We got a mini-cooler/fridge for upstairs but turned up the wrong colour. It’s only a little thing, noisy too but worth the effort.
But here’s the thing the fridge comes in many splendid shades of pastel blues and pinks, but we ordered a metallic grey one, but then I got to thinking rather than return it and wait ages for the replacement and limit myself to their 5 colour range, how about I spray paint it the colour I want.
I was thinking ferrari metallic red to go with my boxer shorts, once I made this choice there was no going back, but what do I do about the grill on the back? How do I paint this?
Is there a DIY section on GS? If so move this thread there please if not please help.
I got the masking tape at the ready and my cans of spray paint and now need to know how to deal with the grill.
In theory you could spray paint anything, the question is will it stick? There are a number of ways to think about this. You could spray paint a small section of the piece, and observe it later to see if it sticks. But oil based paint takes at least 30 days to fully cure, so you never really know if you have a good bond. The most common ways to get good adhesion are to roughten the surface, and to prime the surface. A light sanding of the existing grey metalic finish (is this paint or real metal?) will remove any surface finish that is essentially designed to prevent anything from sticking, including your paint. The second method is chemical, that is, applying a primer paint whose specialized properties enhance sticking. Obviously the best solution is to do both, sanding and priming.
90% of the success in painting is the preparation of the surface to receive the paint. Once you have prepared the surface, the actual spray painting is easy, and quite fun. So long as you apply the paint lightly, you will avoid the drips that can make surface unsightly. Keep the sprayer moving at all times, and apply several very light coats as opposed to one heavy coat.
Viola, new designer fridge.
But dang, pastel blues and pinks? How about a little more manly color there fruit cup?
Well I got this metal paint that is a primer, undecoat and topcoat in one, that dries in 15 mins. As I said I went for ferrari red paint, the fridge actually turned up pastel after we ordered metallic grey.
Anyway about this light sanding, is it really nessecary, I'll be spraying onto the paint finish and not drectly onto metal. If I don't sand am I more likely to get a build of paint and drips formed? Or is it just not likely to apply?
Good advice about trying it on a small patch first.
But I come back to my original question what about the grill, do I have to mess about with paint brushes to make sure I don't get paint into the internal workings of the fridge or is there a handy tip to get the grill spray painted as well?
The purpose of the sanding is simple. The existing coat of paint has a hard outer crust that has no pores, and is slick. The light sanding before the primer will give the primer a surface to stick to. Be aware that after sanding ALL of the sand must be removed, every speck. You can vaccuum, use a "Tack cloth" that is cheese cloth with a sticky resin, or wipe it off with a towel soaked in mineral spirits (very flammable) flipping the towel surfaces frequently.. All three is best. It is highly likely that if you do not sand, that your attractive Ferrari Red paint will later peel off in great sheets. Remarkably unattractive.
The best way to deal with the grill is to take it off if at all possible. Unscrew it and paint it separately. If that cannot be done, cover the guts of the fridge with a combination of newspaper and blue painters masking tape. It may be helpful to slide a piece of cardboard in back of the grill to cover the workings. With out seeing it I am having some difficulty visualizing the task. A brush will cause all sorts of drippings, spraying will give a much more consistant surface, if you use light coats and do not overspray. Use the same blue masking tape to tape off the gaskets, hinges and other bits that should not be painted. How about ordering a nice Ferrari decal, or better yet, order your loyal consultant a Ferrari, and I will give you the decal? :)
Take your time and do good preparation of the surface, and you will have a nicely finished project.
Well I'm half way in now, I went for wire wool and then fine sand paper. I put too much paint on some areas the first coat so wiped and re-applied.
It looks better already.
The grills are non-removable so just covered them and sprayed over, the mesh is gonna have to stay the pastel pink colour, but they're on the back so not really noticable.
I'll wait till it dries a bit then do the inside frame of the door.
How long beofre it dries, and how long before the masking tape turns to concrete?
I have no idea how long it dries, very dependent on the paint and humidity. Did you use the new blue tape, or the tan type? The blue will stay pliable for up to 7 days. The tan less than 24 hours. In general the sooner you remove the tape the better. As the paint starts to harden, it skins over, and the harder it gets the more likely it is to pull off some of the paint with it. To avoid that you can lightly score the edge of the tape with a razor blade or box cutter (passing on the obvious opportunity for levity here), so that the tape does not pull off rough edges of paint with it.
It's metallic paint on the outside and I'll be only doing a bit of the inner door around the window. Once the paint dries it should be ok, besides mostly be using it for bottles of water and the like.
You know, paint or no paint, that is really sort of a bizarre unusual looking fridge. That really is quite a lot of work, for what is, quite frankly a butt ugly appliance...
I think the fridge looks kinda like an escape pod in a space shuttle. The pastel pink peeking from the middle window gives it a freaky look though, even if just temporarily.
For what you have done to this fridge she should have chucked both you and the fridge out.