How to Make a Stainless Steel Kitchen Work Table Cover

stainless steel
  • 2-6 hours
  • Intermediate
  • 200-500
What You'll Need
24 gauge stainless steel sheet
Plywood
Orbital sander
100 grit sandpaper
Contact cement
Wood trim or otherwise
What You'll Need
24 gauge stainless steel sheet
Plywood
Orbital sander
100 grit sandpaper
Contact cement
Wood trim or otherwise

If you are looking into different surfaces for your kitchen work table, you might want to consider stainless steel as a sound idea. This provides a great look to go with steel appliances you may have, but it also offers a sterile work surface for you to utilize. Making a stainless steel cover for your work table is not that difficult to do if you have a plan ahead of time. Follow the steps below to get started.

Step 1 - Get the Stainless Steel

The first step in this project is to get the steel you will need for the cover. For the most part, 24 gauge steel should be sufficient for a table top in terms of thickness and easiness to work with. Go to a sheet metal shop in your area to find a usable sheet to work with. It would be wise to already have your table top measured out so you can have the sheet cut at the shop. You might want to buy two in case something goes wrong with the first one.

Step 2 - Create a Base

You want to have a flat surface for the steel to adhere to. A 3/4" sheet of plywood should do the trick. Cut it to the size you want for the table top and then sand it down to a smooth finish. Bush off the wood to remove any dust that may be remaining from the sanding.

Step 3 - Adhere the Wood to the Metal

To attach the wood to the steel, you are going to use contact cement. First use 100 grit sandpaper to roughen the back of the steel. Then apply a coat to both the wood and the steel. Let them both dry for a little bit so they get tacky. Lay the steel on the wood and put a cloth on top of it so you can add a layer of books. Put the books down evenly all around to hold the steel in place. Allow the piece to thoroughly dry before proceeding. Leave overnight if possible.

Step 4 - Finish the Table Top

Once you have the metal/wood top, you can finish it off with a frame of wood around it or anything else you want. Paint or stain the wood based on how you want your table top to look. Then simply put some wood glue down on the table the top is going onto and allow it to set and dry. You can think about putting a texture on your steel by using an orbital sander lightly in circles over the top. this would make it much easier to clean and would hide scratches a lot easier. You can also look into putting a sealant over the top of it, but stainless steel is sterile in and of itself.