# Spraying My Beer Fridge



## Pumpy (26/11/07)

I am considering spraying my beer fridge Black to accentuate the gold on my Celli taps to improve the 'Bling Factor' 

I have been looking at White Knight paints Fridge and Appliance Finish which is an extremely high quality acrylic spray pain that reproduces the the look of new white goods .

available in Black, white, silver or vanilla 

http://www.whiteknightpaints.com.au/produc...ppliance-finish

Has anyone any experience in spray painting thier fridge ?


Pumpy


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## Tony (26/11/07)

my honest opinion is that it looks better white mate.

Those taps sure look good.

I think black would make the whole ridge look smaller and kind o be a bit wrong.

Who knows...... i could be completly wrong. Maybe build a scale model to test the look?

cheers


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## Franko (26/11/07)

As a retired Spray painter, I wouldn't use any type of acrylic paint on a fridge pumpy.
For a great finish 2pack is the only way to go

Franko


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## skippy (26/11/07)

Will look good black Pumpy, I have one Chelli and painted my shity old beer fridge with black RustGuard, which is a real bastard as the paint doesnt adhere that well, so it needs 2 coats, but the uneven coats give a slighty rippled effect when light hits it and it resembles a dark pond!

Go black paint on the door for bling factor!


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## sqyre (26/11/07)

I did my first 1 keg fridge in 2pack Tiger Mica, with Diamond metalic Silver for the doors....
it turned out sweet...
Still got it up behind the bar...
It got attacked with giant labels last swap..
heres a side on..doesnt do it justice



Sqyre...


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## Zwickel (27/11/07)

just another point of view: a black painted fridge would be consuming more energy


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## newguy (27/11/07)

My best friend is an autobody shop manager, but he used to be the head painter (still paints from time to time actually). He bought a small white bar fridge and painted it black, but he used automotive paint and the associated tools. He doesn't have any good words for paint that comes in a spray can, but then again he's after perfection.

Could you try the paint out (practice, really) on an old fridge or freezer? This would help you to perfect your method and would also give you an idea regarding the paint's durability and whether the surface should be sanded prior to painting for good adhesion.


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## dig (27/11/07)

I saw an ad in Unique Cars magazine once for a company that repainted fridges using the original paint and decals from aussie muscle cars of old. GTHO Falcon fridge, XU-1 Torana frigde, R-T Charger fridge... very cool.


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## Zwickel (27/11/07)

or just take some inspirations from here:
http://www.craigerator.com/Craigerators.htm

and here:

http://www.craigerator.com/HardCore.htm


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## Screwtop (27/11/07)

Why not just a black background for the taps. A rectangular piece of either black acrylic or even laminex behind the taps, easier and you still have a white fridge.


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## Maxt (27/11/07)

I just painted my chest freezer with chalk paint (black). Now I can write all over it, and the kids can too! Washed off, it is matte black.


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## domonsura (27/11/07)

A big piece of smoked perspex as a splashback would look awesome....


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## Screwtop (27/11/07)

Pumpy said:


> available in Black, white, silver or vanilla




Any of your drinking buddies fridge lickers Pump? The vanilla would taste nice :lol:


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## warrenlw63 (27/11/07)

I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colors anymore I want them to turn black... Yet I digress.  

Would look good Pumpy but as Franko said. 2 Pack is the go and you probably want to prepare it well. I'd say with a can of regular spray it would scratch before your first keg's emptied. 

Can't wait to see the pics. :beerbang:

Warren -


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## fifteenbeerslater (27/11/07)

Zwickel, some of those units are a work of art. I really like the one in the second link with the before and after photos.
Cheers 15BL


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## HKS (27/11/07)

Disclaimer: I am not a painter

I have used a lot of White Knight paints before. I have even sprayed cars with it. 

Are you planning to spray it with the cans or with an air compressor? If you go the can route it will be more expensive. Also be careful getting near the end of the can as it tends to splatter.

I'm about to spray a fridge using their hammertone charcoal. I did an old filing cabinet in it and it looks pretty good and helps to hide imperfections.


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## Parks (27/11/07)

I'd be worried about that skull pirate taking over the 'black pearl' if you paint it black.

He looks mighty suspicious if you ask me... h34r:


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## tdack (27/11/07)

I recently painted my fridge a nice fire engine red using White Knight Rust Guard enamel. I wasn't too concerned about having a mirror smooth finish as I figured a bit of character wouldn't hurt. So the first coat was with a brush, second with a roller. Hind sight tells me that I should of used the roller for the first coat, but I wasn't really thinking clearly when I started the whole paint the fridge project. in the end I'm happy with the result ...


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## Jye (27/11/07)

Maxt said:


> I just painted my chest freezer with chalk paint (black). Now I can write all over it, and the kids can too! Washed off, it is matte black.



