Plan to run the stainless from the counter to the base of the hood and use glue for installation.

What kind of glue?

Our GC just installed a SS panel behind our slide in today, that juts up against a 6" wall on our island. I see 2 screws up top and can ask him tomorrow if he has anything at the bottom, any glue, and what about the warping.

I felt the piece before install - it's hefty / thick, and may not be the traditional SS backing you are contemplating. (We've gone this route due to some other issues...)

Bee - Construction adhesive. Will let you know if it is something different.

Bee, the stainless steel fabricator we visited recommended 3M Spray adhesive. He also mentioned that you could use caulk.

Westiegirl, did you buy the backsplash yourself from a fabricator or did your GC supply it? Do you know what gauge it is?

Vivi68, we purchased the backsplash ourselves from a local "machine" shop. We gave them the exact dimensions we needed and they cut the piece to our specifications. I unfortunately don't know what gauge it is, we just told them what the application was for and they supplied what they thought would be appropriate. It had minimal flex when installed and seemed reasonably thick.

It is hard to see in the picture, but we have a potfiller behind the range as well. We did not have the shop cut this hole. Instead, when we had it back on site, we held it up, marked the pipe and DH drilled a hole. It didn't have to be perfect because the escutcheon on the potfiller covered everything up.

The adhesive we used was some version of "Liquid Nails". Again the machine shop told us exactly which type to purchase. Our total cost was less than $80.

Thanks, Westiegirl. That's a nice looking kitchen. From your photo, it looks like you also have a riser on your range. Do you find it's an advantage to have both a riser and a backsplash? I didn't purchase the optional riser because I thought I wouldn't need one with the stainless steel backsplash behind the rangetop.
Also, how high is the bottom of your hood from your countertop? It looks like it's more than 30" which is what most manufacturers of pro style vent hoods seem to recommend.

I didn't purchase any additional riser for the range. The backguard that is place is the standard 4" piece that came with my Berta. It functions fine as is, but I don't think I would spend the money to get something taller or different than "standard". I do think you need something there to keep spills and splatters from going down behind the range, but I don't think I have ever seen a range other than a slide in style that wouldn't have some type of guard included.

The hood surround is 29" inches from the countertop and the actual insert (Vent a Hood) inside the surround starts at 33" inches above the countertop. I actually wish that it was slightly higher, because I have whacked my head on the corner of the hood more than once! You think that I would learn to avoid it, but the corners are just at the worst height for me. I am 5'10". If I stand in the center of the range where the hood arches up, I don't have a problem.

Westiegirl, I also posted a question on the Appliances Forum about Vent-A-Hood, "Vent-A-Hood Owners - Is Your 22 Gauge Rangehood too thin?"

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/appl/msg042148521902.html?10

I was referring to the gauge of the canopy or surround. That would not be an issue in your case. But the issue of "headbangers" did come up. I have really been in a quandary over this. Recommended height from the countertop to the bottom of the hood for Vent-A-Hood is 30". I am concerned that 30" is not high enough for my husband who is 5'10", like you. I'm only 5' tall but I don't like anything to hang that close above me. I can really understand your problem.

I've spent so much time measuring to find the highest distance from the countertop to the hood that will allow me to reach the light and power switches. I'm planning on increasing the height to 35". Some rangehoods (Wolf) give a recommended height between 30" and 36".

Please tell me how do you like your Vent-A-Hood. Is it fairly easy to clean? Do you find it excessively noisy? Gardenweb posters seem sharply divided.

I am happy with my Vent A Hood, however I also came from a situation where I have never before had an outside vented, dedicated exhaust. I have always had an over the range, recirculating microwave/vent in the past. Anything would be an improvement!

Noise, has not been a problem. I usually run it on low and that is adequate for our cooking needs. It is only slightly louder than the cooling fan on my Berta range.

We are also not big fryers or wok people, so it has not gotten very dirty since it was installed in November/December. My husband is the one who handles the "heavy duty" cleaning and has not complained about it the one time he did it. We usually are boiling water for pasta, or doing light sauteing and the hood does a good job removing steam and odors.

Because I knew I wanted the wood surround and my cabinet provider sizes their hoods to work specifically with Vent A Hood, that is how we made our decision. I would have investigated other choices, but we didn't want to have to make modifications to the wood surround and wanted the easiest installation possible due to DH doing all the work himself! While there might be better options out there, Vent A Hood worked aesthetically for me and for our limited ventilation needs, it is more than adequate. If you have a different or more unique cooking style, you might feel differently!