How to Paint a Stove Hood

Instant Gratification

After purchasing our long-rented house from our landlord, there were so many projects we knew we wanted to tackle on our outdated house. So many, in fact, that we overwhelmed ourselves and just didn't know where to start. I NEEDED to do something, something that was a symbol to me that this was now OUR HOUSE and I wanted something that was inexpensive, that I could do alone, and, of course, something that would be an almost immediate difference. Like so many other things in our home, the appliance hood over the stove that houses lights and the exhaust fan, is of 1970s coloring, and I figured "How hard could this be?" and set off to get rid of the yellow and paint it to match our other appliances.

Getting Started

Upon inspection, I was pretty sure removal of the hood was not something that was in my realm of abilities and I decided I would paint it while it was in place. I went to Wal-Mart and purchased some TSP alternative cleaner, some Rustoleum spray appliance epoxy, and some cheap garbage bags to use as covers. I came home and got down to business. Often, when I'm starting a project, I send my husband a warning text and let him know he may be coming home to chaos; however, this time I dove right in, hoping to finish before he arrived home from work.

The Process

This project was so easy and rather quick, I'm not sure that the term project can really be used. If you have an ounce of confidence in your ability to wash, tape, and spray, this can be done very easily in a day and most of that time is actually spent waiting for paint to dry.

1. Following directions on package of TSP cleaner, wash down hood to remove grease and dirt accumulation from cooking. Remove filters and light covers as wash those as well. I soaked them in the kitchen sink in the cleaner while I worked on the hood itself. This took maybe 15 minutes.
2. After hood was dry, I began taping up the garbage bags and making sure surrounding cabinets, appliances and counters were covered. *See Picture* This step took another 10-15 minutes and I might have gone a little crazy with the coverage.
3. Following directions on the can, I sprayed the appliance epoxy in even swipes until covered. Waiting the recommended 30 minutes between coats, I applied 2 more coats and allowed to dry. Including drying time this step took about 2 hours.
4. Remove Tape and garbage bags and let drying process complete. The can says dry to touch in 2-4 hours, to handle in 5-9, and completely dry in 24 hours. I recommend (just to be safe) eating dinner out.
5. After waiting the 2 hours, I reinstalled the filter and light cover and the project was finished. Then, I sent my husband a picture of the finished project.

Before paint...ugly yellow.

A Few Quick Tips and Notes

While this project was super easy, there were some things that are worth noting.

• This paint/epoxy emits wicked fumes. I had windows and doors open and fans blowing and I still had to go outside a few times. DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU CAN'T VENTILATE!
• The TSP alternative is a very strong cleaner, wear gloves. It can and will irritate your skin.
• When you send the after picture to your husband. He will not even notice the paint and reply with "Did you move the utensils beside the stove?" Ugh... guess the outdated yellow only bothered me!

Questions & Answers

Question: Did you paint the underside of your stove's hood?

Answer: Yes I did. Just take extra precaution and time to make sure everything is taped off. I removed the light panel and painted under there as well.

Question: Can you tell me what kind of cleaner you used to remove grease after you painted your stove's hood? I just want to make sure that the paint will resist the cleaning degreaser and not stay on my rag.

Answer: I just use my everyday cleaner: either hot soapy water or an all-purpose Lysol Cleaner diluted per instructions on the bottle.

bonnie from san francisco on July 10, 2019:

i saw that you sent your husband an “after” picture and my first thought was “my boyfriend wouldn’t even notice”...man, they are ALL the same...lol