How To Paint A Fridge (without the paint scratching off)

We moved into our house 12 days ago. Since then, we’ve been unpacking and doing little projects to make the home feel like ours. I have a full kitchen painting job on the horizon (here’s the plan), but let’s be real, I’m scared to tackle it. So to pull the Band-aid off on our kitchen updates, I started by painting the fridge.

why paint a perfectly good fridge?

So why am I painting the fridge? Honestly, mostly to make it cute. The fridge is in terrible condition- there’s dents all over it. On the inside, the guards on the door don’t work so its barely functional (the ketchup, salad dressing, etc. can’t be in the door).

Oh, and there’s no fridge light. Basically, we need a new fridge, but until I save up for it, why not make this one a little more pretty?!

tutorial- how to paint a fridge

Supplies

step 1- clean the fridge

Once again, I am glad I tackled this project because the outside of the fridge was disgusting. I pulled out the fridge from the cabinet and it was covered in all sorts of gross stuff. So I cleaned that right off.

step 2- pull off the handles

If the handles of your fridge come off, now is the time to remove them! Mine are going gold (!!!) so I brought them outside for their paint job. I’m using a spray shelter to paint them in.

If you do a ton of spray painting, put this on your shopping list- the shelter protects everything around it from getting covered in paint AND it folds down flat.

I used gold spray paint for the handles and then a clear coat of spray paint to seal them so they don’t chip.

step 3- paint the fridge with slick stick

I shared the whole process for painting the fridge on Instagram stories. The number one question I received was how was I going to paint the fridge and not have the paint scratch off.

Well, this stuff- Slick Stick– is the answer! It acts like a primer so that you can paint a shiny surface without scratching. DON’T SKIP THIS STEP! I did two coats. Note, you don’t need to sand before priming.

step 4- tent off your fridge

If you’re using a paint sprayer, this step is for you. And note, I should have used plastic because this towel/fabric partition didn’t work 100% and I still got paint over-spray where I didn’t want it.

I’m still figuring out the art of the sprayer, but when I do, I’ll share more about what I’ve found to work.

step 5- paint your fridge the color you want

Now that the fridge is cleaned and primed, its time to start adding the color of your choice! I went with pink (!!!) and it was so exciting to see it slowly become my somewhat dream fridge (because, well, it still sucks, its just cuter). I did 4 coats to get full coverage.

step 6- reinstall the handles

Once your handles and fridge are dry, put them back on the fridge and you’re back in business! Side note, I tried to remove the dent on the fridge with dry ice and I could NOT get it to work.

I might try one of those car dent suction things, but for now there’s a magnet on the big dent. Side note, if you’ve gotten a dent out of your fridge, please let me in on the secret!

after

Alright! Here is my fridge in all of her pink and gold glory!!! Didn’t she turn out cute?!

I know that the rest of the kitchen is still an eyesore, but be patient- soon she’ll have a backdrop to match her fabulous self!

The gold handle is my favorite detail. This fridge really feels like me- which means a lot in a kitchen where nothing else does.

So there you have it! How to paint your fridge and keep the paint from scratching off! Just so you know, I tried my best to scratch up the paint to test it out, and nothing happened to the paint. If I have issues down the road, I’ll update this post with them. For now though, its love sweet love!

Update- if you’re wondering how the fridge is wearing/any regrets, check out this post.