Maxt do you have any pics? Great idea for keeping track of whats on tap.

I thought about doing this but wasnt sure if the dust would get into the taps, do you have any problems?


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## deadly (27/11/07)

Black n chrome - sooo shiny, sand it,paint it, sand it, paint it.Just under 2L enamel with a compressor.
White knight takes an age to dry and will cost a fortune in cans.A mates got one in metal hammer gun metal gray - hides alot of mistakes/laziness looks good too.

I reckon black n gold will look good too


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## HKS (28/11/07)

Very nice, very shiny B) . 

I've also got the charcoal/gun metal gray hammertone finish White Knight epoxy enamel.(haven't sprayed the fridge yet) Love to see a pic of your mates one too! The whole reason I picked the hammertone finish is as you said it hides a lot of mistakes/laziness, exactly suited to me  

I'm also going to spray it with the compressor. (as soon as I fix a busted seal and get a new oil/water separator also broken) I'm suprised you used 2L to spray it. I've only got 1L and I thought I'd have some left. Did you thin it out and if so at what ratio?


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## PistolPatch (28/11/07)

Mornin' Pumpy,

I used to two pack spray for several years and that will certainly give you the best and most durable finish but it'll be hard and inconvenient (possible expensive) to get your fridge off to a shop or to do it yourself at home.

I have used the spray can you mention (actually used it on my beer fridge) but you need a heap of cans and it's a pretty average finish.

I recently did my desk though with another paint and it came up tops.

It is Dulux Super Enamel. Get yourself a blue foam roller and this paint lays extremely flat. I actually used it to match a two-packed bookcase and it is very difficult to tell the difference between the two. In fact, this enamel using that roller actually layed flatter than the two-pack (not sprayed by me, by the way - I spray flat!)

One litre of this should paint your fridge no worries. I was very surprised at how well this came up and will probably re-do my fridge in it.

Spot ya,
Pat


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## deadly (28/11/07)

> I'm suprised you used 2L to spray it. I've only got 1L and I thought I'd have some left. Did you thin it out and if so at what ratio?


Uh sorry, it was 1L of ultra enamel high gloss( 2L did sound like alot)about 1/4 tin left.I did thin it but couldnt give you a ratio as I started out only just being able to get it thru the gun to cover mistakes/laziness on the 1st coat,to just coloured thinners for the last.


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## stevenk (22/5/08)

i may be digging this thread up from who nows how long ago but i found this interesting as i am in the position of doing the same I'm half way through finishing my re spray on my fridge... 

was going to spray it with dulux rust guard white gloss enamel with my bosses HVLP ( high volume low pressure ) spray gun we use at work for alot of stuff like doors ETC ( as i am i painter ) 
I may use a dark tint in the paint like a jet black or something so it really stands out.
thought id post some pictures up of it getting prepd up before a slap paint.

this is the fridge 
taped
grinding the rust back off it 
a solid etch primer out of a can.
now to light sand an top coat and i have a smicko like new fridge with no more rust. 
ill post pictures of done fridge when it eventually gets sprayed.


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## MCT (22/5/08)

Coincidence, but I sprayed my fridge today too...
Just did it with a can, and it came out pretty crap with lots of drips but I'm not too precious about it.
Just needed to hide the rust :lol:


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## stevenk (22/5/08)

did you sand the rust back or treat the rust ??

if not the rust will bleed back through your paint.


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## MCT (22/5/08)

stevenk said:


> did you sand the rust back or treat the rust ??
> 
> if not the rust will bleed back through your paint.




Yeah, rubbed it back enough I think.
If this fridge is still running by the time the rust comes back through, then I'll be happy!


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## stevenk (22/5/08)

haha should be sweet then mate. only problem i can see with some peoples re sprays is no undercoats......

you need a good etch to really give the top coats ( enamels ) adhesion to stick too..... a gloss enamel wont stick that well to a lightly sanded fridge....

mind you i do this stuff for a living and am very fussy i guess its just a bar fridge lol. 

anyway cheers steve


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## mckenry (22/5/08)

Maxt said:


> I just painted my chest freezer with chalk paint (black). Now I can write all over it, and the kids can too! Washed off, it is matte black.



When I had a fridge I did exactly that. Then you can change the name over the tap, when you change beers. If youre a good artist, your fridge is your canvas. Even had some fun with my mates names on it and a dash for every beer they drink. Do with the results what you want


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## stillscottish (23/5/08)

My local Crazy Clark's has a small chalk board just now for about $5. From memory it's about 16" x 10". 
At the moment I just have it propped up on top of the fridge but when I paint mine I will probably attach it to the door above the taps.

You would probably get it in your local cheap shop, Warehouse, Dollars and Cents, etc...

Campbell
sanded back, rust proofed, silver hammerite, hand painted.


