Versatility with Stainless Steel Backsplashes

For any professional chef, there is a certain pleasure derived from seeing a commercial kitchen with all its sleek stainless steel surfaces. Many modern home kitchens are including more major appliances in this easy-to-clean material. Simple soap and water or a bleach solution followed up with a stainless polish that sprays on and wipes down with ease, and your kitchen environment is the ultimate in clean and ready for action.

Boundless Versatility

Stainless steel is well-adapted to any application because it’s so easy to fabricate. It can also be textured or even colored for a wide variety of finishes. It can be fabricated in sheets, panels, or even tiles.

When applied as a continuous substrate, stainless steel backsplashes eliminate the typical joining that produces cracks or crevices. Those make for the perfect environment for bacteria to grow. This is another reason the material is standard in industrial kitchens. Without grouting, it’s still possible to effect corrosion-resistant patterns through embossing, pickling, bead blasting, etching, or plating.

Pros of Stainless Steel Backsplashes

There are lots of reasons to pick stainless steel backsplashes over traditional tile:

• Durable
• Non-corrosive
• Water-resistant and impervious to mold or mildew
• Tolerates high temperatures
• Easily fabricated into a variety of shapes and sizes
• Easily accommodated into any design style
• Reflects a warm lighting effect that makes the kitchen welcoming
• Gives a professional appearance to the room
• Options of a high-reflective gloss or matte finish
• Soap and water cleans with ease followed by a sanitizing solution
• When installing, there is no worry if your walls are not exactly true. Stainless steel hides many sins.

Cons of Stainless Steel Backsplashes

However, you should also be aware of these potential drawbacks:

• Susceptible to scratching when abrasive tools are used on the surface
• Stainless steel has a grain to it, and is best kept pristine if you follow the grain when cleaning or treating
• Needs a proper mounting support behind it so it won’t take impressions from any impact
• Fingerprints leave an impression, although these are simply wiped off

Examples of Stainless Steel Backsplashes

Here are a few of our favorite examples of stainless steel backsplashes.

A Space-Age Approach

The use of ultra-modern design is offset with warm lighting reflected in the stainless steel backsplash. Space-age appointments and a conventional refrigerator are complemented with the clever use of warm wood accents.

Balance Stainless Steel With Bold Color

You’ve got an excellent example of the classic triadic color combination of red, black, and white with the stainless steel silver serving as part of this color balance. All the surfaces in this kitchen are bright and shiny, including the stainless steel backsplash behind the range. The wooden flooring warms the room nicely.

Mimic the Look of Tile

A little different, this example uses stainless steel tiling as a backsplash that runs the full length of this kitchen. It’s quite a stunning appearance.

These examples give you some great ideas to get started planning your own stainless steel backsplash.