If you live in a large city or close to one, you shouldn’t have any problem finding a fabricator that can do a fantastic job molding your counters. If you don’t know how to get started, here are the best ways to track one down.
Ideally, you should find a few that are willing to give you an estimate so that you can choose the best one of the bunch.
Use Google but don’t bother with the Yellow Pages
If you haven’t noticed, the size of the Yellow Pages directories in all cities gets smaller and smaller as every year passes. It costs a fortune to put an ad for a business in these directories and most people now are turning to the Internet or other mobile devices to look for local companies. Instead, use the Google search function to find a local shop by using the following keywords:
- Metal fabricator (your city)
- Stainless steel fabricator (your city)
- Sheet metal shop (your city)
- Custom metal counters (your city)
- Custom counters (your city)
Your most inexpensive option will usually be finding a fabricator in a metal shop. The search for custom counters will often bring up results that lead you to a retail kitchen supplier that charges a lot more than what you really need to pay.
Ask for recommendations
Every time you call up a shop that doesn’t do this type of work ask the person on the other end of the line if he can recommend somebody in the area. Word-of-mouth is always the best type of advertising and you never know where these recommendations will lead.
You can also try a contractor review service like Angie’s List. Here’s how I have successfully used them to find reputable and inexpensive contractors to work on my home.
Look on Craigslist
One person found a metal countertop fabricator through Craigslist that was actually promoting custom metal furniture. They were happy to work with her on the project and charged a fantastic price for their services.
Talk to restaurant owners
Any type of commercial kitchen uses a stainless steel countertop for food preparation. Ask different restaurant owners for the name of the company or person that they used. You can also ask friends and family members if they know anyone with a steel kitchen countertop and get this person’s name and number. You just might get a good lead this way.
If you keep persisting you will find a great metal worker that can turn metal into art that will end up on your counter. It’s all a matter of tracking down the right fabricator that charges a decent price for countertops and has the skill to manipulate raw material into anything imaginable.
Updated: March 2, 2017
