8 ways to decorate the refrigerator

The old refrigerator is still working, but it is decaying and sometimes covered with rust? Or maybe you think that this large metal "box" does not fit into the interior at all? Or you just want to slightly change the situation in the kitchen? In this material we will tell you about 8 ways to decorate a refrigerator, starting with painting with your own hands and ending with decoupage, and also present 80 photo-ideas of original alterations.

Method 1. Painting slate and painting chalk (+ master class)

The refrigerator door with a slate coating is an ideal place for entries: shopping lists and cases, recipes and reminders of messages to household members and cute notes. And, of course, on such a "board" it is very convenient to draw to the children while mother prepares. To turn the refrigerator door into a recording board, you can choose one of the following four ways:

Method 1. Paint with lead paint.This method is somewhat more complicated than the others, and besides, it excludes the possibility of returning the surface to its original form. But paint with slate paint can not only doors, but the whole body of equipment, and the coating itself will be more durable.

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Method 2. Finishing with chalk wallpaper.Cretaceous wallpaper is easier to work with, and most importantly - they can be peeled off without leaving traces on the surface of the machinery. However, the coating is not too durable and should be changed periodically. In addition, chalky wallpaper is more difficult to decorate rounded doors, corners, to bypass when gluing handles, displays and protruding parts. If you want to glue the whole case, the cover will have visible seams. For this reason, chalk wallpaper is best to make out only the door or part of the door.

Method 3. Mounting the magnetic slate.Such a board is mounted and dismounted as easily as one large magnet, and on it you can not only draw, but also mount small magnets. Most often, the finished magnetic boards are not too large, and a large panel can be purchased only to order.

Method 4. Fastening the slate to neodymium magnets.This method is good in that it allows you not to paint the refrigerator and, if desired, easily remove the chalkboard.

Next, we will tell you how to decorate your fridge with a removable slate with a frame like with the photo below.

What you need:

• Thin sheet of plywood (3-6 mm);
• Slate paint, primer (preferably), paint brush / roller, cuvette;
• Moldings for framing the board;
• Jig saw or hand saw;
• Neodymium magnets with holes for screws (the price of one magnet is about 80 rubles, their number and adhesion strength depend on the weight of the board).

• Shurpy (in terms of the number of magnets), screwdriver;
• Stickers on the furniture legs (they are needed to avoid scratches on the surface of the doors, as well as chips on the magnets themselves. Sold these overlays in Ikea and construction stores. If desired, pieces of fine rubber or fabric like fleece can be glued on the magnets);
• Handle furniture for each board / door and screws for fixing.

Instruction:

Step 1.We measure the parameters of one or two doors of the refrigerator.

Step 2.We cut out from a sheet of fiberboard board exactly the size of the doors.

Step 3.We paint the board with a primer, we wait for drying. Next, apply the first layer of slate, let it dry, apply the next layer and again leave for the time recommended by the manufacturer. Finally, we apply the third coat of paint (preferably).

Step 4.While the paint dries, unscrew the native handles of your refrigerator.

Step 5.We cut and mount the moldings on the board (it is possible for carpentry glue). If desired, moldings can be painted.

Step 6.Now we glue on each magnet a protective pad, then we screw all the magnets on the back side of the board. Be careful and strictly (!) Observe the rules for working with neodymium magnets.

Neodymium magnets are small magnets, but very powerful. They are sold in special online stores in a variety of forms, sizes and capacities (the adhesion force is indicated on the package). Flat magnets are suitable for our project, so that the gap between the board and the door is not too big. The main thing is that the total binding force of magnets outweighs the weight of your board in half (!), Otherwise it will slide down.

Step 7.Hooray! The board is ready. Now we attach furniture handles to it.

Step 8.It's time to set the board (s). Try to open each door by pulling the handle, if the board is stationary, and the door opens easily, then your project is completed. If you feel that the board is magnetized to the door is not strong enough, add a few more magnets.

See also: We make magnets on the refrigerator (and not only) from improvised, waste and natural materials

Method 2. Vinyl stickers

Vinyl stickers are easily glued and without a trace are unstuck, they are inexpensive and are sold in a variety of designs, and therefore they can often be changed in the mood. For example, geometric figures, animal images, plant and flower motifs, words and phrases can decorate the refrigerator.

