Happy Tuesday! Kristy
here. Several months ago our refrigerator went out and the estimate to repair it was around $800. After deliberating for about three seconds my
husband and I decided it would better to replace it than repair it, so we did. The old one was black. I had been considering the possibility of
moving to stainless steel appliances as the old ones needed to be replaced. All
the appliances are original to the house and about ten years old. I don’t know about you, but I’m not the kind
of person who enjoys spending a bunch of money on appliances. I just… don’t. But, I DO like everything to match. Do you see my dilemma? In addition to the refrigerator we have a double wall oven, a
glass top range, a dishwasher, and a trash compactor. All are black. After looking online I got the bright idea to
paint the metal fronts of the compactor and dishwasher.
BEFORE
Fast-forward to today. I hadn’t really planned on today being THE
day, but it turned out to be THE day. I
just started cleaning the kitchen and before I knew what was happening the
trash compactor was out in the yard. Have you ever looked at the inside of a trash compactor? Don't do it. They’re gross. REALLY GROSS. And they’re made of galvanized steel, which has a rough texture which makes it difficult to clean. I
tried cleaning this one a couple of times after we first moved here in 2012, but
it always looked icky.
I decided to blast it with the power washer today. So, before I began painting, I rolled the pressure washer out of the garage, went into the dark, scary, spidery shed to get the water hose, hooked it up, and FIRED THAT BAD BOY UP!
The significance of this should not be overlooked. I’m the kind of girl who will paint anything. I don’t even care if it’s moving, I’ll paint it! Walls, doors, trim, toys, accessories, furniture, floors, light fixtures, lamps, switches, door knobs, hinges, denim jackets, shoes, pottery, jewelry. You get the idea? It's how I roll. Or brush. Or spray. However, I am NOT the kind of girl who starts things like lawn mowers and pressure washers. I’ve tried a few times, but determined I must have some kind of learning disorder or physical disability that prohibits me from doing such things. Today, however, I was determined to rise above my disability. And I did. It only took two phone calls to my husband. (That man is a saint.) I guess I just never had the right motivation before. I’d love to show you pictures of how clean and shiny it looks, but the truth is, it looks EXACTLY like it did before I gave it the bath of its life. EXACTLY. Oh well, I tried. And I know it’s clean even if it doesn’t look like it.
I decided to blast it with the power washer today. So, before I began painting, I rolled the pressure washer out of the garage, went into the dark, scary, spidery shed to get the water hose, hooked it up, and FIRED THAT BAD BOY UP!
The significance of this should not be overlooked. I’m the kind of girl who will paint anything. I don’t even care if it’s moving, I’ll paint it! Walls, doors, trim, toys, accessories, furniture, floors, light fixtures, lamps, switches, door knobs, hinges, denim jackets, shoes, pottery, jewelry. You get the idea? It's how I roll. Or brush. Or spray. However, I am NOT the kind of girl who starts things like lawn mowers and pressure washers. I’ve tried a few times, but determined I must have some kind of learning disorder or physical disability that prohibits me from doing such things. Today, however, I was determined to rise above my disability. And I did. It only took two phone calls to my husband. (That man is a saint.) I guess I just never had the right motivation before. I’d love to show you pictures of how clean and shiny it looks, but the truth is, it looks EXACTLY like it did before I gave it the bath of its life. EXACTLY. Oh well, I tried. And I know it’s clean even if it doesn’t look like it.
Let’s move on to the real
project of the day. I got it outside,
propped it up on a sawhorse, and taped off the plastic parts. (I decided it was best to keep the foot pedal black as the paint would wear quickly in that area.) Then I started thinking, “what if I don’t
like it?” But, I was committed at this
point and decided I could always paint it back black. Right? I went with THIS paint from Lowe's.
The spraying was very simple. I just went back and forth across the front and went up and down on the sides. I did about six or seven very light coats. I knew from previous projects that I did not want this to run at all. The paint went on very well with no problems. It seemed to dry almost instantly. The plastic bag I had covering the plastic got caught in the wind and blew up onto the freshly painted surface and my heart stopped for a second, but it didn’t stick at all. Shew! That was close.
The spraying was very simple. I just went back and forth across the front and went up and down on the sides. I did about six or seven very light coats. I knew from previous projects that I did not want this to run at all. The paint went on very well with no problems. It seemed to dry almost instantly. The plastic bag I had covering the plastic got caught in the wind and blew up onto the freshly painted surface and my heart stopped for a second, but it didn’t stick at all. Shew! That was close.
Now for the bad news… I don't think I like it. There, I said it. Maybe by morning I will love it. I think I need to seal it with something
shinier, because I don’t love the finish. Even though the color is shiny, it has a matte finish. It almost feels like there is a fine
sand in the paint. I have issues with
texture, so I know I would be happier if it was smoother. Plus, I’m wondering how it will wipe
off. I definitely think I am going to
seal it. I’m just not sure if I am happy
with the color. Maybe I like the black
better??? I don’t know.
