Appliance paint?
#1
09-30-05, 08:24 PM
Appliance paint?
I'm considering painting my old Hotpoint refridgerator but it has a sort of textured exterior like leather in white. Is there a specific paint for this and if so- are there a lot of color options or just a few basics?
thanks!
thanks!
#2
09-30-05, 08:42 PM
Member
The frig will not look like it did when new. The original paint was a special coating with special application. An automotive shop MAY be able to apply a durable finish. I do not believe anything close to this can be achieved at home. I have seen posts referring to this endeavor before and the consensus was to use enamel paint. This will be a harder and stronger finish. Please don't expect miracles though. Good luck with your project.
#3
10-01-05, 10:51 AM
IMO the textured finishes on refrigerators paint better/easier than the old slick finishes. Use either oil base enamel or waterborne enamel [not latex]. The smoother the paint is applied the better it will look.
#4
10-02-05, 12:03 PM
The problem with the textures finish is that unlike a regular ref that has just paint on metal you cannot easily sand the ref. Sanding after degreasing and cleaning is important. This is best acheived with a purple scotch brite pad.
Being someone who has actually painted 100's of ref I can say without hesitation that, for the homeowner, the best paint to use is an automotive paint or appliance epoxy[will stick to glossy surfaces] paint[in the can] The colors are endless[auto paint] and you do not need to buy a sprayer. Roller and a brush are not apprpriate imo. I used professional equipment not spray cans. I did use cans once when my gun clogged and I had to do the job "now". It looked great if I do say so myself,and I do
A typical ref might take 6+ or so cans of paint[buy more[10] and return unused]. My preference is for Dupli-color. It has an exellent tip that produces a soft fan spray pattern.
If you choose this route a few tips after you unplug the ref, all pilot lights out, and put a fan in the window with no draft[dust] going past where the ref will be. Have a purple and yellow respirator on hand. Put plastic drop cloths on the walls and when the time come put the drop clothes under the ref and over the plastic.
1] clean, clean, clean. Use a degreaser such as Greased Lightning and then wipe down with water.Rough up the surface with scotch brite, not great ,but better than sandpaper which will ride on top and not get in the grooves. Tack cloth the ref and vacuum the floor 2] put the ref in a corner and make sure you can access all sides.
3] Do not put it under a ceiling fan and turn off the heat if you have hot air.
4]remove the handles dismantle them if possible[it is usually easier than masking them] and paint them seperately. If you must tape them use 2" tape and cut out what you want to paint with a utility knife and leave tape on what you don't. Remove the front grate at the bottom too. Paint seperately. Mask off this whole area, or stuff with paper towels.
5] You can use vaseline[do not put on too much or get it on where you will have to paint] applied with a Q-tip to cover parts of the hinge that are too small or difficult to mask. Take it off when done with a clean Q-Tip.
6] Tip the frig up and slide drop cloth or paper drop cloth under the ref and fill the gap from the bottom of the ref to the floor with paper towels or whatever. Dirt will fly out. It may be beneficial to clean the bottom of the ref first, but still use the paper towels to fill the gap.
7] you need to mask off everything in side the ref,including the inside of the door and both compartments. A real pain. A work around is to mask the gaskets and spray the ref with the doors closed This will obviously produce a different color where the gasket meets the frame. You can spray some paint into a dish and apply it with a sash pad.
8] there is always the possibility of the finish lifting. To avoid this I would apply the first coat very lightly. The second coat horizontily overlaping strokes by 50%. The 3rd coat vertical again overlapping. finally the last coat[hopefully] horizontally.
9] do not apply any coat too heavily and do all edges first. This is important to avoid runs. Have the edges basically covered before you start the front and sides. I would have a can in both hands one with a vertical spray pattern and one with a horizontal. When I wasn't useng it I would be shaking it.
10] when spraying the sides near the top spray slightly down so as not to get dry overspray on the top of the ref. Do not wear lose clothing that will touch the sides when you do the top
Put a protective clear coat on the handles.
11] don't try to get the last drop out of the cans. When they get near empty they will spit drops. You do not need this, better to leave a little in the can.
12] Proper spray technique is to keep the can the same distance from the surface. No arc type movements.
It is up to you to make sure the finish will not lift. This is much more likely with 2 part paints but it is not impossible that it would happen. It is highly unlikely that it would if you do it like I said.
Joneq used to get $200.00 for this and he thought he was giving it away. It may cost $250 now. If I was you I would pay to have it done professionally. You do not have to bring it to a body shop.
It would take me 4 hrs from when I got to the house tll the owner gave me the cash errr I mean the check. If I had anything else to do I would not take the job.