• Vinyl stickers can be bought in construction shops, shops with goods for creativity, various online stores (for example, at Aliexpress), and also ordered in the printing house.
• Simple stickers for the refrigerator can be cut with your own hands from self-adhesive paper.

See also: How to locate the refrigerator in the kitchen

Method 3. Film or magnetic panels with photo printing

Do you want to turn the refrigerator into a realistic phone booth, retro soda machine or a bottle of your favorite drink? Or maybe you just want to transfer to the door a beautiful photo of your authorship? Then your choice is vinyl film or magnetic vinyl (magnetic panel) with photo printing. Both coating options can not only decorate the refrigerator, but also protect its facades from scratches and dirt.

• The film with photo printing is different in that it is glued by hand or by warm air (at home it is done with a hairdryer). The latter easily lays down even on the rounded doors and corners of the refrigerator. Both types of film are suitable for the decoration of the entire body of equipment.

How do you glue a sticker with photoprint on your refrigerator with your own hands? The first thing to do is degrease the surface with any degreaser or alcohol solution. Handles on the door must first be removed, other protruding parts should also be removed. Then the film is gently applied and at the same time smoothed by any flat object (for example, by a bank card), and the bubbles and creases are smoothed. Further along the edges the film is folded, also smoothed, and the excess is cut off with a clerical knife. Finally, the knobs are screwed into place.

• Magnetic panels are flexible vinyl sheets of thickness, mm with a magnetic reverse side and with photo printing on the front side. In fact, these are simply large magnets, which are made exactly according to the dimensions of the doors (but not more than 60 cm in width). Most often, magnetic panels adorn the doors, but they can also decorate the sides of the refrigerator. Magnetic vinyl is easy to mount and dismantle, leaving no traces.

Method 4. Painting in bright colors, in the tone of the headset or walls (+ master class)

Refresh the old refrigerator or enter the technique in the interior can be simply painted it with paint for metal. The main thing here is to choose the right color.

• If you paint the refrigerator in the tone of the wall or the headset, it will seem less cumbersome. This technique is especially good for small kitchens.

• If the interior of your kitchen seems to you too boring, then the refrigerator can be painted in a very bright color.

• In the interior of the kitchen in the style of retro, country or provence will look great refrigerator red or pastel color - puddly pink or gentle blue.

Painting the refrigerator with your own hands is better and easier with paint in the can. Ideally, it should be a particularly resistant alkyd enamel or acrylic paint for metal. Paints in cans, too, will work, but in this case it is important to use a quality paint brush to achieve a perfectly smooth finish.

Instruction:

Step 1.Lightly brush the surface to remove the gloss. If somewhere there is rust or chipped, then we also remove them and smooth them with sandpaper.

Step 2.Clean and degrease the surface with alcohol solution.

Step 3.With paint tape we close everything we want to protect from painting, close the camera with a film. Do not forget to lay a film or newspaper on the floor, and also open a window.

Step 4.We shake well the can and start spraying the paint with a uniform thin layer and let it dry, then apply the second and third layer (if necessary). Remember that instead of a thick layer of paint, it is better to apply two thin ones.

• To increase the durability of the paint and to facilitate its application, it is desirable to first coat the surface with a primer.

Step 5.Cover the surface with a matte or glossy varnish, which will make the new coating more durable and moisture resistant.

Method 5. Hand-painted (video lesson)

Hand painting can turn a refrigerator into a unique art object or simply into a very cute and "animate" piece of furniture. You can paint the technique with paints and brushes, special acrylic markers or airbrushes.

Complex compositions are better to trust professionals, but with your own hands you can draw a simple drawing, use a stencil or paint tape (to create strips). Here is a large selection of photos of simple ideas for painting the refrigerator, which even a novice can implement.

From this video tutorial you will learn how to decorate an old refrigerator with your own hands using a stencil in the form of a lace tablecloth.

Method 6. Decoupage (+ master class)

Decoupage is a simple and excellent way to upgrade an old refrigerator, adapt it to the interior of a kitchen in a rustic or traditional style, complement hand painting or decoration with moldings.