Hopefully after
I finish the dishwasher I will fall deeply, madly, in love. That is, IF I can figure out how to get the
door off of the stupid dishwasher. I’ve unscrewed
it from the cabinet and pulled it out a little, but it is hung on
something. I tried taking the door off
the hinge, but can’t seem to figure out how it attaches. Maybe I’ll play the “damsel in distress” bit
when my husband gets home from work. Maybe
I’ll just stick a “FOR SALE” sign in the yard and hope I get it under contract
before Tim gets home. We’ll see. Right now I need a fifteen-minute power nap. Everything will be clearer after a little
siesta.
Two hours later…
My nap was great, thank you. (Don't hate) After dinner Tim took the door off of the dishwasher for me. I kept looking at and feeling the trash
compactor and really just don't like the way it feels. I got online to check out the other
options. I think the stainless steel
spray paint is good for some applications, but I don’t think it is MY best
option after all. So, I did what any
self-respecting DIYer would do. I went
to Amazon. And I ordered THIS kit.
It should arrive in a couple days, so I will finish the project then. The dishwasher was such a pain to get the panel off, we will actually be leaving it off until we get it painted, so I will be without a dishwasher for four days since it was Friday night when I ordered and it won't arrive until Tuesday. We rarely use paper plates unless we have a lot of people over, but I’m thinking we might make an exception this week. Stay tuned…
CLICK HERE....
All right. I’m back. So, this is how it all went down. The kit came on Tuesday, but I didn’t get started on the project until Thursday and it was Friday night by the time I (Hi honey. You and I are “one”, right? So if you do something it’s the same as if I did it. That IS how it works, isn’t it?) got everything put back together. That means I went a whole week without a dishwasher. I know, there are probably a lot of you who don't have a dishwasher and you’re rolling your eyes, right? You better be careful, they might get stuck. It wasn’t the end of the world, but I did realize that I might be a teeny bit spoiled when it comes to dishes.
It should arrive in a couple days, so I will finish the project then. The dishwasher was such a pain to get the panel off, we will actually be leaving it off until we get it painted, so I will be without a dishwasher for four days since it was Friday night when I ordered and it won't arrive until Tuesday. We rarely use paper plates unless we have a lot of people over, but I’m thinking we might make an exception this week. Stay tuned…
CLICK HERE....
All right. I’m back. So, this is how it all went down. The kit came on Tuesday, but I didn’t get started on the project until Thursday and it was Friday night by the time I (Hi honey. You and I are “one”, right? So if you do something it’s the same as if I did it. That IS how it works, isn’t it?) got everything put back together. That means I went a whole week without a dishwasher. I know, there are probably a lot of you who don't have a dishwasher and you’re rolling your eyes, right? You better be careful, they might get stuck. It wasn’t the end of the world, but I did realize that I might be a teeny bit spoiled when it comes to dishes.
Okay… sorry. I’m
having a hard time staying focused. That
never happens in real life. The
appliances. Okay. So... I brought both the fronts into the garage
and cleaned them really good. I could see a faint film on both surfaces,
so I got a bottle of alcohol with a sprayer and spritzed it and wiped it with a microfiber cloth. After that there was no streaks or film.
Yes, those are skid marks in my garage. No, I did not make them. Anyway... (Please try to stay focused.) Then I applied the first coat. I’m so glad I read all the reviews and watched the instructional video on the website so I didn’t have a panic attack when it looked awful.
It dried lightning fast, but I waited an hour in
between coats to make sure there was no smearing, because sometimes if paint is
just tacky and not completely dry, when you do the next coat it smears and
makes a mess. I actually did six coats
using a 2” foam brush. What you do is
use a foam roller to roll it on and very quickly go over it with the foam
brush. It is important to always go in
the same direction. Real stainless steel
has a grain to it, and that is what you are trying to imitate. On my refrigerator it
is horizontal, so I did the same thing on the dishwasher and trash
compactor.
so I got a bottle of alcohol with a sprayer and spritzed it and wiped it with a microfiber cloth. After that there was no streaks or film.
Yes, those are skid marks in my garage. No, I did not make them. Anyway... (Please try to stay focused.) Then I applied the first coat. I’m so glad I read all the reviews and watched the instructional video on the website so I didn’t have a panic attack when it looked awful.
Here is my tip on getting it
straight. If you just go across with
your hand it is almost impossible to be super duper uper straight. If you stand with your feet apart, your elbow
with the brush planted firmly at your waist, and sway back and forth you can
get a much straighter brush stroke. I
learned this many years ago when I took a drawing class in college and did some
large drawings. You have much more
control when you are using your whole body instead of just your arm.
After the third coat I began to relax as it was starting to
even out and look pretty good.
