Zink is pretty neat.
It can also be pretty pricey if you want a complicated edge detail, but I'm told it can be a good value for the DIY type.

Know anybody with good Zinc, buddy? I am listening.

I'm planning on stainless and butcherblock for my kitchen.
I'm not staying stainless is cheap but am pretty sure not as expensive as zinc.
If you don't care about how authentic you are and are going for the look, but less expensive, laminates these days can copy stainless/zinc look and are durable and cheaper.

I have a Copper counter on my island that I love. It is a natural finish, so it does patina which is fine with me.

Google metal fabricators in your area and call them for quotes. Expect $100-150 per square foot for stainless, more for zinc or copper.

Our local sheet metal shop did our stainless counters for $17/sq ft. They aren't anything fancy...no integrated sink and no fancy texture or finish. We provided the plywood cut to size (3 layers, because we wanted the counters to look hefty) and the sheet metal guy wrapped the stainless over and around it and welded and smoothed the corners. We brought it home and dropped it all into place. Love 'em.

As it happens, this week I'm doing my whole kitchen counter myself in copper (c. 60sf) -- extreme DIY, it's cost me about $21/sf. Definitely not a project for the faint of heart, but it's working out splendidly. I'll post progress pix etc over in Metalworking when it's finished.

Rhome, can you elaborate on this? Do you have pix?
My DH would like an integrated sink, but I can work with him.
I was hoping for integrated sink and SS counters with butcher block for the island.
Any info is appreciated. Where are you located? We will be building in Port Townsend, Washington.

Wallycat, email me through 'my page' and I'll tell you who did ours. I think there's also somewhere in Seattle that might do more complex stuff like integrated sinks. Maybe our guy could've, too, I don't know...We didn't need that because we just did the counters to each side of our rangetop. He also did strips for behind our rangetop and behind our hood vent, since we pulled them out to have deeper counters. Here are recent photos. Please excuse the mess from working on the backsplash, and let me know if you needed some other views.

THANK YOU!
Your counters are gorgeous!
I'm about to PM you....
thanks again.

Ooohhhh circuspeanut! I can't wait to see. I'm assuming you got the photos?

Please post some interim pix. Please please?!

My favorite of all time was the solid nickel one at Hearst Castle. I googled it and found this photo (not mine!):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/onohoku/1002546788/in/photostream/

Maybe a LITTLE expensive, but just beautiful!
Carla in Sac

Oooo00ooh, that Hearst nickel is eeemazing, almost sorry I didn't think of it myself. I put polished nickel fixtures in my bathroom and it's such a lovely tactile surface.

Claybabe - your pictures were *perfect*, did you get my email reply? You were so very helpful and the best inspiration -- wound up doing the fireclay sink and I love it so far.
I'm right in the middle of the copper countertop project, so a bit shy about pictures (and the whole kitchen is being turned upside down by my brilliant carpenter) but here's the first easy piece by the range that just needs back edge trimming and a final cleaning/sanding down before being attached:

And as a modest brag, check out the vintage copper knobs I found on eBay -- $5 for 27 knobs (!).

More to follow soon. :)

Hey Walley :) We're considering Port Townsend as our next location (We have been looking at the Old Consolate Inn across from the Court House). There or Duluth. Anyhoo, I grew up in PT so even if I'm not there...let me welcome you to it anyhoo :oP

We're having a metal shop do our stainless counters this week. We will have an integrated drain board and sink as well as some raised counter and a bit of counter built out to flank our range...fairly compliacated. I'm getting a modified marine edge (little bit raised so water does not sloop off) and we're having them hand buffed (they do the patina in advance heh heh). I'll have pics in a couple of weeks to share. We had the same shop do our hood (it's a vent a hood made deeper and longer to fit our french range). That work, quite complicated again, was $1300 total. Our counters....I don't know yet, but we'll just wait for the suprise.

Are you building right in town or outside a bit? Please don't tell us you have a big boat...we need a slip and can't let ya'll have it :oP

the company that built my range hood is the only company i have found outside of france doing pewter and zinc countertops..... they do amazing stuff with metal

Here is a link that might be useful: pewter/zinc tops

Sorry for hijacking your zinc thread with my copper, OP. I'll start a separate copper indulgence thread very soon. :)

Brooks Custom in Mount Kisco, NY (just north of NYC) does some gorgeous zinc countertops, as well. Probably prohibitive to ship to WA, but they have some fabulous pix and a great FAQ on zinc counters.

Rotometals offers very reasonable zinc sheets, if you have a local fabricator/handyman who would be willing to work with them -- no more expensive than copper as a raw material. Good luck deciding!

Igloochic, thank you so kindly for the welcome to PT.
We purchased a lot (of course when property was still ultra expensive...sigh). We will be building in North Beach on a double city lot (which is still quite small).
YOWZA if you are considering the Old Consolate Inn! Sure wish we had a budget that big ;-)
and no danger of stealing your slip...after we build this we can't think about anything but a kayak...if that.

First, thanks everyone for the ideas/alts/suggestions/recommendations. Really appreciate it. I probably gave the wrong impression though (that I didn't want to pay that much) - I just don't want to pay for something that doesn't seem worth the price. Bang for your buck I guess? Just want it to be worth it.

Rhome, counters look great for your kitchen. Not sure that works in the bar though but thanks anyway. Peanut, nice score on knobs, eBay rocks. Metalmorphing, thanks I think this is more in line with what we're thinking. Something in darkened bronze, demi bull with ovals might just do the trick here.

Hey, did ya know they do cabinetry? Oh, the ideas.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cabinetry

My point in posting (other than the followup for wallycat) was to say that metal counters need not be in excess of $100/sq ft, and that checking with a metalwork shop (having them order whatever metal you're interested in) might be an option.

What a beautiful place to build Walley. And yes, property does hold (on too hard to) it's value in PT LOL We'll see what happens with the inn. It's been for sale for over a year because it runs at a loss but we don't want to run a B&B and yet we're not ready to move (and that's too much house for a vacation home LOL) We also looked at Starrett but the current owners are house criminals...letting it get run down so badly it's very very sad (the place should be a museaum so it's cared for). I'm a glutten for punishment...wanting a victorian home LOL

In our other location the home is quite lovely, and has a silver counter top (not as big as the one above)in the buttlers pantry. Even after 90 years that counter top is gorgeous!

Igloochic: "I'll have pics in a couple of weeks to share."
I've been waiting very patiently for these pictures. I am so excited.

But alas, my kitchen reno may have encountered another delay. DH is now on the new kick that we should go geothermal for heating/cooling, since oil prices is just going scary. We'll see...

Amanda