The choice of paint and tools for self-painting the refrigerator

In the current era, a person is heavily dependent on technical inventions, including everyday ones. It is unlikely that today you can find an average family without such a necessary unit as a refrigerator. Sometimes, when it breaks down, we start to wonder: “And how did our grandmothers manage without this miracle device?”

Content:

• The choice of paint and tools
• Surface preparation
• Staining recommendations
• Spray painting
• Roller or brush painting

However, the refrigerator is not always bought only due to breakage. Much more often they go to the store for new equipment only because the appearance of the old leaves much to be desired. Unfortunately, not everyone knows that painting the refrigerator easily resolves such difficulties.

This method, as well as pasting the surface with an oracal (self-adhesive decorative film), is perfect for updating the design of the refrigerator or hiding external defects. But, unlike the second method, which requires considerable skill and patience, otherwise the film will lie on the surface with air bubbles and wrinkles, you can paint the refrigerator quickly and without extra costs for materials and tools.

Of course, like any restoration work, the process of painting refrigeration equipment has its own characteristics and some nuances. Moreover, they need to be taken into account if the operation will be carried out by hand.

The choice of paint and tools

So, to paint the refrigerator at home, you need to purchase paint and tools in advance.

First, you should choose a paint: since the refrigerator is not the most common surface for processing, not every coloring substance is suitable as a coloring one. So what to paint?

It is worth noting that the applied finishing paint layer should, firstly, protect the skin from mechanical damage and, secondly, decorate the device. In the case of a refrigerator, which will always be in a dry and well-heated room, rust does not threaten him, so there is no point in spending money on an expensive anti-corrosion agent. Fire paint It will also be superfluous, because the very operation of the refrigerator near the fire is prohibited.

On the other hand, the coloring material should have the ability to tint and thixotropy (hold the layer on a vertical surface), be flexible (because the metal used in refrigerators has a high coefficient of thermal expansion) and not be afraid of detergents. As a result, we get the conclusion: we need waterproof paint for metal for internal work.

The metal surface is coated with paints of various compositions:

• organosilicon;
• zinc
• alkyd
• nitrocellulose
• acrylic
• epoxy
• polyurethane
• oily.

However, just to color the refrigerator, you don’t have to go deep into their contents. For purposes of this type, the following types of coloring solution are suitable:

1. Automotive nitro enamel. Resistant, durable and beautiful. It is realized in cans and applied by spraying. It has several disadvantages: cost, toxicity, uncontrolled spray during the process, as well as the need for subsequent cleaning of randomly painted areas with a solvent.
2. Acrylic paint on metal surfaces. Allows you to choose from a wide variety of colors, safe due to the lack of toxic substances. It is applied with a roller or brush.
3. Polyurethane or epoxy paint. The most resistant to wear, difficult to prepare due to two components.

For the most part, any of these three finishing materials will do. Inside the refrigerator you can steal the same paint.

As a working device, any narrow paint roller made of threads or a brush is suitable, and in case of use aerosol enamel in a balloon no tools at all.

Surface preparation

For the vast majority of people, the kitchen is almost the most favorite room in the apartment. It is associated with homemade warmth and delicious food. But this coin has a downside, and it concerns household appliances.

In the process of cooking, soot sits on the surface of the kitchen electronics, which, when dried, forms a greasy layer of spots. Over time, spots attract dust, so the refrigerator is covered with a layer of dirt that is resistant to conventional detergents. Consequently, before painting the surface of the refrigerator must be thoroughly washed so that the paint lays down easily and evenly.

For pre-treatment, as well as further painting work, you must first buy or remove from the pantry:

• detergent for removing greasy and hardened stains;
• abrasive sponge;
• wet and dry rags;
• fine sandpaper;
• degreasing compound (acetone, gasoline, kerosene);
• primer (optional);
• scotch tape, cling film or masking tape;
• unnecessary sheets of newspapers and magazines as a lining;
• respirator;
• gloves.

Now that all the related materials are at hand, you can start.

Preliminary preparation of the surface of the refrigeration unit for painting includes the following steps:

1. Disconnecting equipment from the mains and removing internal shelves and trays.
2. Thoroughly flush the appliance from the outside with a special detergent and abrasive-coated sponge.
3. Using sandpaper as a sanding material to remove old coatings. This manipulation will allow sanding cracks and chips, as well as provide good adhesion to the paint.
4. Wipe first with a wet, then dry rag to remove sanded particles and dirt.
5. Degreasing the surface with a special solution.
6. Application of a primer recommended by the manufacturer (optional).
7. Sealing accessories (handles, decorative strips, technological holes, rubber seals) with masking tape or film. Using masking tape, you can depict some kind of ornament or pattern. In this case, during the procedure, you need to monitor the tightness of the adhesive tape to the refrigerator.
8. Protect floors and nearby home furnishings with newspapers or magazines.
9. A preliminary test of the paint in an inconspicuous area will make it possible once again to verify the correctness of the selection of the desired color and in the reaction of the paint (whether it lies evenly, has wrinkles or smudges).

Separately, it is worth noting that to paint with your own hands a refrigerator or any other thing from the interior is the best thing on the street on a fine day. A strong wind will create artificial “smudges” on the surface, therefore, if it is windy on the street, painting activities should be moved to a well-ventilated area.

Staining recommendations

The refrigerator went through all stages of pre-processing. Now is the time to start the surface painting operation. Here the recommendations will depend on the type of paint chosen and the tools used.

Important: putting on a respirator and rubber gloves is a prerequisite for the procedure.

Spray painting

If work is carried out by spray cans, paint should be painted at a distance of 30 cm from the surface of the unit with uniform movements from left to right, without lingering for a long time at the same place to avoid smudges or too thick a layer. In a situation where an incident nevertheless happened, you can use a solvent, for example, one of the most familiar - acetone.

Staining takes place in 2-3 layers, between which it is necessary to take a break for half an hour to enable each previous layer of the coloring matter to dry properly.

Roller or brush painting

A little paint is drawn on the roller or brush. Then comes the coloring in the vertical direction or movements from left to right. After half an hour, a second coat is applied. Hard-to-reach spots can be painted over using a small brush. If necessary, the third layer will hide all the flaws of the previous two.

To fix the result, give a glossy gloss or matte effect and protect fresh paint, you can cover the surface of the refrigerator with a layer of acrylic varnish in an aerosol form.

The operation of painting the refrigerator at home is a great opportunity to give new life to the old appliance and to update the interior in an original way. For the sake of these goals, it is worth spending several hours of your time, especially since such a decorative solution will please the eyes of households and guests for a long time!