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## joshuahardie (23/5/08)

stevenk said:


> you need a good etch to really give the top coats ( enamels ) adhesion to stick too..... a gloss enamel wont stick that well to a lightly sanded fridge....



Found that one out. I sanded back and attempted to brush some silver paint on my fridge, all i succeeded to do was push it around the surface.
Changed to a roller and despite it not sticking well, it made a fantastic glavanised look. probably looks better that the flat colour started out.

Then again the quality of the job was not a real issue as it was only my fermentation fridge...  what is the old line... you are not a homebrewer until.....


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## sav (23/5/08)

Pumpy said:


> I am considering spraying my beer fridge Black to accentuate the gold on my Celli taps to improve the 'Bling Factor'
> 
> I have been looking at White Knight paints Fridge and Appliance Finish which is an extremely high quality acrylic spray pain that reproduces the the look of new white goods .
> 
> ...


Pumpy i have been a qualified spray painter for 12 years, go to a panel shop and ask for a painter maybe a smaller shop and ask do you you do cashes or drink beer you can get alot done for a price for a slab,I would do it for free if you lived near me,I have all black two pack keg fridge and fermenter freezer,looks trick.


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## sav (23/5/08)

Pumpy said:


> I am considering spraying my beer fridge Black to accentuate the gold on my Celli taps to improve the 'Bling Factor'
> 
> I have been looking at White Knight paints Fridge and Appliance Finish which is an extremely high quality acrylic spray pain that reproduces the the look of new white goods .
> 
> ...


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## paul_h (24/5/08)

If you're going to paint it silver or black with spray cans, you might as well just cover it in duct tape, it always comes up shit with spray cans anyway. Me and my mates were painting and touching up cars 15+ years ago with cans, unless you spend a lot of time rubbing back, it's never good.
I bought a crappy air compressor and gravity fed HVLP gun from supercheap ages ago but haven't got around to spray my cars.
Recently my mrs wrote off the front bumper on the falcon. So I bought a new grey bumper for $160 and used my kit to respray it. Big learning lesson as it's the first time I used the gear, but after I had a few attempts, the metallic red went on OK (thick enough to smooth itself, not too thick to run), then spray with clear.
Unbelievably easy, no need to rub back between coats, no need to cut back afterwards. Came out pretty much like two pack does when you do it right.
OK, it took me a few days to learn how to set the gun up, and I ended up doing 5 coats instead of three, and doing a few rub backs because I caused runs. But in the end I learnt a lot and got a finish that you can't ever get from spray cans, no matter how much more time and money you spend with the cans and sandpaper.


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## Pumpy (24/5/08)

sav said:


> Pumpy i have been a qualified spray painter for 12 years, go to a panel shop and ask for a painter maybe a smaller shop and ask do you you do cashes or drink beer you can get alot done for a price for a slab,I would do it for free if you lived near me,I have all black two pack keg fridge and fermenter freezer,looks trick.



Yes Sav ,I want to spray it black but I am unsure what to do about the fridge rubber seal which is grey !!!

will the paint harden the rubber ?

it cost me $70 the last time for a new rubber seal !! and I dont want to stuff up the seal 

Pumpy :unsure:


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## Pumpy (24/5/08)

paul_h said:


> If you're going to paint it silver or black with spray cans, you might as well just cover it in duct tape, it always comes up shit with spray cans anyway. Me and my mates were painting and touching up cars 15+ years ago with cans, unless you spend a lot of time rubbing back, it's never good.
> I bought a crappy air compressor and gravity fed HVLP gun from supercheap ages ago but haven't got around to spray my cars.
> Recently my mrs wrote off the front bumper on the falcon. So I bought a new grey bumper for $160 and used my kit to respray it. Big learning lesson as it's the first time I used the gear, but after I had a few attempts, the metallic red went on OK (thick enough to smooth itself, not too thick to run), then spray with clear.
> Unbelievably easy, no need to rub back between coats, no need to cut back afterwards. Came out pretty much like two pack does when you do it right.
> OK, it took me a few days to learn how to set the gun up, and I ended up doing 5 coats instead of three, and doing a few rub backs because I caused runs. But in the end I learnt a lot and got a finish that you can't ever get from spray cans, no matter how much more time and money you spend with the cans and sandpaper.




Paul how long do you have to leave the paint to dry between coats ?

Pumpy


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## paul_h (24/5/08)

Pumpy said:


> Paul how long do you have to leave the paint to dry between coats ?
> 
> Pumpy



20-30min, it drys pretty quickly with a spray gun as it's mostly thinners your spraying at it.


