I've been wanting to do this for a really long time. Like ever since we moved into the house and I've just thought about it over and over without actually going for it. I wanted a colorful fridge and unfortunately, getting a big chill fridge or smeg fridge is not budget friendly. As much as I love that smooth, candy colored retro vibe, I will probably not own one until they either A) Make cheaper options or B) The style comes back and you can find them at Sears. I don't understand why they aren't more popular with mainstream American appliance stores. I would guess that a very large chunk of America would prefer a retro-esque fridge if they had a choice. Come on LG, Whirlpool, Kenmore, etc., get with the program?!?
In the meatime while all the manufacturers catch on to that idea, I decided to DIY it. The first option I looked into was using epoxy paint made for appliances that can brush on. I read a (what I thought to be reputable) article stating that you could tint the epoxy to any shade you like before applying. Epoxy paint really only comes in white and black, so when I found this particular article from eHow saying you could tint it with a few drops of Acrylic paint, I stupidly believed them. This article is a waste of time and should be removed from the internets. I don't know who wrote this zillion time pinned article, but after ruining my epoxy, I could not find one person on the internet that was able to use acrylic successfully to tint the epoxy. Everyone had the same issue I did, bubbles. Lots and lots of bubbles without a solid tint. Lesson learned I guess :(
So after searching a while longer, I saw that a lot of people ended up painting with a high gloss wall paint after vigorously sanding down the surface of their fridge. So I did just that. I spent a heck of a long time sanding the two front doors (the only part I painted), and once the surface was matted well, I applied two thick coats of my lavender paint. I never expected it would be that easy, but it was and the paint is holding up quite well. The only problem I could see is that if you have dogs or kids that would be scratching the fridge constantly, it might start to scuff up. Mine hasn't at all and honestly, you really only touch the handles of the fridge anyways, but keep that in mind if you decide to paint. It probably wouldn't come up unless I took some metal object and really started scratching at the paint.
And that's it. New (looking) fridge and I LOVE how much it pops in our kitchen. It fits in so well with my teal appliances and green walls. I love retro kitchens so much <3
