Stainless Steel-

[maytagbear]

I am so over Stainless Steel (and similar) in kitchens, except perhaps (perhaps as countertops and backsplashes.

If I ever get to do a kitchen from scratch, some of the counter will be stainless steel, some will be solid surface, and some will be wood. Stainless steel near the cooktops and ovens, solid surface for wet areas, and sealed wood for my baking centre, and for the snack bar.

Anyway.....I am so over stainless appliances. They are almost like Kryptonite to me. My own appliances, the washer, dryer, dishwasher are white. The landlord supplied stove and fridge are almond. The Radarange is mostly brown, with stainless accents. (That's fine.)

Conate mentioned in another thread about choosing white for his(?) new kitchen. How refreshing!

I think-hope that stainless has peaked, and will start to go away soon. What sayest you?

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[rickr]

.

I have always thought stainless looked too commercial when used in an entire kitchen. However a stainless dishwasher front looks great to me, when the rest of the kitchen has painted appliances. But then, I like the look of mix and match too. Some people have to have all the same colour, but too much of a bright colour can be overwhelming to me. As much as I love turquoise, I do not like the look of an entire kitchen done that way.

My kitchen was remodeled in 2002. I used my antique 1937 stove over, and wanted a range hood for it. I had a choice of stainless, white, almond, or black. I thought the white would have looked "cheap" with the old porcelain stove. The cooktop and burner grates are black, so I picked the black range hood. I still feel that this way looks better than if I had purchased a white hood.

To each his own though. I like the look of all black appliances in a kitchen, but I would not want that for myself.

 

[frontaloadotmy]

Lmb

I take it that you are referring to contemporary stainless?
To me it looks chintzy. I do like the look of vintage stainless however. One thing about stainless is that it sucks the light right out of a room , so I would only use very much of it in very well windowed kitchen. I have lots of vintage stainless ; too much!

 

[danemodsandy]

People Are Learning...

...The hard way- stainless is high-maintenance!

They see it in decorating and home magazines, and they think, "Gee, that's swell!". No one tells them the truth- it's a schmutz magnet.

Everyone I know who has both kids and a stainless reefer swears they'd never, ever do it again. The stainless, I mean.

 

[polkanut]

Rick,

I love your vintage range, what is the brand name btw.

 

[paulg]

Stainless ok. Faux stainless NOT!

I think that a lot of people thought stainless always meant high-quality. Now I see mediocre products with stainless "skins" (faux stainless). Sort of like a wolf in sheep's clothing.
The general population seems to still like stainless or faux stainless. I'm happy for them. However appliance-savvy people (people on this forum) can see past the skin and aren't liking what they see. I am one of them.

 

[rickr]

Hi Polkanut, The stove was made by Roberts & Mandor Stove Company. Hatsbro, Pa.

 

[pulltostart]

Rick,

LOVE the cabinets in your kitchen! Were they built for you by a cabinet shop, or were they a manufactured/purchased product? The color and detailing is very nice.

Lawrence

 

[sudsmaster]

Perhaps one needs to consider WHY stainless is used so much in commercial kitchens. It's because it is perhaps the most cleanable surface you can build anything out of. It doesn't rust, it doesn't crack or chip, you can scour it all you want and it won't ruin its ability to resist stains, and it is impervious to more chemicals etc than just about any other finish (including porcelain enamel). Its one achilles heel is the chlorine atom, but it takes a lot of abuse for it to succomb to that insult (although one should generally avoid leaving concentrated salt or bleach solutions on stainless for too long).

Also, commercials kitchens don't really care how the stainless looks. They just care about getting it clean for the next inspection.

Where I think stainless really excells is when it substitutes for less durable trim pieces made of chromed steel. Generally those eventually pit and bubble, and look awful and are nearly impossible to keep clean. But stainless trim - especially the highly polished kind made of 304 or 316 type stainless - looks great for many decades.

Obviously a brushed stainless surface on a fridge is going to attract kids' fingerprints. So you might not want it there (although I'd love to have a fridge with a stainless interior). Where it may do quite well is for a range or a cooktop - where it can be attacked with harsh cleaners to get rid of cooked-on debris. I've seen some stainless cooktops that have a bead blasted surface - so it has a matte texture that resists scratching.

Done right, stainless is more expensive to manufacture than most other types of finishes. The material itself reacts differently to various forming and machining processes than steel or other metals - it can work harden if not handled right and make shaping it into the finale piece difficult if not impossible. Cheap nickel-free stainless is probably the worst choice one can make for anything that needs to be cleaned and look nice. It can discolor/stain quite easily, even rust. 304/316, also known as 18/8 and 18/10, are what you should look for in a stainless article for kichen use.

