The present paper describes the room temperature synthesis of dip coated water repellent silica coatings onto stainless steel substrates using 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexamethyldisilazane as a surface modifying agent. The hydrophobic property of the silica coating was enhanced by increasing its surface roughness, which was achieved by a proper control over the MeOH/TMOS molar ratio (S) during the synthesis. The contact angle of a water droplet (10 mu l) increased from 72 degrees to 145 degrees with an increase in the S value from 9.1 to 36.4. The silica coating showed a minimum sliding angle of 15 degrees for a water droplet of 10 mu l. The water repellent silica coatings are thermally stable up to a temperature of 340 degrees C. The results have been discussed by taking into consideration the contact angle measurements, surface morphology and sol-gel parameters. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.