In article .com,
"JB" wrote:

I am working on a outdoor kitchen / prep center which includes a 2x8
counter top. The countertop is covered, but in here in the pacific
northwest it still tends to get damp, so I'm not even going to bother
with the pre-made laminated counter tops (can you say particle board
swells like a blow fish in heat).

So I'm looking for some advice on a reasonable priced countertop (can
you say no stainless, no corian, no teak). I was thinking about
tile... but would prefer to avoid it.. but may go back to it yet. I
was also thinking about a laminate using a plywood base.

Has anyone had any experience with these for outdoor use, or can you
suggest any other alternatives.

Thanks

I'm not the type who pays a lot of attention to people who tell me to
say no to certain things, so.......

You'll find simple stainless to be a lot less money than you might
think. That stuff gets expensive when you're dealing with fancy edges
and sinks etc. but a straight run like that won't be much. I recently
did an island 24 x 60. Slab-edge fold all around, 4 welded corners and
ground and polished. $200.00 Canadian money. The material was 18 ga..
$110.00 dollars.. the rest labour. Find a small sheet metal shop. Try
scrap yards.
Some Staron distributors will sell 8-foot pieces of solid surface.
Again, fancy treatments will cost more.
Concrete will do, if you seal it properly and cast it on a form which is
supported in all the right places...that is if your time isn't worth
anything. VERY labour intensive.
Laminated anything on anything in an out-door environment simply
wouldn't be an option to me. BTDT.

Like my granma used to say: "I'm too poor to buy cheap stuff."

Mind you, she also used to say: "It doesn't matter if you're rich or
poor, it's always nice to have a little money."