How to Refinish Old GE Refrigerator Wire Shelves
If you would like to refinish old GE refrigerator's wire shelves, you will have to employ a special preparation strategy before you begin, or the finish will fail. Because the wire shelves inside old GE refrigerators are bare metal, they are ill-suited for adhesion. You must coat them with a special type of primer that will etch the metal and provide a tooth for the new finish to adhere to. In addition, because refrigerator shelves are subject to a high amount of duress, you should choose a durable coating, capable of withstanding a high amount of friction.
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Things You'll Need
- Coarse sponge or plastic brush
- Water-based degreaser
- Heavy-duty fabric drop cloth
- Galvanized metal etching spray primer
- Spray enamel or epoxy appliance spray paint
- Red oxide spray primer
Instructions
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1
Remove the wire shelves from the old GE refrigerator and take them to a well-ventilated area.
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2
Scrub the shelves clean with a water-based degreaser, using a coarse sponge or plastic brush. Rinse the wire shelves and wait for them to dry.
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Place the clean wire shelves on top of a fabric drop cloth.
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Spray a coat of galvanized metal etching primer onto the wire shelves. hold the spray can eight inches from the shelves as you apply. Wait two hours for the primer to dry, and then flip them over, and prime the other side.
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5
Wait six hours for the primed wire shelves to cure, and then spray on a coat of spray enamel or epoxy appliance spray paint. Wait six hours before returning the wire shelves to the refrigerator.
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Tips & Warnings
If you notice rust on the old GE refrigerator wire shelves, you should apply a coat of red oxide spray primer on top of the etching primer.
Because the wire shelves inside old GE refrigerators are bare metal, they will not accept paint unless they are abraded with an etching primer, first. Do not paint over bare GE refrigerator wire shelves, or the finish will peel.
Do not use a plain acrylic latex paint to refinish refrigerator shelves, as it won't provide adequate durability.
Resources
- Photo Credit grunge cloth background image by monamakela.com from Fotolia.com
