Is Black Stainless Steel on Track to Replace Conventional Stainless?
Kitchen design professionals have been predicting for a while now that black stainless steel might replace regular stainless as the finish of choice for appliances.
Articles and blogs about what’s trending in kitchen design discuss the idea of mixing textures in a newly remodeled kitchen. Smooth, matte black stainless provides the ideal texture to go with tiled backsplashes, quartz countertops and painted cabinets.
Black stainless steel offers an alternative for homeowners who don’t like the industrial look of conventional stainless steel. It gives a sleek, modern, somewhat softer or warmer look compared to ultra-bright stainless steel. It can integrate better with darker cabinetry and warm wood tones, as opposed to the sometimes cold “industrial” vibe of silver stainless.
What is Black Stainless Steel?
Black stainless steel appliances are built from a standard stainless steel substrate, just like traditional stainless appliances. However, black stainless appliances get a black coating or finish applied over it.
The coating may be a polymer or a dye/oxide layer (depending on brand) that gives the darker tone, often with a brushed or satin texture rather than a high-gloss black.
Because the core is stainless steel, many of the functional benefits of stainless (durability, corrosion resistance, etc.) still apply.
Pros and Cons of Black Stainless
Pros:
- Timeless and classic color
- Pairs well with warm, cool and neutral tones in cabinets, countertop materials and backsplash designs. Unlike traditional finishes, black stainless steel appliances offer a softer look.
- Easier to clean with soap and water than regular stainless.
- Hides smudges and fingerprints.*
*Warning! Never use brushes with bristles or abrasive cleaners, as this can lift the polymer-based paint coating off the surface. Black stainless should not be cleaned with home cleaners like Windex or white vinegar, as the ammonia or acidic content in these cleaners can damage the black coating over time.
Cons:
- More expensive than comparable stainless steel appliances
- Scratches, chips and ding marks become obvious. Because the black finish is a coating over standard stainless, damage to that coating can reveal the underlying silver metal.**
- Trying to match appliances from different brands may result in a clash of different black tones or coatings.
- Some designers caution the finish may not age well trend-wise compared to stainless steel. Probably not the best choice for clients concerned about long-term resale or timelessness
**Most manufacturers sell touch-up paint to fix nicks and scratches on black stainless steel appliances.
Black Stainless vs. Other Black Appliance Finishes
Your clients probably think “black is black” and often use the phrase “black appliances” interchangeably. Black stainless is stainless steel coated black with a metallic finish. Other black appliances are manufactured from a metal other than stainless, then painted with a durable black finish that doesn’t have that same sheen.
The big difference between the two categories is what happens when the appliance gets scratched. If you scratch black stainless, the silver shows through. However, painted black hides scratches much better.
Here’s what you should know:
Black Stainless Steel
Black Stainless Steel is stainless steel with a dark tinted coating (polymer, oxide or baked-on finish—varies by brand). It has a metallic sheen, and its color is dark charcoal or graphite, not pure black. Black stainless steel offers a premium, modern look that hides fingerprints better than regular stainless. Further, it has a subtle reflective quality that works well with today’s modern kitchen styles.
However, it’s not perfect. If scratched, it shows the silver stainless underneath. And black stainless appliances can be more expensive the regular stainless steel.
Further, people like black stainless steel but the finish has a lot of color variation between brands. You might be able to mix and match regular stainless appliances from several manufacturers, but each manufacturer offers its own version of black stainless, making it tricky to mix brands.
Black Appliances
Black Appliances have a painted metal finish—usually high gloss or semi-gloss. Black appliances offer a true black color — after all, black is black – and are easier to match from brand to brand. They are less expensive than black stainless and when scratched, they don’t reveal silver metal.
Negatives of black appliances include the fact that they show fingerprints, smudges and streaks much easier and more obvious than black stainless. Further, the high gloss finish reflects light unevenly
Manufacturers That Offer Black Stainless Appliances
Bosch uses the same black stainless material in all their products, including refrigerators, dishwashers, ranges and wall ovens. Their black stainless steel is a durable and scratch-resistant option because they “bake” the black coloring into the stainless steel in the manufacturing process rather than applying a coating on top of stainless steel. The low gloss finish has a horizontal grain to it that gives it texture, depth and a shine with a subtle sparkle.
GE has a complete kitchen appliance suite in black stainless, a dark graphite with a shiny finish. This color can act as a nice contrast to whites in the kitchen and/or bring out colors in wood and stone.
Samsung has a well-advertised “Fingerprint-Resistant Black Stainless Steel” finish, especially for refrigerators. Samsung was one of the first to offer black stainless, debuting it in 2015. Samsung is ideal for clients wanting smart-appliance features plus a contemporary dark finish.
The company reports that homeowners are mixing and matching finish materials, for example, doing the range and microwave in black and the refrigerator and dishwasher in traditional stainless steel.
Frigidaire’s black stainless steel collection offers “Smudge-Proof Black Stainless Steel” finishes in refrigerators and other appliances. Its finish is a shiny, reflective finish with matching handles. Frigidaire is a good pick for homeowners on a limited budget who want the black stainless finish.
More Manufacturers Offering Black Stainless Appliances
LG’s black Stainless Steel is described as “satin-smooth” and “the perfect combination of classic meets contemporary.” They boast about their smudge-proof finish, and use the tag “cook more, clean less.”
KitchenAid promotes their full “Black Stainless Steel” suite—for ranges, refrigerators, dishwashers and microwaves. Their Black stainless finish is “a softer, warmer alternative to traditional stainless.”
Whirlpool markets “Fingerprint-Resistant Black Stainless Steel” appliances. Their products are great for clients who want a practical finish (fingerprint resistance) and solid reliability from a mainstream brand. And because Whirlpool is a mainstream brand, pricing may be more accessible. Whirlpool brags their black stainless appliances will “seamlessly fit in or boldy stand out.”
What Else?
Zephyr has an exhaust hood in black stainless steel, called the Ravenna Island hood. The Ravenna features a black stainless steel finish with an anti-smudge Titanium coating for extra durability and easy cleaning.
And the big names in kitchen and bath fixtures – think Delta, Kohler and Moen – have faucet lines in matte black finishes, which – just coincidentally — coordinate beautifully with black stainless steel.
Conclusion
If your clients are trying to decide between the black stainless and traditional stainless, it comes down to their personal preference and what else is in their kitchen.
When the homeowner says “I hate the fingerprints on my stainless fridge” or “I want something warmer than silver” — black stainless steel can check both boxes.
Houzz.com conducted a poll on the black stainless steel trend. More than 60 percent of the more than 6,600 respondents said they’d consider black stainless appliances the next time they update their kitchens. Some said they were sick of traditional stainless and were excited to see something new. Others, however, didn’t like the dark color.
Will black stainless replace traditional stainless steel as the most popular appliance finish? That remains to be seen, but many of today’s homeowners want something different from that which has been popular for ten years or more, and this could be it.
Sources Used for this Article
Bob Aungst Cabinet Sales is a full-service rep agency with the goal of matching kitchen designers and remodelers with the cabinet manufacturers best suited to their business’ style and clientele. Owner Bob Aungst III represents Brighton Cabinetry, US Cabinet Depot, Integrity Cabinets and StyleCraft Luxury Custom Cabinets.