Can I use galvanized metal for kitchen tabletop?

A. Hi, Molly. I personally think galvanized countertops are not a good idea. It's not that I think the danger is profound (there may be a very tiny amount of hexavalent chrome on galvanized steel). But you would be using something for a purpose for which it wasn't intended, so statistics will never be compiled on whether it's a problem. Plus, galvanizing can discolor to a rusty look long before it's real rust. Solid zinc countertops are an alternative. If you search the site you will find a number of threads about galvanized counter tops and solid zinc countertops. Good luck.

Regards,

A. Just make future ones out of solid zinc sheet ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] , Richard. Galvanized metal is steel with a zinc coating and it doesn't offer the durability and polishability of solid zinc sheeting.

It is also possible for some galvanized metal to have a minute amount of chromate on it, and chromate is not a satisfactory countertop surface as chromates are considered toxic. But don't beat yourself up about it for many reasons, including the fact that zinc isn't quite a "food-safe" material anyway (slightly dissolves into acidic foods). Plus I've been to "outdoorsy" restaurants where the table-height cinder block walls are capped with galvanized sheet metal. Most nuts and bolts you've ever touched have chromate on them too, and millions of other metal parts as well.

Don't repeat it, but don't sweat such a triviality: most people my age played with mercury balls as a kid, most mechanics have torched cadmium and chromated hardware, billions of gallons of leaded gasoline were burned, almost everyone of a certain age wore TRIS-treated sleepware, most of us have inhaled large quantities of insecticide, and hundreds of millions of people still smoke.

The best lesson to learn, in my opinion, is simply that it is best to use purpose-built materials, and galvanized sheeting was not intended for food service counters.

A. Galvanized means steel sheet with a zinc coating. Zinc is non-magnetic, so a magnet is all you need to tell the difference.

Either solid zinc or zinc coated steel will fume at welding temperatures, requiring proper ventilation, and ruling the method out for an amateur -- but I don't think you can weld solid zinc anyway (it is the underlying steel that you are welding when you weld galvanized sheet).

Solid zinc can be soldered, and I don't think it creates fuming but I haven't done it myself; and in practice I believe that wide zinc countertops are usually made with a rolled seam rather than by soldering. Topic 24550 is a great thread about making/soldering/buying zinc countertops that I'm sure you'll want to see.

Stainless steel countertops are reliably durable, but brass or copper, like zinc, will readily stain from foods. That doesn't mean they are not satisfactory, just that they will look old and stained. I personally don't feel an attraction to metal countertops, and prefer Corian myself, but for those who do, zinc, copper, and stainless are all quite popular. It's a matter of taste. Good luck.

A. You can cover the tabletop yourself with Zinc. Buy .027" thick zinc sheet ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] on the internet (about $200 or maybe they can sell you a smaller scrap one.) Also buy the solder kit. Cut to approximate appropriate size with big tin snips. Unlike with laminate, you can plan to fold the edges over to do the sides(better to reduce the amount of soldering), or use a strip to do curved edges (do the sides first then), or you can leave the wood edges exposed, which looks cool too. Use contact cement like for laminate and the biggest j-roller [affil links] you can find, like for vinyl flooring. Glue the zinc on and roll it out really well, fold over and glue the sides. Use a router with laminate cutter to trim. Solder the corner seams with a giant electric soldering iron. Be patient, the soldering part is really a pain. You may have to do it over a few times to get it right. Then power sand the whole thing with progressive grits to get the look you want (you will see). Finally, apply pure wax to small sections and rub really hard to remove and polish. Voila!

I forgot to mention, zinc only comes one meter wide, so for a 4' X 8' table top you will need two transverse seams. You can leave the seams visible with no solder, or you can try to solder them (in which case you will need to practice the procedure on a test piece: rout the substrate and lay down a one inch wide backup strip, and allow a 1/16" gap for the solder to fill the seam). Good luck!

Ed. note: Jim has offered additional great advice on letter 24550.

A. Hi, Jenni. Zinc countertops are widely used and have long been. Most people apparently feel it is safe. Zinc is not toxic, but it is supposedly possible to overdose on it from zinc cooking pots; it sounds unlikely for a countertop and even more so for a bench.

