This question — about whether you can strip your steel kitchen cabinets and leave them unpainted — has now come up a couple of times, so I thought I better post it. I solicited a proposed answer from my favorite go-to guy, Palm Spring Stephan… And, to finish the story, the writer/reader ignored his thoughts and, like a good reporter, kept searching for a solution — until she found it! Kathryn Janicek, a renovator from Chicago, wrote:
Pam,
I purchased a condo with original American Steel cabinets. Ripped off the vinyl covering — and found great steel underneath. Love them… but, am looking for a clear and HARD coating to seal them now. We’ve stripped, buffed and coated with Rust-oleum Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover Matte Clear. The problem — steam from the stove, etc is spotting the cabinets. This “Ultra Cover” is not really protecting the steel.
Can your readers help? Thank you Pam!
Kathryn from Chicago
Interestingly, Kathryn says the cabinets were unfinished underneath this vinyl-like covering… To answer her question, I turned to longtime reader-friend Palm Springs Stephan, who also has a background in restoring vintage cars, for his thoughts on this question. He responded:
Since the cabinets are not stainless steel, they are going to require some kind of coating to protect the otherwise bare metal from the elements. Plain (non-stainless) steel will rust over time, even in the driest of environments. In the humidity of the normal household kitchen, it will rust even faster.
I actually had a neighbor here in my building who stripped his steel cabinets to raw metal and tried to leave them that way. Yet despite our very low 5-10% desert humidity, they still developed a light patina of rust after a few months.
I do not know much about Rust-Oleum’s Ultra Cover, but I suspect it is not intended to be applied directly to raw steel. Something tells me that is is intended as a top finishing coat over other paint layers.
In fact, steel almost always requires some kind of primer before being painted. Primers increase the adhesion of paints to the steel surface. Without primer, the elements can penetrate the paint (which will always have microscopic gaps) and work their way between the paint and the steel. So I am already wondering if it is even possible to apply any kind of clear protectant directly to an untreated metal ….
If they were my cabinets, I’d start by calling that old standby, the local auto body shop. Ask them if they know of a clear-coat that can be applied directly to raw, non-primed metal. Or perhaps there is a clear powder-coat that can be applied using the powder coating process, though I have never heard of one myself.
Also call a local metal plating shop and ask them the same question. Sometimes brass-plated objects are coated with lacquer to keep them from tarnishing, but lacquering kitchen cabinets would be a major operation, especially if done with the cabinets in place.
My overall sense of it is that the cabinets will have to be fully primed and painted or powder-coated with a pigmented paint. After all, stainless steel was developed in part because manufacturers need a steel that would remain rust-free even in applications in which coating or painting was impractical … especially kitchen applications (e.g.: cookware).
Palm Springs Stephan
Isn’t it always nice to hear from Stephan? Thank you, PSS! Meanwhile (I shared Stephan’s answer with Kathryn but then a couple of months passed since I got back to this post), I checked back with Kathryn to see how her kitchen project had been going. She had plowed forward in her goal to keep the bare finish, but with a coating that would protect the raw steel from water particles. It sounds like she found a solution that worked for her. She also sent lots of hard-at-work photos, below:
To start the slide show, click on the first thumbnail… it will enlarge… use the arrows below to move forward. If the show “breaks” you can re-start it anywhere. If you can’t get it to work at all — get thee off IE6, for gosh sake.
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Kathryn writes:
It took a TON of glue removing and buffing for weeks… then SEVERAL coats of ProtectaClear.
I tried several products — this is the only one that really seals — and doesn’t let moisture in to rust the cabinets.
“ProtectaClear is a tough, durable clear protective coating that protects stainless steel from corrosion, salt air pitting and provides excellent fingerprint and smudge prevention. Stainless steel surfaces protected with ProtectaClear will be much easier to keep clean and will never darken as it will with oily protectants.”
Directions: If the stainless steel is already corroded or rusty, clean the surface with a no-scratch cleanser cleaning with the grain. Wash off the residue with EZ-Prep Cleaner let dry, wipe with a solvent like xylene or denatured alcohol to remove any residue or fingerprints and then ProtectaClear can be sprayed on with Aerosol Cans, rolled on the surface with high-density foam rollers, wiped on with a clear-coat applicator or sprayed on with paint sprayers.
Way to go, Kathryn, you for sure get super mega brownie points for tenaciousness. I have to say, I wonder about the durability… as I don’t think the steel underneath painted vintage metal kitchen cabinets is “stainless.” I’ll be checking back with you, to see how the finish holds up!
