Cheaper Way to Get the Stainless-Steel Look

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If you don’t want to invest in all-new stainless-steel appliances, Thomas’ Kitchen Art has the answer with a new product called Liquid Stainless Steel.

With a large starter kit that costs $139 you can paint up to 3 appliances. It’s water-based and isn’t technically paint–it’s 100% liquid stainless steel, just like it sounds.

That’s a pretty nifty trick to pull off for $139 (much cheaper than replacing everything in your kitchen), but I’d like to see what it looks and feels like up close. My parents painted our old gold refrigerator dark brown (seriously–but in their defense, it was the early 1980s when nobody knew any better) and it always had odd bubbly bumps on the surface that screamed “diy project!”

Thomas’ Kitchen Arts’ website has an entire photo gallery to inspire you with creative ways to use their product. I especially like the idea of painting over brass doorknobs to make them silver. (I hate mine–but do I hate them enough to paint over every single one in my entire house?)

Sometimes, though, the “inspiration” goes just a little too far. Take this old kitchen, below. Can you imagine what it would look like if they painted the wood cabinets with liquid stainless steel?

Hmmm. It’s not quite right, is it? I think the problem I’m having with it is that it’s such a country kitchen that the cabinet style doesn’t look modern enough to pull off the silver look. It’s oddly incongruent with the doo-dads hanging around. Also, I find it puzzling that the wood is silver, but the appliances remain white.

Here’s another kitchen where they used the Liquid Stainless Steel on the cabinets, but more sparingly, mixing it with white paint on the cabinet doors. Before:

And after:

This one works a little better, simply because it’s not so “country.” They even painted the top of the kitchen table, the light fixture, and the plastic trash can (but again, none of the actual appliances). I think you’d need a really contemporary room to pull off stainless-steel cabinets and this still isn’t quite right. What do you think?

On a slightly unrelated note, doesn’t it seem odd that the refrigerator was placed there, smack dab in the middle of all the cabinets? And the way the microwave is staggered over from the wall oven, too. It just looks like everything got a little scrambled.

Okay, maybe I’m being too critical here. This product obviously has potential. Who’s willing to give it a try? We need a guinea pig!

For more information:

• Read my thoughts on whether stainless-steel appliances are on their way out.
• Check out the results of the poll: is stainless a classic look or past its prime?
• See more before and after photos at Thomas’ Kitchen Art.
• Read a review of the product by a mom who tried it at Bella Online.

If You’re Hooked on Before & Afters:

• Lily’s Little Bathroom Makeover
• Bathroom Mirror Makeovers
• Home Office Makeover
• ’70s Kitchen Remodel
• A Colorful Kitchen Makeover
• Crown Molding Magic: Our Family Room Fireplace Makeover
  
• How to Give Old Appliances the Stainless-Steel Look
• Giving Old Fireplaces a New Look
• Giving an Old House a New Face with Curb Appeal
• My Master Bath Mini-Makeover
• My Writing Room Makeover