This is a big website with 60,000 threads and your question has been addressed many times. letter 21703 might be the best place to start. Good luck!

Regards,

A. Hi, Diane

The painter's mask probably gave plenty of protection for your sanding; you shouldn't inhale anything, so thanks for the reminder that people should wear a mask of at least some sort no matter what they are sanding.

Since the magnet stuck, the sheet is galvanized steel.

You should try your coloring technique on pieces of scrap, not your actual tabletop. The zinc coating is fairly thin, so don't be over aggressive in sanding or etching, and you should rinse off any solution before sealing. It's the reaction products produced by chemicals acting on the zinc that you want to keep, not the chemicals themselves.

Regards,

A. Hi, Diane. Galvanizing is a surface coating rather than a diffusion process, so yes it would be possible to sand it all the way off. I don't know what directions you are following or what they are, and don't want to contradict them since they probably work. But there is no point in sanding long or hard as far as I know, so I don't think you would want to actually remove the zinc coating. It probably is hard to tell freshly sanded zinc from freshly sanded steel. I would expect copper based chemicals like cupric sulphate to work on steel or zinc but more rapidly on zinc; ferric nitrates probably the same.

Regards,

A. Hi Liane. We appended your inquiry to an existing thread which already addresses the topic. Personally, I would not take out a galvanized countertop, but I would not make any more. For me it's more a question of it not being an attractive, durable surface; and that it wasn't intended as a countertop surface when it was galvanized, than of actual concern over potential toxicity.

Regards,

A. Hi Gretchen. There is no such thing as galvanized aluminum. Galvanized always means a steel substrate coated by dipping into molten zinc. Unfortunately, descriptions are written by people trying to induce you to buy, not to educate you, so they're rarely very informative, and we really don't know what the table is made of :-(

I'm confident that it is suitable and safe for its intended purpose, but if it was meant to be a base for a TV and home entertainment system, it may not be ideal as a food service counter, as it may not be resistant to spills and frequent wet cleaning.

Regards,

A. Not to state the obvious, but if a magnet sticks to the table top it is steel, not aluminum.

A. Hi Holly. I personally don't think there is any danger, and I am unaware of any epidemiologist or other health professional studying galvanized counter tops. Galvanized troughs are still used for feeding and watering livestock on farms, and people in remote areas still collect drinking water from rain running off of galvanized roofs.

No one can ever say that something is 100% safe, but I think we can say that raising kids is fraught with hundreds of other potential dangers you will probably want to focus on first :-)

Regards,

A. Hi Holly
Metal tables in a domestic situation appears to be popular in America - I have no idea why.
Several queries have concerned toxicity. Very few people eat or prepare food directly on the table top and unless you choose lead there is no credible danger.

But like many safety worries it misses the main hazard. In this situation there is the possibility of a malfunctioning electrical appliance making the table a significant life threatening danger.
It is essential that any exposed metal surfaces are efficiently earthed and this is a legal requirement in many jurisdictions.
You should discuss the local requirements with a competent electrician.

Excellent point that I forgot to think about, Geoff! Fortunately, most newer kitchens will have ground fault current interruptors on all outlets to mitigate shock hazards, but metal countertops should be grounded as you note.

Regards,

Q. In response to countertop needing to be grounded ... how do I go about doing that? The island has one outlet in it and it's new. What all would I need to do to the countertop or outlet to make it properly grounded and safe? Thank you so much.

A. Hi. The outlet should be a GFI type, and probably is (all outlets in kitchens and bathrooms should be), and the copper ground wire from the outlet should be connected to the bottom of the countertop. But if the outlet box is metal, and it's screwed into contact with the metal of the countertop, that should do it. If the outlet was installed by an electrician, it's probably already done right.

Regards,

A. Hi Val. I suppose you could do a lead test [lead test kits on eBay or Amazon [affil links] and a chromate test ⇨
But the thing is, if you don't know what toxins you want to test for, I'm not aware of any good ways to test for all toxins. Good luck.

Regards,

A. Hi James. Solid zinc countertops are zinc through and through, and zinc is non-magnetic. Galvanized countertops are steel sheets with a zinc coating on them, and steel is magnetic. So a magnet is all you need to tell the difference. Good luck.

Regards,