With everthing you have to do the most time consuming is masking the inside. Masking the gasket and painting the ref withe door closed simplifies things a lot.
There may be waterborne finishes available that are apprpriate, but if they are not in a can and you need a sprayer it can get expensive and the only advantage would be the odor. Get it done professionally
Some of the newer finishes are self leveling and with the texture you have on you ref it may not be a bad choice, at least better than if there was no texture. I would not
There is no pro that I know of that would not use a sprayer[can, hvlp, electrostatic]to apply the coating. Most appliance refinishers use electrostatic where the paint is sucked onto the appliance with little or no overspray and no breeze and consequently no dust is raised.
Being someone who has actually painted 100's of ref I can say without hesitation that, for the homeowner, the best paint to use is an automotive paint or appliance epoxy[will stick to glossy surfaces] paint[in the can] The colors are endless[auto paint] and you do not need to buy a sprayer. Roller and a brush are not apprpriate imo. I used professional equipment not spray cans. I did use cans once when my gun clogged and I had to do the job "now". It looked great if I do say so myself,and I do
A typical ref might take 6+ or so cans of paint[buy more[10] and return unused]. My preference is for Dupli-color. It has an exellent tip that produces a soft fan spray pattern.
If you choose this route a few tips after you unplug the ref, all pilot lights out, and put a fan in the window with no draft[dust] going past where the ref will be. Have a purple and yellow respirator on hand. Put plastic drop cloths on the walls and when the time come put the drop clothes under the ref and over the plastic.
1] clean, clean, clean. Use a degreaser such as Greased Lightning and then wipe down with water.Rough up the surface with scotch brite, not great ,but better than sandpaper which will ride on top and not get in the grooves. Tack cloth the ref and vacuum the floor 2] put the ref in a corner and make sure you can access all sides.
3] Do not put it under a ceiling fan and turn off the heat if you have hot air.
4]remove the handles dismantle them if possible[it is usually easier than masking them] and paint them seperately. If you must tape them use 2" tape and cut out what you want to paint with a utility knife and leave tape on what you don't. Remove the front grate at the bottom too. Paint seperately. Mask off this whole area, or stuff with paper towels.
5] You can use vaseline[do not put on too much or get it on where you will have to paint] applied with a Q-tip to cover parts of the hinge that are too small or difficult to mask. Take it off when done with a clean Q-Tip.
6] Tip the frig up and slide drop cloth or paper drop cloth under the ref and fill the gap from the bottom of the ref to the floor with paper towels or whatever. Dirt will fly out. It may be beneficial to clean the bottom of the ref first, but still use the paper towels to fill the gap.
7] you need to mask off everything in side the ref,including the inside of the door and both compartments. A real pain. A work around is to mask the gaskets and spray the ref with the doors closed This will obviously produce a different color where the gasket meets the frame. You can spray some paint into a dish and apply it with a sash pad.
8] there is always the possibility of the finish lifting. To avoid this I would apply the first coat very lightly. The second coat horizontily overlaping strokes by 50%. The 3rd coat vertical again overlapping. finally the last coat[hopefully] horizontally.
9] do not apply any coat too heavily and do all edges first. This is important to avoid runs. Have the edges basically covered before you start the front and sides. I would have a can in both hands one with a vertical spray pattern and one with a horizontal. When I wasn't useng it I would be shaking it.
10] when spraying the sides near the top spray slightly down so as not to get dry overspray on the top of the ref. Do not wear lose clothing that will touch the sides when you do the top
Put a protective clear coat on the handles.11] don't try to get the last drop out of the cans. When they get near empty they will spit drops. You do not need this, better to leave a little in the can.
12] Proper spray technique is to keep the can the same distance from the surface. No arc type movements.
It is up to you to make sure the finish will not lift. This is much more likely with 2 part paints but it is not impossible that it would happen. It is highly unlikely that it would if you do it like I said.
Joneq used to get $200.00 for this and he thought he was giving it away. It may cost $250 now. If I was you I would pay to have it done professionally. You do not have to bring it to a body shop.
It would take me 4 hrs from when I got to the house tll the owner gave me the cash errr I mean the check. If I had anything else to do I would not take the job.
With everthing you have to do the most time consuming is masking the inside. Masking the gasket and painting the ref withe door closed simplifies things a lot.
There may be waterborne finishes available that are apprpriate, but if they are not in a can and you need a sprayer it can get expensive and the only advantage would be the odor. Get it done professionally
Some of the newer finishes are self leveling and with the texture you have on you ref it may not be a bad choice, at least better than if there was no texture. I would not
There is no pro that I know of that would not use a sprayer[can, hvlp, electrostatic]to apply the coating. Most appliance refinishers use electrostatic where the paint is sucked onto the appliance with little or no overspray and no breeze and consequently no dust is raised.
