When we bought our house, the kitchen came with a fridge. A new white fridge.
That was the ONLY kitchen appliance that
did not belong in 1966.
did not belong in 1966.
Needless to say, the cooktop, range hood, and dishwasher HAD to be replaced...especially the cooktop was a "fire waiting to happen"...and the dishwasher was leaking water.
Stainless steel it was for the new appliances!
Stainless steel it was for the new appliances!
That said, as much as RN LOVES likes stainless steel appliances, we really did not want to spend the $1000+ to replace a perfectly functioning fridge.
We kicked around a few options...but never in a million years, had crossed my mind to paint a fridge!
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| Friendly reminder to NOT touch the handle after you paint it!!! |
That's what we did. Painted the fridge to blend in with our new color scheme.
***note on the left picture, the can of paint has a glossy finish and is ideal for indoor/outdoor, wood, metal and more. It's not specifically for appliances, but it's for metal, and our fridge is metal. I bought it at Lowes***
I know they have the stainless steel paint color, but because our is an "old style" fridge
(aka NOT a side by side, or freezer drawer at the bottom)
I did not think it would have looked too good.
***note on the left picture, the can of paint has a glossy finish and is ideal for indoor/outdoor, wood, metal and more. It's not specifically for appliances, but it's for metal, and our fridge is metal. I bought it at Lowes***
I know they have the stainless steel paint color, but because our is an "old style" fridge
(aka NOT a side by side, or freezer drawer at the bottom)
I did not think it would have looked too good.
So he was happy with the black choice.
I painted the fridge several years ago (3 or so), and it still looks great!
The only part that I just touched up today, is the door handle, that had white little spots,
but not peeling paint.
Before
but not peeling paint.
Before
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| This is a close up...trust me, the handle did not look that bad before repainting |
This has been a great deal for us.
The paint in the can was $14 (1 quart) and I still have 1/2 can left for touch ups.
***Yes, the paint is not specifically for appliances, but if you can find a paint that is good for metal (if your fridge is metal like ours), then it should work.***
***Yes, the paint is not specifically for appliances, but if you can find a paint that is good for metal (if your fridge is metal like ours), then it should work.***
One day RN will have his stainless steel, but for now black works just as well for us!
Here is what I did.
Clean the fridge really good, front, top and sides. I used clorox wipes, then washed it with water and
dry thoroughly with a towel.
Finally, I used rubbing alcohol to clean all the impurities.
dry thoroughly with a towel.
Finally, I used rubbing alcohol to clean all the impurities.
Initially I wanted to spray paint the fridge,
thinking that the paint brush would leave brush marks...
but spray painting all over your kitchen is not a great idea,
so I settled for the paint brush.
And I am happy to report that after the second coat of paint, there were no brush marks in sight!
I promise you...people can't tell it is a painted fridge!
thinking that the paint brush would leave brush marks...
but spray painting all over your kitchen is not a great idea,
so I settled for the paint brush.
And I am happy to report that after the second coat of paint, there were no brush marks in sight!
I promise you...people can't tell it is a painted fridge!
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| Our fridge surface is textured! |
No priming or sanding (the paint is specifically for metal...and more), 2 coats of paint, and $14 later, we had a fridge that fit with the rest of the kitchen!
Stay Frugal,
20 comments:
Great job! Looks amazing! Would have done the same thing. Don't fix what aint broke!
Looks good to me. I hate those white "apartment-style" fridges.
That is soo cool and frugal! Just a few months ago we finally replaced the range that came with our house - I'm pretty sure it was from the 70s and the dryer from about the same time broke the week we moved in!
That was a great idea! I love paint projects. I've never painted an appliance before. It's nice to know there are paint products out there designed for that though.
Awesome! Our fridge should probably have something done to it before we try to sell. This looks like it will fit the bill.:)
Wonderful information to pass on! I have always wondered about painting appliances but worried you would be able to tell it was 'painted.' Yours looks beautiful & if you hadn't told me, I would have never known! And seriously, $14!? That may just be the best part of all. Thanks for sharing the break down & how-to. I found you from the POPP at Domestically Speaking.
It looks great! I'm so glad I found your blog. We had the exact same thing happen... bought a house and all appliances but the fridge need to be replaced. We got all stainless steel and now the fridge looks so out of place. I have two questions. Did you do anything special with the handle or just paint it as normal (does it need to be removed and put back on)? And, how did you keep the rubber seal from getting painted up? Thanks so much!
What paint did you end up using? I can't find specific appliance paint in black!
Melissa, I used the rustoleum in the can. (pictured in the post) Spray painting was not going to happen inside the kitchen
The can of paint in the picture doesn't specifically say appliance paint. How did you know it works on refrigerators? I can't find black appliance paint in a can any where only the spray and I'm with you, no thanks over spray.
I am in a similar situation. Moving to a house with all black appliance and my fridge is white, however the water/ice maker and handle are plastic. Don't think I can paint the ice maker parts since they plastic. I think it will still look OK leaving them white since the seals and grill on the bottoms are white. Since I am moving I am thinking I can spray paint it outside before moving it inside to the kitchen. Any thoughts on this or is a brush better? So excited to do this. Thanks for posting!
Thanks for the post! I will be painting a white upright freezer black shortly to match the appliances in our new house.
I am not clear on what you painted the rubber door gaskets with or did you replace them?
email for response: HappyPlanter@fuse.net
Thanks for this! Hubby & I painted our side by side fridge yesterday and it came out great.
It turned out great! I've tried painting a few appliances in the past with varying degrees of success. I think it takes a brave heart! Thanks for sharing, Blessings, D@TheShadyPorch
connollygr@gmail.com
Are you still happy with this? Does the fact that the refrigerator has a textured surface, which I imagine is plastic, make a difference? To me that means you wouldn't use metal paint. Thank you.
The first coat on the refrigerator in my N.Y. summer place looks great! Hope the second does, as well. I donated a beautiful frig. in my new home back in GA. Now I could kick myself for not trying this, first, before buying a new black one!
BTW, I used Rustoleum Black Gloss oil based paint for metal. Very nice. Hope the paint stays on the plastic handle.
How did you paint the seals / hardware / door handles? Did you put the alliance epoxy over the top of the paint after the two coats?
Did you paint the gaskets, rubber peace? And if so what did you use? Thank you your help is wonderful
Did you paint rubber gaskets? If so what did you use? gpeach1988@yahoo.com thank you for your help! My refrigerator turned out great. However I chose to roll on with foam roller
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