And to all readers, my Precautionary Pam Disclaimer: Readers, do your own homework, please, before proceeding with any of these ideas. We’re sharing personal experiences, thoughts and ideas here, not definitive solutions, we ain’t Consumer Reports. Also: Test for lead paint on those cabinets before living with them and certainly before messing with them. Vintage homes can have all kinds of potentially hazardous materials all over the place. Consult with pro’s to know what you have, so that you can make informed decisions. And: Use proper safety gear and ventilation. Etc.
Readers… I know many of you also have experience with vintage cars. Any more thoughts on this question?
I like the look of the cabinets and it seems the only way stainless steel appliances look at home.Good job at reusing what you already have.
I’m always thrilled to learn of any product which protects metals from salt air. Thank you. Great great cabinets, too!
As an antique auto restorer – I’d say paint ‘em. You donm’t want a rat rod look in yer kitchen. At least put clear on them if you want the bare look, use clear with a flattener so they aren’t too glossy. Your paint shop can help you determine the percentage to get the right sheen. I’d still try to get a lacquer type sheen to it.
Whoops I answered without reading the article.
I work in the R&D department laboratory of an automotive finishes company. Just to be extra sure I consulted with the master lab technician and he agrees with the recommendation I am about to make which is: yes and no. No, you can’t leave your metal cabinets unprotected, stripped down, raw metal; just as your friend Palm Springs Stephan wrote. Kitchens are just too harsh of an environment.
I looked into the Rust-Oleum product mentioned. Aerosol cans almost never give an entirely sealed surface; the spray pattern and pressure just don’t cut it. Also, it is not a two-part system. (Not all paint is the kind where you apply it and let it dry and ta da! It’s done. The most durable of paints is a two-part system where you have an additive you put in your paint that causes a chemical reaction that hardens it.) The spray can stuff would have been fine for something you’d never touch and could slather with it, or had painted and used it on top of that. Otherwise it wouldn’t have survived. It worked well as far as keeping the cabinets protected for a little while, obviously.
The new coating on the cabinets should perform better than the last, especially since Kathryn said she put several coats, but she might have wearing issues eventually, mostly where she touches the cabinets all the time. There isn’t much information for ProtectaClear on the manufacturer’s website so I can’t make an informed judgment. Her kitchen is pretty dang impressive looking though. I don’t blame her for trying to keep it that way.
For anyone else that wants to do something similar, be it with cabinets or an other metal surface, I could strongly recommend a premium, two-part, urethane, automotive clear. It is the same material you can find on aluminum alloy wheels and over paint on your car, both of which sit in the sun and have rocks and the elements beating them up all the time. A body shop would probably have to apply it for you if you want the best appearance. It would not be cheap. We have even put it over raw brass church door handles before.
Always learn everything you can about a new product before you use it. Best of luck!
I love that raw bare steel look. I am wanting to remove the paint from my old 1950′s kitchen cabinets and use them in my kitchen bare? They are already down so i can do just about what ever it takes to get the job done ? What is the easiest and cheapest way to remove the old paint ?I dont want to use them in my kitchen ,if i need to paint tem to perserve them. If thats the case i will use them in my basement. any ideas ?
John, this is not a DIY site. I do occasionally feature stories in which readers share how they did things. In regard to this question, PLEASE see my category, Kitchens / Steel Kitchens. There are a few stories about what readers have done with their cabinets. Please also know that there can be lead paint in these old cabinets — on this issue, and on all other related to renovating your vintage home — consult with properly licensed professionals so that you can make informed decisions about how to renovate safely.
We’ve found that a clear powdercoating works the best in this sort of application. The metal has to be perfectly clean though……and the cabinets would have to be removed to do the powdercoating…. Nice look though!
Thank you, John!
Perhaps find out what Room and Board uses on their metal furniture. They have a black finish and a metal finish.
I have 3 sets of Youngstown Kitchen lower cabinets. They are each 4′-4 1/2′ long. I ripped the tops off, stripped them down to bare metal then lined them up in the head of my garage. I mounted 2 layers of 3/4 plywood and skinned it with 18 gage Galvanized. That was 2 years ago, today I’m taking a cabinet door off, removing small spots of rust and just sprayed it with copper sulfate patina. This is going to finally be a complete garage work bench like no other at 13 feet long.
Sounds fabulous!