To decouple the refrigerator you will need:

• Multilayer napkins with the desired print, and preferably special cards for decoupage (they can be large in size, and the drawings themselves are already made up in the composition);
• Scissors;
• PVA glue;
• Brushes: flat squirrels (for decoupage and varnishing) and thin synthetic (for drawing details);
• Pencil (for layout and sketch);
• Acrylic paints;
• Acrylic varnish (matt, glossy or with the effect of craquelure).

Instruction:

Step 1.Prepare the surface: degrease with alcohol, if you plan to glue the picture to the factory finish, or paint the refrigerator in the desired color and wait until the paint dries.

Step 2.Separate the layer with a pattern and scissors from the napkin and cut out the desired element along the contour. Cut as many pieces as necessary.

Step 3.Start sticking the first picture: glue it with the glue, put it on the desired place, then gently smooth out the bubbles and creases with a brush, remove excess glue with a damp rag movements. Next, glue all the other blanks, moving from the center to the edges, beginning with large ones and ending with small elements.

• Before sticking the napkins, it is desirable to mark the surface of the door.

Step 4.When the whole composition is formed, draw small details and contours.

Step 5.Apply a matte or glossy varnish in two layers or more on the picture to give it more strength and moisture resistance.

More detailed master class on decoupage of the refrigerator in the style of Provence look in this video.

Method 7. Registration of moldings and "carved" details (+ master class)

If your kitchen is decorated in a classic style, then you can enter into its interior a stand-alone refrigerator that will help you a grandiose project of converting a refrigerator into... an old buffet.

What you need for decor:

• Moldings made of wood or PVC;
• Carved furniture decor of wood / PVC or stucco molding / polyurethane in the form of a crown, as well as patterned corners (if possible);
• Saw for cutting moldings;
• Glue for metal.

What you need for painting:

• Adhesive primer;
• Cretaceous paint is white (you can make your own hands on recipes from the Internet or buy, say, designer Darya Geller);
• Paint color of the primary color;
• Brush for painting, 1 round brush 8-7 cm in diameter (useful both for painting and waxing), flat brush medium (for wax);
• Wax of dark color (can be replaced with a mixture of colorless wax with a dark brown paint);
• Wax is colorless;
• Painting accessories: film, paint tape, etc.

Instruction:

Step 1.We peel off the gloss from the surfaces, clean and degrease it with alcohol solution.

Step 2.We make marking and glue carved details: crown, moldings, corners.

Step 3.We paint the refrigerator with white paint in two layers, letting each layer dry.

Step 4.Now, with a large circular brush, cross-dressing roughly blur the refrigerator into the base color in one layer. So you will achieve the effect of rubbing.

• The pens need to either be removed and put up with their absence, or painted too.
• At this stage, the décor and skirting boards can be painted with paint of the primary color or white / gold / silver (in this case the paint will fall outside the decor, but it's not terrible).

Step 5.We put a colorless wax on the skirting boards and decor with cloth or brush, let it soak and dry, then rub over the excess with a paper napkin.

Step 6.Now we apply a dark wax on the decor and skirting boards with the brush, then rub it and remove the excess with paper napkins, achieving the desired effect of antiquity.

In places where the wax appears too dark, apply a little colorless wax and wipe the surface with a paper towel.

Step 7.Now treat the entire refrigerator with colorless wax with the same large round brush (you do not need to wash it from the remnants of the paint!). When the wax dries, clean the excess with a napkin. Done!

In this collection of photos you can draw similar ideas of the refrigerator decorations with moldings and carvings.

Method 8. Decor self-adhesive film

Converting the refrigerator to a self-adhesive film is a budget and simple alternative to photo printing and painting. All you need to do to change the design of the refrigerator: degrease the surface and remove the handle, glue it film, incidentally leveling it with a sharp flat object, then wrap it around the edges, trim the excess and return the handles to the a place.

• Unfortunately, the self-adhesive film, unlike the photoprinting film, does not have a layer of lamination and quickly wears away. In addition, it falls worse on uneven and rounded surfaces.

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