Pros and Cons of Stainless Steel Appliances

Choosing Appliance Finishes

Stainless steel appliances are de rigueur these days. It seems that whether you live in a tract home or a mansion, you're going to end up with stainless steel. Everyone will tell you that you need stainless steel for you home's resale value, and there may be some truth in that. In addition, in some more exclusive brands, it appears that stainless steel is all that they offer.

It wasn't always this way, but stainless steel gradually took over when people started expressing an interest in restaurant or commercial style appliances in their kitchen. Here are some of the other reasons homeowners give for choosing stainless:

• Sanitary “hospital” cleanliness.
• Doesn't rust or stain (Duh – it's stainless).
• Appealing, shiny appearance
• Easily wipes off
• Durable finish – can't chip
• enhances resale value of house
• Some products are available only in stainless (eg. built-in coffee maker)

While stainless steel is not going away soon, there are many alternatives. White and black are still standard finishes for entry level brands. Frigidaire has a version of stainless steel that doesn't show fingerprints -really, it works. GE has a slate finish which clearly isn't stainless, it's a dull grey finish, but works for a faux stainless look without the disadvantages of stainless. It accepts magnets and doesn't require the polishing.

Most premium brands will also offer white and black appliances with stainless upgrades, though I've heard of at least one brand offering customers a choice of only black or stainless appliances. Moving up to luxury brands, color or finish selections really vary among the brands. Viking, BlueStar, Dacor, and Bertazzoni just to name four offer appliances in a variety of custom color selections as special orders. A favorite for some high end buyers is to put custom matching cabinet panels on refrigerators, dishwashers, icemakers, wine coolers, etc.

To explore these options for YOUR appliances call or visit the professionals at Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center today.

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