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## balconybrewer (24/5/08)

h paul,

i recently sprayed a 5 yr old fridge that i picked up for a $100 (rusted and dinted) and still in great working order.

i pulled the door off, removed the seal and masked the inside of the door (including where the seal sits) and the inside of the fridge, sprayed it with 3 coats of killrust (thru a star gun) after some heavy sanding and it came up a treat.

removed all the masking, re attached the seal and door. now hooked up with a "fridge mate" it is great


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## gregs (25/5/08)

Pumpy: I am a profesional spray painter of 20 years, what you need to know is there are many types of paint products out there. Some products sympily won't go over the top of other paint productes. 

Most fridges are painted in an industrial coating called enamel. Enamel is a chep paint product, that if sprayed & cuered at low temperatures ( as they usely are) are difficut to reaply over the top of. Resulting in paint sensertivety, or a frying or bubbling efect as the new paint is applyed. If I were you, I would poferably strip the fridge of all the oridginal paint to beer metal or use an appropiate paint product such as the enamal the fridge was oridgionaly painted in. As for the White Night paint productes you refer to they need to be an air dry enamal if you are reaplyinmg over the top of the existing paint.


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## axl (26/5/08)

Don't worry about painting. Glue some timber flooring onto the barstad!. Did this last week


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## paul (26/5/08)

That fridge reminds me of the Grizwalds car in National Lampoons with the wooden panelling on the sides.


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## axl (26/5/08)

Trust me It's an improvement on what was underneath. But yes, it does have a Lampoons' feel about it.


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## dr_fuct (29/5/08)

A while back "the minister for war & finance" compulsory aquired my gassing fridge from the brewery/garage to be restored & reused as the main kitchen cooling facility to which the honorable member for raising treasury funds & put up & shut up protested to no avail (of course) I then checked out the local mitre ten store and found some cans of from memory appliance enamel can't remember the brand I bought enough to do the front & the visible side (was expensive compared to usual p/pack cans) but gave a great finish & tarted the old girl real nice 

So I would recommend paying a little extra & looking for the appliance enamel and take your time sand it back spray nice even coats well worth the extra couple of dollars & time spent

Good luck whichever way you go looking forward to seeing the finished project


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## Tony (29/5/08)

Zwickel said:


> just another point of view: a black painted fridge would be consuming more energy



Does that mean if you paint it red the kegs will go faster


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## poppa joe (29/5/08)

Fellas...
You can use whatever you like to paint a Fridge.....BUT...
If it is not 2 pack Material..Your hands and sweat will
eventually wear the paint away where you touch it...
Cheers
PJ...
50.....yrs experience in Painting going your way free....


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## Zwickel (30/5/08)

howdy homebrewers,

if someone is searching for ideas how to paint a fridge, here I found a really interesting site:
http://www.craigerator.com/Craigerators.htm

:icon_cheers:


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## Kenny the plumber (30/5/08)

Was painting my can not so long ago and decided to paint my fridge to , this is acrylic car paint sprayed with a gun.  
It as you can see is black and hardly ever comes on. Black looses heat almost as fast as it absorbs it.


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## axl (30/5/08)

wally said:


> Axl, that looks truly brilliant.
> 
> What variety of timber have you used?
> 
> ...




Hey wally
Found some of this flooring in my garage of my rental property. Cost me nothing except some glue. Comes in 190mm wide panels X 1.5 mtr lengths. Just cut it to size with the old jig saw. I am thinking of staining it maybe mahogony, (something darker). I think you can by it from ikea. Easy
American oak


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## Online Brewing Supplies (30/5/08)

Kenny the plumber said:


> Was painting my can not so long ago and decided to paint my fridge to , this is acrylic car paint sprayed with a gun.
> It as you can see is black and hardly ever comes on. Black looses heat almost as fast as it absorbs it.
> 
> View attachment 19395
> View attachment 19396


Killer fridge Kenny ! I got an old 50's Kelvinator Im saving for the new alfresco deck . Needs some work internally to make it sweet ( New shelfs or replated ) but its all original and works. Guy at the fridge shop recons its worth $1 K + done up .
GB


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## yardy (31/5/08)

axl said:


> *Don't worry about painting. Glue some timber flooring onto the barstad!. *



i would've painted when i did the first Kegerator but it was beyond it so I went the wood panelling route as well, turned out pretty good.













Cheers
Yardy


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## axl (7/6/08)

wally said:


> Thanks for the reply Axl.
> 
> Gives me more ideas.
> 
> ...




ended up staiining it mahogony. here's the result


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## axl (7/6/08)

wally said:


> Axl,
> 
> I like it. Top job.
> 
> ...




cheers


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## hairofthedog (7/6/08)

did my fridge a while back f*$k sanding it use penotrol which will help the paint bond to a gloss surface available at bunnings then brush or roll 1st coat & spray 2nd good luck did mine metalic silver still hanging on after 18 months


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## stevenk (16/6/08)

fridge befor and now resprayed ( after )

cheers.


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