But, the more I worked, the more I kept thinking about the black control panels on the tops of both appliances. I saw on the website that you could paint plastic. I knew it was going to bug me that they were black, but I was also afraid of messing them up and having it look messy and be obvious they were painted.
I finally decided to be brave and go for it. I took every precaution I could think of. I used a good quality painter’s tape. This one is actually stored in a plastic container to keep the edges nice and straight and dust free, because even dust on the sides of the tape can keep the edge from sealing well and allow a place for paint to seep underneath.
I carefully taped off the parts that were not to be painted, the parts with writing. I’m good, but even I can’t handwrite the settings back on there. I used an x-acto knife and carefully went around the groove to cut the tape right in exactly the right spot and went over it with my fingernail to burnish the edges and make sure it was sealed.
The website recommended this Zinsser primer, and I just happened to have the very one that I recently purchased when I painted the door to my garage. I used a one inch foam brush from a craft store to paint the primer on in the same direction that I would do the paint. It is very important to keep the brushstrokes going in the same direction. I did two coats of primer, allowing it to dry well between coats, and making sure there were NO RUNS! This is so important, because it is next to impossible to really get them smoothed out after they dry. Sanding would mess up the “grain” that you are trying to replicate.
I was then ready for the paint, and did the exact same process I used on the metal parts. I did use the smaller brush because it was a smaller space and had curved edges. I also used a small artist’s brush (it is the brush that is small, not the artist) to get in the smallest areas, again making sure there were no runs.
But, the more I worked, the more I kept thinking about the black control panels on the tops of both appliances. I saw on the website that you could paint plastic. I knew it was going to bug me that they were black, but I was also afraid of messing them up and having it look messy and be obvious they were painted.
I finally decided to be brave and go for it. I took every precaution I could think of. I used a good quality painter’s tape. This one is actually stored in a plastic container to keep the edges nice and straight and dust free, because even dust on the sides of the tape can keep the edge from sealing well and allow a place for paint to seep underneath.
I carefully taped off the parts that were not to be painted, the parts with writing. I’m good, but even I can’t handwrite the settings back on there. I used an x-acto knife and carefully went around the groove to cut the tape right in exactly the right spot and went over it with my fingernail to burnish the edges and make sure it was sealed.
The website recommended this Zinsser primer, and I just happened to have the very one that I recently purchased when I painted the door to my garage. I used a one inch foam brush from a craft store to paint the primer on in the same direction that I would do the paint. It is very important to keep the brushstrokes going in the same direction. I did two coats of primer, allowing it to dry well between coats, and making sure there were NO RUNS! This is so important, because it is next to impossible to really get them smoothed out after they dry. Sanding would mess up the “grain” that you are trying to replicate.
I was then ready for the paint, and did the exact same process I used on the metal parts. I did use the smaller brush because it was a smaller space and had curved edges. I also used a small artist’s brush (it is the brush that is small, not the artist) to get in the smallest areas, again making sure there were no runs.
It doesn’t show handprints like my refrigerator does. I’m tempted to paint the new fridge. (Just kidding honey. Don’t freak out.) I wanted to get the tape off the control panels before I went to bed because I knew if there were any problems it would be easier to address them before the paint cured. I used the x-acto knife again to go around the seams and make sure to separate the paint from the tape, because it is possible to lift the paint up with the tape and that might make me say a bad word. I did, in fact, have a few bleeds, but because the paint hadn’t cured I used my fingernail to scrape it off. There was also some paint in the seams that I scraped out with the x-acto knife, but decided to finish that in the morning after it was more dry.
The next day I put the compactor drawer back in,
and Tim put the dishwasher back together when he got home from work.
I’m pretty pleased with the result. I can’t say it looks exactly like stainless steel, but it does match the refrigerator pretty well. So far it looks like the paint is going to hold up well, but only time will tell on that.
and Tim put the dishwasher back together when he got home from work.
I’m pretty pleased with the result. I can’t say it looks exactly like stainless steel, but it does match the refrigerator pretty well. So far it looks like the paint is going to hold up well, but only time will tell on that.
AFTER
I still have about 1/4th of the paint I started with, so I will be looking for a couple of small projects to use it on. I don't have a toaster, but that would be a good project to try this out on. Does anyone have a toaster they want me to paint?
I’m not sure I’d do it again, because now that I have the
stainless steel, I don’t think it is much of an improvement over the black
because I still have an oven, a glass top stove, and a microwave that are
black. But, I do think this is a great
product and is a great solution in situations like this where I wanted my
appliances to match, but didn’t want to spend money to replace working
appliances.
I realize that this post may not be useful for many of you, but THANK YOU for sticking with me, and I promise that my post on Friday will be something that everyone can and SHOULD use.
This picture is a BONUS because I found them at Trader Joe's this weekend,
and they make me happy, so I thought I'd share them with you.
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Great post, Kristy!
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