A Range Hood Makeover

For homeowners who opt to install a Commercial Range Hood in their kitchen – or even restaurant operators who want to spruce up their open kitchen – it may be possible to give the hood a cosmetic makeover. After all, you may enjoy the improved circulation that a commercial hood provides. But you may also want to give yourself and your guests/patrons something more artistic to behold. 

Before plans get too far down the road, though, first check to make sure that your hood can be painted/adorned with a design. There may be local codes or manufacturer’s warnings against doing this. Even if that is the case, you still might be able to mask your hood with a structure that would not be adversely affected by the heat produced by a commercial kitchen.

One decorator decided to go for a full-blown re-design of a range hood. First off, she had to come to terms with the idea that painting directly on stainless steel involves much more than applying some primer and paint.

She degreased the surface and then used a product to etch into the surface so that it would have some “teeth” – meaning, the ability to hold a coating of paint. The product she used resulted in a sticky surface that was more along the lines of “liquid flypaper”.

She then worked up some samples of the design to show to her client. While those were being perused, the decorator used a 50/50 mixture of copper and bronze metallic paint for the hood’s base coat.

After that was in place, she took advantage of a one-time-use stencil to create a pattern that evoked the feel of a wrought iron gate in order to echo an actual piece of wrought iron artwork hanging over the client’s kitchen door.

After applying and finishing off the darker wrought iron pattern, the decorator gave the whole range hood an antiquing glaze of dark brown and brown, which helped to convey a more aged and less shiny appearance.

The end result is a hood that looks both modern and classic – a perfect fit for the decorator’s kitchen!