Last edited by joneq; 10-02-05 at 02:55 PM.
#5
10-03-05, 09:33 PM
Wow!
I appreciate all the detail and instructions... it sounds too hard for me I think.
I thought I could use a paintbrush - I don't know how to use a spray can...
PLUS, I'll be doing it by myself and not strong enough to tip the fridge, etc...
I had no idea it'd take that many coats of paint either! Everything in the kitchen's white so since the fridge is on the other side of the room I thought I'd paint it a funky turquoise or something- but I guess I'll just give it a really good cleaning and stick with the white (I'd hate to do all this work and have it die in a year- it's kinda old I think)
THANKS THOUGH- I'm going to save your email in case I change my mind!
deb
I thought I could use a paintbrush - I don't know how to use a spray can...
PLUS, I'll be doing it by myself and not strong enough to tip the fridge, etc...
I had no idea it'd take that many coats of paint either! Everything in the kitchen's white so since the fridge is on the other side of the room I thought I'd paint it a funky turquoise or something- but I guess I'll just give it a really good cleaning and stick with the white (I'd hate to do all this work and have it die in a year- it's kinda old I think)
THANKS THOUGH- I'm going to save your email in case I change my mind!
deb
#6
10-03-05, 09:52 PM
It's not that tough, I DID IT IN 4 HRS, but after you mentioned turquoise I have to agree. DO NOT PAINT IT!!!!!!
I had to make it look as good as new. If you don't really care you could apply the paint with a solvent resistant foam roller available in boat supply stores. Use an oil based paint and add penetrol to it. I think it will be obvious it was painted, but what the hey.
You will still need to remove the handles and rough it up a little, but it may not look too bad. Personally if I wasn't going to spray it I wouldn't paint it. That is why I told you how to spray it. It is really the only way to do it.
Why not post in the faux finishing section and see if anybody has any ideas "other than turquoise" that is.
I had to make it look as good as new. If you don't really care you could apply the paint with a solvent resistant foam roller available in boat supply stores. Use an oil based paint and add penetrol to it. I think it will be obvious it was painted, but what the hey.
You will still need to remove the handles and rough it up a little, but it may not look too bad. Personally if I wasn't going to spray it I wouldn't paint it. That is why I told you how to spray it. It is really the only way to do it.
Why not post in the faux finishing section and see if anybody has any ideas "other than turquoise" that is.
#7
10-04-05, 09:05 AM
Me and my wife frequent a hotel at Myrtle Beach. Because of the salt air they paint their refrigerators on a ungoing basis. I assume they use oil base enamel and I believe they roll them. As a professional painter I notice things [related to paint] that others don't. I doubt my wife and few others even know the refrigs have been painted.
Textured refrigerators aren't really sandable but a good cleaning is a must. Wouldn't hurt to wipe them down with a deglossser. Then use a small roller and/or brush to paint it any color you desire. Slight color changes will cover in 1 coat but drastic color change will probably take 2-3 coats. Be sure to use enamel - preferably oil base or waterborne.
Textured refrigerators aren't really sandable but a good cleaning is a must. Wouldn't hurt to wipe them down with a deglossser. Then use a small roller and/or brush to paint it any color you desire. Slight color changes will cover in 1 coat but drastic color change will probably take 2-3 coats. Be sure to use enamel - preferably oil base or waterborne.
#9
10-06-05, 07:27 PM
I am laughing out loud now...
The hysterical face when you read "TURQUOISE" cracked me up. I am sitting here laughing in front of my dog... who can't figure out what a laptop is all about anyways...
The kitchen's white and aqua so I thought a teal colored fridge would blend
in since it's across the room in a niche. BUT- maybe I'm best sticking with the white and letting it be quite obvious it's a refridgerator. I guess since the rest of the home is fairly traditional- apparently this may look out of place if I use a "vivid" color (well, I was going to go for a muted turquoise- not bright blue) but again with the spray can and plastic sheeting, etc... I have so many other things I have to fix in this "new to me" home- I think I'll look for another project. Thanks folks!
deb
The kitchen's white and aqua so I thought a teal colored fridge would blend
in since it's across the room in a niche. BUT- maybe I'm best sticking with the white and letting it be quite obvious it's a refridgerator. I guess since the rest of the home is fairly traditional- apparently this may look out of place if I use a "vivid" color (well, I was going to go for a muted turquoise- not bright blue) but again with the spray can and plastic sheeting, etc... I have so many other things I have to fix in this "new to me" home- I think I'll look for another project. Thanks folks!
deb
