is pretty trivial I think. Here's a 36" x 18' roll for $375 + shipping http://basiccopper.com/36x18ozmi50l.html

Curious on how the copper surface is sealed if any and what effects a working kitchen will have on the finish?

from what I've read, two schools of thoughts: leave it untreated and have it "weather" naturally from the usual kitchen wear. Evidently, this type of finish is random and looks cool and it changes based on your cooking habits.

Secondly, you can apply some Patina from the copper roll vendor and then seal it. Some seal the brand new copper before any contamination touches it.

 

[DSRTRDR]

friends have copper tops in the kitchen and they look like s*** - the stains/patina will not accumulate evenly, and things like tomato juice look just unsightly

there was some rumor that one could achieve a nice/even patina with vinegar and salt, but that didn't make much of an impact over the stains/marks/patina already present

after a half-year, the woman of the house was looking into all sorts of polishing compounds - it all turned out to require way more work than she ever wanted to keep it decent-looking - and yes, there were dents accumulating, too

it sounds cool, but I wouldn't do it after what I saw in their house

 

[alia176]

very good feedback, thanks. I needed that!

 

[cody c]

From what I've seen so far, the cost is far less than granite. You can buy rolls of this stuff for less than $1000 shipped. The labor is pretty trivial I think. Here's a 36" x 18' roll for $375 + shipping http://basiccopper.com/36x18ozmi50l.html



from what I've read, two schools of thoughts: leave it untreated and have it "weather" naturally from the usual kitchen wear. Evidently, this type of finish is random and looks cool and it changes based on your cooking habits.

Secondly, you can apply some Patina from the copper roll vendor and then seal it. Some seal the brand new copper before any contamination touches it.

Perhaps Im prejiduiced to it as an electrician, whenever I work around large pieces of copper its often in large motor control cabinets. With maintenance or racking new breakers, your always aware of the potential for injury etc...

Though we're also fond of scrap for beer money too!

 

[Michael Hanson]

We love our granite counter tops..no maintance. Mike

 

[scottm]

Google copper laminate countertops, there are some pics of what it looks like. Some have very cool patterns of patina you could never get yourself, and they stay looking like that as you use them. No stains, no dents they are generally coated with the same aluminum-oxide they use on flooring and as abrasives. Looking at internet pics or sample pieces doesn't do these justice, if you can find someplace with sheets in stock the designs are just mesmerizing.

 

[alia176]

i wonder if anyone carries them locally. It'd be nice to actually see them in person vs on my monitor!

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Curious - Have you talked with your inspector on if they will require any special type of grounding?