How to Paint a Rainbow Fridge

Something super exciting happened this week! My sister gave me her old fridge! The pink fridge I had (and painted) was super cute, but not very functional- the shelves in the doors were broken (so we couldn’t store anything in them), the light didn’t work, and it was 40 years old and so it wasn’t energy efficient. I figured I could try decorating this one a little differently! Here’s how to paint a rainbow fridge. 

I wanted to show you a sneak peek of how the fridge turned out. A few days ago, I shared most of the process over on Instagram. I tried to keep the colors a secret though. What do you think about the rainbow stripes?!

Further down in this blog post I’ll share a tutorial on how I painted it, but before that, I thought I’d share some other updates in my kitchen!

new outlets that make a big difference

We switched out all of the outlets and light switches in our kitchen for new ones from The Radiant Collection by Legrand! They have such cool features- they’re seriously game changers! I know that it might sound lame that I’m so excited by outlets, but let me show you why I love them!

First up is the Radiant Wireless Charger. It is installed over a normal 2 prong outlet and makes it so you can put your QI enabled phone in the holder and it charges!!! Plus the outlet also has a USB port so you can charge a second item at once AND still have both outlets available! This is where I do all my charging so it’s really nice to fully take advantage of this outlet now!

p.s. you can see if your phone is QI enabled here.

Here’s my phone charging. The base turns red when it’s charging. I like that the holder is clear so I can still use my phone for looking at recipes while I cook!

night lights in outlets and switches

Next to my sink I installed a GFCI outlet that also has a little night light. Whenever you have an outlet next to a water source, you should have a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) outlet. They protect your home from power surges and fires- it’s a great safety feature!

This one is extra nice because it also has a night light that automatically turns on when it gets dark. It’s perfect for next to the sink for extra light at night!
Another feature I really love from The Radiant Collection by Legrand is that there are no visible screws on the outlet covers. It’s a more modern look with the clean lines. I choose the white option, but it also comes in 8 other colors.

Next to my stove, I have the Outlet with Ultra-Fast USB Chargers. These are the fastest USB chargers available! They charge 40% faster than normal USB chargers! I love having charging options all over my kitchen. 

For the main light in our kitchen, I have a switch with a night light on the top. Again, it turns on when it gets dark. This one also can be turned off if you don’t want the night light on. I just love having a dim light at night when taking my dogs out (or getting a drink of water or using the bathroom)- it’s nice to not have to turn on the main light so I don’t wake up all the way- lol.

my very favorite outlet upgrade

Alright, are you ready to talk about the outlet I’m most excited about?! The Furniture Power Unit that we installed in our bench. For this one, you need to use a jig saw to install. It plugs in with a cord through the back of the bench. Even though the installation is a little more involved, it is a GAME changer! 

Before, we had to move out the bench to plug anything in here and now, we have this installed in the side and a can easily plug in whatever we need! Those two USB ports are awesome too!

In the master bedroom, we now have one on each nightstand. I LOVE IT!!!! It’s like staying at a fancy hotel and you just need you USB to conveniently charge your phone.

Side note, when we were on vacation, I forgot to pack the plug for all of my USB chargers. And none of the Air BNBs or hotels we stayed at had an option for charging with just a USB- one of these would have been amazing. 

how to paint a rainbow fridge

Now that you’re up to date on all of the new outlets and switches, I thought I’d share the tutorial for how I painted my rainbow fridge! Let’s start with the video tutorial so you get an overview on what I did. Then, I’ll dive in with more details below:

If the video doesn’t work here, you can watch it on YouTube here. P.s. I’m trying to build that page up, so if you’d subscribe, I’d really appreciate that!

SUPPLIES

• latex paint (exact colors listed below)
• Slick Stick primer
• Frog Tape
• Paint Brush
• Gold Spray Paint

Paint-

1. a mix of Ultra Pure White and Beloved Pink 2. Beloved Pink, 3. Shy Smile, 4. Ballet Rose, 5. Coral Fountain, 6. 1/2 Coral Fountain and 1/2 Lamplit 7. Lamplit, 8. Corn Stalk, 9. Frittata, 10. 1/2 Frittatta and 1/2 Frosted Sage 11. Frosted Sage, 12. Spring Reflection (discontinued, close match Azalea Leaf), 13. Country Weekend (discontinued, close match Willow Hedge), 14. Serene Breeze (discontinued, close match Misty Isle), 15. Casade Green (discontinued, close match Ocean Boulevard), 16. Watery 17. 1/2 Watery and 1/2 Beloved Pink

If you get these colors, buy the tester sample size. It’ll last for a bunch of projects! I’ve painted my stairs, laundry room floor, fence, art in my living room, and rainbow mural with them! They’re just now starting to run out in a few colors. But for $5 a pot, I sure feel like a got a lot of bang for my buck!

step 1

Start by cleaning the fridge super well. You don’t want any random food or dirt messing up the paint job!

Then it’s time to put on the painter’s tape to mark where the stripes will go. I spaced it so that the logo won’t get painted over. It then worked perfectly for the spacing where the freezer stops. Figuring out the first stripe takes time, but then it goes quickly! Note, I used a level and a pencil to make sure the first stripe was perfectly straight.

Once the first tape line is up, continue taping. For this, I use an awesome hack. I rip off small pieces of painters tape (2 pieces for each side) and use those as spacers.Then I just tape right below them and repeat all the way down the fridge. This is SO much faster than using the level the whole way down. And it’s pretty accurate too! You can see how I did it in the video.

step 2

Next, it’s time to prime. This is a step you CANNOT skip! If you don’t prime, the paint will scratch right off. I primed with Slick Stick. You need two coats of it. This primer is perfect on a white fridge because it’s white and creates a barrier on the tape so the rest of your colors don’t bleed. Note, I didn’t sand the fridge. 

 

Make sure to prime the handles too. The handles are the number one things that are touched on the fridge- priming is key to getting the paint to stay on!

step 3

And now, it’s time to paint! I shared the exact colors I used above. I started with a light pink for my pastel rainbow and worked my way down to a pretty blue.

Note, most of my paint went on in one coat. A few needed a second coat which I quickly applied. I use a different paint brush for each color and just keep them under a wet rag while I’m painting in case I need to do touch ups. Then I wash all the paint brushes when I’m done. I find that the most efficient way to paint with a lot of colors (though you do need a lot of brushes).Last, it’s time to paint or spray paint the handles gold. It was too cold to spray paint outside here so I did it in my garage and put a space heater on them to dry. I used this spray shelter to not get paint all over the garage.

After the fridge is all painted, pull the painters tape off. If you got any bleeds, you should be able to scrape those off really easily (I just used my fingernail on the few I got). Then, assemble the dry handles.

after

Ta da! Isn’t it so pretty! I’m used to a pink fridge here so the white feels lighter and brighter! It’s a fun change!

Mostly I’m really grateful to have a better functioning fridge! Who knew I’d be so thankful for a fridge door with shelves I can use and a light that shows what’s in the back?!Alright, I’d love to hear from you! Which outlet or light switch are you most impressed by? What do you think of the fridge? Fun, right?!

Edit- thank you to HGTV magazine for featuring the rainbow fridge in their June 2020 issue!

Thank you to The Radiant Collection by Legrand for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own. This post may contain some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

If you love it, pin it!