Anyway, I have a stainless front KA sxs fridge, with a stainless front GE P7 wall oven right next to it (I know, I'd rather they be separated but I didn't design this kitchen). It think they look quite nice together. One of these days I'll replace the black gas on glass cooktop with a stainless gas version, but that is where it will stop. I don't care so much about the dishwasher - they tend to be near the floor and not so noticible. I might also one day go for a stainless sink (the cast iron one has lost its glass layer at the bottom from years of scouring powder and hence stains too easily).

Stainless does require a light touch and special cleaners to look its best. If one is not willing to do that, then other materials will probably be best.

 

[neptunebob]

Rich, I thought you knew better than to use Comet!

 

[rpm]

Stainless

When I worked at the Sears Bump and Dent in 1995, thats when the stainless seemed to be coming in really strong.
It was mostly Fridgidaire gallery products.
I remember the appliance manager saying"We will never sell them."They are too expensive and too ugly"
I used to think I wanted an all black kitchen appliances.
Now when I see them I think they look really heavy and dated looking.
I'm kinda suprised stainless has been around for so long. We must be due for something else.
I have seen the new copper colour. Its rather nice but I think you would tire of it pretty quick

 

[sudsmaster]

Bob,

I don't use Comet.

The house was already 46 years old when I bought it. The sink was probably about 30 years old as well. I only use Soft Scrub or Bon Ami to clean porcelain enamel.

Please don't assume the worst.

 

[conate]

vintage ranges

Does anyone else miss having outlets on range tops?

 

[conate]

BTW conate...

Conate is definitely a 'he'

 

[gansky1]

I have found after years of experience cleaning stainless steel appliances, from the cheapest Frigidaire to the most expensive commercial-grade that the less oil-based cleaner used on it, the better. Stripping the oil "cleaner" and polishes is a bit of work but pays off forever in not having to constantly endure fingerprints and smudges. The metal is cleaner looking, is never streaked and actually brighter than oiled surfaces. I used Amway LOC cleaner to strip the original factory oils from my KitchenAid refrigerator and am now able to keep it sparkling as needed with most any household cleaner, even a quick wipe with the dishcloth when cleaning up after dinner restores it's sanitary appearance. I absolutely abhor working with oil cleaners, polishes and the like and have had many compliments on my kitchen cleaning with no oily residue!

 

[DADoES]

Years ago when we had the KDI-17a with stainless panels and a Kenmore range hood (which my mother still has), we used various oil-based cleaners, and even mineral oil. It gleamed (oilily, LOL) when fresh but did get smudgy.

My kitchen now is stainless (GE Profile & DishDrawer). I used a polishing cream/cleaner a couple times, but it proved to be problematical. Stripped it with Bar Keepers Friend (rubbing carefully and only in direction of the grain) which freshened the finish nicely. It now generally needs only buffing with a dampened microfiber cloth. I'm careful to avoid water drips on the dishwasher, but it happens now and then. The 'fridge's ice/water dispenser also sometimes oozes condensation from around the bezel during periods of high humidity, which can't be avoided.

 

[scott55405]

Glenn's kitchen, although he does use it, looks like that of a model home as far as upkeep is concerned. I remember asking him what he used on his stainless steel, and was quite impressed with his remarkably simple "recipe"!

 

[danemodsandy]

Greg:

I completely agree with you- the cleaner stainless is, the cleaner it stays- and the easier it is to clean back up when it does get soiled.

I have never for the life of me seen what makes anyone think that oiled stainless is "clean". It attracts dust just that much more efficiently. And a greasy kitchen surface is a greasy kitchen surface, whether it's grease from a can of so-called polish or from lack of cleaning.

 

[sudsmaster]

Minority opinion: I find that the Kitchenaid stainless steel polish, which does leave a thin layer of oil on the surface, results in the surface staying presentable far longer than if it were squeaky clean and free of protective oil.

I figure part of the benefit of the oil layer is that it helps to prevent salts in fingerprints from reaching (and corroding) the stainless steel underneath. On the fridge, it also helps to prevent water spots from leaving traces on the metal. The water will form separate drops on the surface, but as it dries the powder doesn't stick very well to the oil layer, and just seems to fall away or is very easy to wipe away.

It does attract some dust, but I can deal with that better than permanent imprints of salty fingerprints.

I also think the oiled surface looks a lot more lustrous and attractive than the dry surface.