New Look for Refrigerator

Janice Anderssen
by Janice Anderssen
2 Materials
$100
4 Hours
Easy
When the door seal on my fridge decided it had had enough, I shopped around to see what it would cost to replace the refrigerator. What a shock to see how high the prices were for a similar fridge. Rather than have to spend a fortune I decided to look at replacing the seal and giving the fridge a makeover.
Before and after spraying with Rust-Oleum Appliance Epoxy spray in stainless steel.
Before and after spraying with Rust-Oleum Appliance Epoxy spray in stainless steel.
It was necessary to remove the door handles and mask off any areas to be spray painted. The top door seal was already removed, so only the bottom seal needed to be covered with masking tape.
Here's a close up of the area where rust has started to form on the door, around the handle. 
This area was tackled first and it was simply a matter of sanding the area with 180-grit sandpaper. I started off with my Dremel MultiMax before switching over to my Bosch PEX 220A Random Orbit Sander to sand the doors and sides.


GOOD TO KNOW: It's better to use a Random Orbit Sander when sanding the outside surface, as this sander doesn't leave scratch rings all over the finish.
After sanding away all the rust around the door handle.
After sanding the entire fridge with a random orbital sander and 180-grit sanding pads.
Two light coats of Rust-Oleum Appliance Epoxy were applied, with an hour's drying time between coats. Below you can see what the fridge looked like after applying the first coat.


GOOD TO KNOW: Shake the can well, for at least a minute, before spraying and have the can about 30cm away from the surface to apply over-lapping strokes from side to side. 
After letting the paint dry overnight I wasn't happy with the finish. It definitely looked like stainless steel, but it was a bit dull and flat and not like the original finish. To remedy this I applied two coats of Rust-Oleum Universal in Titanium Silver and this provided the perfect finish that looked just like it did originally.
Finished result after two coats of Rust-Oleum Universal in Titanium Silver.
Finished result after two coats of Rust-Oleum Universal in Titanium Silver.
Suggested materials:
  • Rust-Oleum Appliance Epoxy   (hardware store)
  • Rust-Oleum Universal Titanium Silver   (hardware store)
Janice Anderssen
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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  1 question
  • Roni Roni on Aug 06, 2018

    Is it possible to show the entire fridge? Can't tell much by your photos. The fridge looks gold with a small shot of the door.

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 1 comment
  • Myg13598802 Myg13598802 on Sep 07, 2020

    My Mom and I are living together now. She is a neat freak and I'm easy going. How do we meet a happy medium in the refrigerator?

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