Letter 6876

Black oxidized steel for kitchen countertop?

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I am interested in finishing techniques that would make steel amenable to use as kitchen countertop surfacing. Of course, stainless is in wide use but relatively expensive. Also, not every homeowner wants the "sterile" appearance of stainless. Specifically, would black oxidized steel serve well as a countertop? I do not have any experience with this finish nor knowledge of it's wear or corrosion resistance. Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.

Dale King
- Corvallis, Oregon

There are no inexpensive finishes available for hot rolled or cold rolled steel that will hold up to the kind of use a kitchen typically requires. However, a hot rolled sheet, which is the most common, already has a layer of carbonized protection, sometimes called scale, which if regularly waxed (every week) will with stand the average wear and tear. But if you leave that frosty cup on it you will get a ring in a matter of hours. Further blackening the surface with Black Oxide does not protect it much from corrosion.

There are a variety of ways of making stainless darker, although it won't save you any money.

Finally, if you plan to eat out most of the time, you can lacquer steels or plate them.

Kurt L
- Brooklyn New York

Is black oxided same as black oxidized?

Cindy Chow
buyer - New York, New York

I'd say yes but there is no "official" answer.

Ted Mooney, P.E.  finishing.com Brick, New Jersey

Actually this is going to come as a real dumb arse reply.

I use LOTS of steel to make furniture etc., and I am sick of paints that scratch and all the usual.

I live in a dry climate and far away from the ocean.

So while there is all this hoo-haa and hysteria about "protective finishes" - which is fair IF the application actually requires it, there is an awful lot that does not need a "fancy" finish (e.g electroplated, spray painted or baked).

I quite like the natural texture and color of steel, the wire brushed welds, and the polished off sharp bits etc. so I just paint all my interior iron work - and my exterior work areas with plain old shellac.

I have been informed that it is the WAX in the shellac that makes it "mark" from water.

So as to how brilliant this finish actually is on a steel kitchen counter top... well.

I'd use dewaxed shellac - which is easy to do, just make a batch and let the wax settle to the bottom of the jar - pour the rest off.

Shellac is FAST drying, easy to renovate (dissolves in it's fresh application, and can be painted over with a urethane, if it doesn't work out, or it can be completely removed with paper towel soaked in metho - and kept under a sheet of aluminium foil.

Rastus Watermelon
- Melben Victoreea Straya