How to paint your fridge.

How I painted my fridge from Black to pink. 

I finally killed the ugly corner of my kitchen. Yes! the black fridge is no more and it now fits in with the theme of my house and my kitchen decor. I am thrilled with how it turned out and I am going to share with you lots of pictures and how I actually done it. 

I love the style of the vintage fridges that are around but they are so expensive and I seen one for over €2k which is insane for me to spend on a fridge so I decided to give my existing one a retro feel to match my kitchen.

I had done a lot of research and reading up on other people’s fridge makeovers before tackling the job myself. I have painted a lot of things in my house and I knew that if it was going to last I needed a good primer. Another option I had thought of was covering it in Vinyl. If you are nervous of messing up your fridge and don’t feel confident painting it then this could be an option for you. In the end I decided to paint mine as I couldn’t find a vinyl in the colour I wanted. 

( As you can see from above this was my ugly corner of the kitchen, it was the last corner to get a makeover to tie it in with the rest of the kitchen.)

Its all about the prep and the primer. 

I cannot stress enough the prep of this project. I spent more time on the prep than I did on applying the pink paint. 

Clean your fridge with sugar soap and ensure you get any soapy residue off before applying the primer.
– I used a butter knife to pick off the brand logo that was on my fridge and scrubbed off any remaining glue. 

I used the Rust-oleum plastic primer to prime my fridge. My fridge is covered in a plastic PVC style material so I went with this primer.

I used two cans of the primer and gave two coats of primer. 

Spray the primer in a well ventilated room or ideally spray in the garden or shed. I moved mine out near the garden to spray. Use a mask also and follow the safety instructions on the can. The Primer does smell however the smell doesn’t linger and once dry the smell is gone.

Spray thinly and evenly and avoid getting too close as the last thing you want is to get drips. A little tip is to start at the side where people won’t really see and get your rhythm for spraying. 

I allowed one full day for the primer to dry before I applied the pink paint. 

The Pink Paint. 

I used the Rust-oleum satin finish furniture paint in the shade champagne pink. I went with the satin finish as I wanted a smooth wipeable finish on my fridge. We spend so much time opening the fridge each day I wanted something hardwearing and easy to clean and wipe away any paw prints.  

– I used a roller and I applied two coats of paint. The coverage was really good and I would have gotten away with one coat but the second coat really made the colour pop.
– I used a make up foundation brush on the handle areas to get a really smooth finish and no brush strokes. 

– Allow each coat to fully dry before applying the next. 

– This paint dries smooth and does not need to be sealed with wax or varnish. 

– I then allowed my fridge to fully dry for 24 hours and was extra careful when opening the door. The paint is touch dry after 30 mins but just be careful as you don’t want it to chip on you if you knock off it in the first day.

Also be careful for the first few weeks with your magnets as you don’t want them to pull off your paint. Allow a month for the paint to fully cure before putting your magnets back on. 

I am delighted with how my fridge turned out. You might remember my painted cabinets diy and this corner of my kitchen was the last corner to get a shabby makeover and get rid of the black accessories. This was the final piece in my kitchen and now it is complete. All of the colours compliment each other and I am really pleased with how it flows together.

As with all DIY and painted projects you need to bear in mind the risk of chipping, peeling etc but I always make sure to give a good prep and this gives my pieces longevity. If I have any problems with my fridge I will update this blog post for you. For all projects my top tip is to be patient and take your time. Allow yourself enough time to paint and never rush your project.
Also this piece can be washed and wiped down to remove dirt. As with my kitchen cabinets I don’t use harsh chemicals but warm soapy water won’t effect your paint job. 

The trinkets! 

My fave part of a new epicycle project is styling it up after I have painted it. As I have a gap above my fridge I got this little biscuit tin from Heatons and the retro milk bottles in the wooden crate. The milk bottles come with red caps but I removed mine as the red clashed. I picked mine up in their Blanchardstown store so they should be new in.

My retro microwave is from DID and was on sale. I am going to give my old one to my mam ( that’s my excuse for getting a new microwave ). You can find it here and I got it on sale too.

Thanks so much for reading and I hope you like my new pink fridge. Let me know what projects you have planned at home too and leave your comments below. 

Chat soon, 

Catherine. 

** This is not a sponsored post however the paint I used was kindly sent to me by Rust-oleum. 

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16 Comments

  1. puttingitoutthere
    February 19, 2017 / 12:10 pm

    I love this colour! I would not had even thought you could paint your fridge. Great tips and post x

  2. nayworthcottagecrafts
    February 19, 2017 / 2:36 pm

    Wow wow wow xx This is so my next project x thanks so much for the info XxXx

  3. Catherine Carton
    February 19, 2017 / 3:54 pm

    Thanks so much for reading, I am glad you found it use full xxx

  4. Catherine Carton
    February 19, 2017 / 3:55 pm

    Aw thank you lovely, I cannot wait to see it. its made such a difference to my kitchen already.

  5. Army Mommy AKA Beth Ann
    February 20, 2017 / 6:16 pm

    What color are the gaskets, or did you paint them?

  6. Catherine Carton
    February 20, 2017 / 8:45 pm

    Hiya! Yes I painted them in the pink paint and I used the smooth brush, I just painted the side of the seals not the inside of seals as didn't want the to stick. x Thanks for reading.

  7. Unknown
    February 22, 2017 / 11:52 pm

    well done Cat, amazing x

  8. Catherine Carton
    February 23, 2017 / 9:53 am

    Thanks so much for reading x

  9. Unknown
    April 16, 2017 / 10:24 am

    I'm doing my kitchen up just now and the fridge is looking terrible against all the new things. I'm going to give this a go and paint it pale blue. If it doesn't work then I will buy another. As was planning too anyway. Thanks for the tips xx

  10. Catherine Carton
    April 16, 2017 / 8:07 pm

    Aw let me know how you get one. Once you take your time and prime it will be fab. Mine is holding up fantastically so far and no issues. x

  11. Ohio Creative Collective
    July 21, 2018 / 8:04 pm

    Hi there! Love this! Did the paint last over the last year? Still look beautiful?

  12. Unknown
    August 27, 2018 / 7:16 pm

    Love this idea. I went straight out to get the paint. Do you think you would still get a good result without using the primer as I don't think I can move my fridge outside. Thanks a lot.

  13. Catherine Carton
    August 29, 2018 / 7:22 am

    Hiya, no I would definitely recommend priming. Why not try and see if you can get a paint on primer over a spray x

  14. Sam
    January 20, 2019 / 11:28 am

    This is awesome, thanks for the tutorial! I’m painting mine a teal. Question, I ordered a gallon of teal high grade wall paint last summer and never got around to using it. Do you think I could use this paint or do I need special paint like what you got?

  15. daintydressdiaries
    Author
    January 20, 2019 / 12:23 pm

    Hi Sam, thanks for reading. No, I wouldn’t use wall paint for this project. I would use a primer and satin or eggshell finish paint. Those paints will dry with a satin finish so it will be silky and washable and last longer over time. xxx

  16. Poppy
    April 24, 2019 / 6:19 pm

    Hello Catherine, I know this is an older post but, since I was supposed to move and it felt down, I have decided to upcycle some of my existing furniture. I’m giving away my big frige and buying a half size. Like you said $$$ They’re pricey, so I thought about this post. Would it work with a glossy finish too? Thinking that minty colour from Smeg. Thanks

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