Stainless steel fabrication in Chinatown?

Hi all.  We live in a TINY 1829 townhouse in center city that is the quintessential "tradition on the outside, modern on the inside" house.  We are looking to replace a small kitchen countertop with an all stainless steel countertop.  I received some online quotes (e.g., ridalco), but a friend once told me that you can get this kind of thing REALLY cheap in Chinatown.  Anybody have any information?  Know of anyone who's done this?  How cheap can I reasonably expect to get a countertop?  Thanks for your help!

Thanks!  I'm no longer in contact with this friend and I can't find anything on the internet.  Everything I find has to do with large scale manufacturing of machine parts and/or sculptures.  I just need the little guy who works with restaurants and the occasional homeowner modernist!  Please let me know if you run across anything else OR if anyone else has a quasi-local contact for stainless steel countertop fabrication.  Thanks again!

Previously Gregory La Vardera wrote:

Hmmm, that could be. Does your friend know any more than that? If not, then Google is your friend. See if you can track down a listing for a stainless fabricator in that neighborhood.

First of all, I want to say that I'm thankful that I found this web site.  I did a search for "Stainless Steel Fabricator in PA" and I found this site because of the message thread listed above. 

I've been renovating my kitchen and and doing all the appliances and surfaces in Stainless Steel.  When I tried to find a fabricator in the Philadelphia area, it was very difficult and those that I found quoted outrageously high pricing. 

Because of this post, I was able to investigate Cherry Street in Philadelphia and I found a restaurant fabrication workshop that will wrap your counter top in Stainless Steel.  The cost is a fraction of what the others were quoting. 

I purchased my stainless steel cabinets from Ikea.  I went back and bought their cheapest countertop and took it to the fabricator to have it wrapped. 

It will be completed next week.  I'll let you know how it turns out and maybe post a picture.

The guy at the fabricator is really nice and he wouldn't mind helping you if you're still looking.  Post here and I can provide contact information if you need it.

Best Regards,

Jamie

This is an update.  I picked up my countertop today.  It looks awesome!!  I'm very pleased with the effect I'm getting with the budget I worked within.  It cost me $300.  Incredible!  Some of the quotes I got were between $2000 and $3000.

My countertop has an integrated backsplash so nothing could leak behind it.  The entire countertop slips right over the ikea laminate countertop.  I bought an Ikea sink for $70 that fits right in there.  The sink has an integrated drain board.  I bought a nice Hansgrohe faucet from Home Depot.  Very nice quality and a really nice modern look.  All of these components together look really cool.  Maybe a bit cold to some, but if you like that minimalist look, it's spot on!

Now, I just have to secure everything in place and have the plumbers come in and I'll be on my way.

If anyone is interested in getting this done for themselves, here's the contact information of the fabricator.

Ivan Wei           

General Restaurant Equipment Supply    215-928-0880

1021-1027 Cherry Street, Philadelphia

Ask for Ivan and tell him you learned about him from this web site.  You can mention my name if you'd like.  He'll have an idea of what you're looking for if you do.  He's a nice guy and he'll make you feel comfortable with the job.  He'll probably show you the fabrication shop right there on Cherry Street

Good luck!!  I'm very pleased with mine!  I've wanted to do this for so long and it's nice to know I could do it within my budget.

Here's a pic.  I only have a phone camera, so it's not that good, but you can get a feel for the effect.