Give white appliances a stainless finish
A how-to guru advises readers on how best to refinish a white exhaust hood to make it look like stainless steel.
Q Over the 20 years we’ve had our older home, we have needed to replace most of the appliances and have gone from white to stainless steel. But over the stove, we still have a white exhaust hood. It still works great, and I would prefer not to replace it. Can I refinish it so that it appears to be stainless steel?
A Yes, you can paint it using a formula that contains actual stainless steel. Although the colour and sheen might not be an exact match — even solid stainless steel varies, depending on the alloys and surface treatment — the hood will almost surely look more at home in your kitchen than it does now, and at minimal cost.
A world of metallic-looking paints exists nowadays. Many contain actual powdered metal, which is why some non-stainless metallic paints even tarnish over time as the metals they mimic do.
For your purpose, the Giani Liquid Stainless Steel appliance paint kit should work well. (Available at select Canadian hardware stores, check gianigranite.com for locations.) It has several advantages over some other stainless-steel paints: It is water-based, so it dries faster than oil-based paints, it isn’t as smelly, and it is easier to clean up. It’s also designed so you can apply it with a foam brush, which eliminates the hassles of either trying to spray on a finish without getting a mess all over your kitchen or removing the hood so you can spray-paint it outside.
The final result is similar to what you would find on stainless steel with a brushed finish, according to the manufacturer, Giani.
Giani’s stainless-steel paint gets its colour and sparkle from flecks of stainless steel, nickel and aluminum, dispersed in a clear resin. The kit contains six ounces (177 mL) each of base and topcoat, enough to cover 19 square feet (1.8 square metres), plus a foam applicator. Giani also sells a 1½-quart (1.42 L) fridge paint kit ($102.75 via Giani’s website). The only difference between the products is the quantity and the applicator, said Giani’s manager, Sarah Watts.
The paint withstands temperatures up to 300 F (150 C) and is suitable for vent hoods, as well as gas and electric ranges, wall ovens, dishwashers, and many other metal surfaces. However, it isn’t suitable for barbecue grills (they get too hot) or bare wood, drywall or plastics.
There are other stainless-steel paints beyond what Giani makes. Rust-Oleum Specialty Stainless Steel paint also comes as a liquid that you could apply with a brush or foam pad. But it is an oil-based product, and it’s recommended only for surfaces that get up to 200 F (95 C). Rust-Oleum does make stainless-steel paint suitable for hotter surfaces, but only in a spray can.
Before you paint, be sure to clean the surfaces thoroughly.