Your Place: Readers Tell How to Tackle Rust on a Fridge

(MCT)—A couple of responses came in recently to a question about taking care of rust on a refrigerator at the Atlantic Shore, and I thought I’d share, since summer is almost upon us.

From Nate Lentz, who, with 40 years’ experience in the field, says “whenever I see the word ‘rust,’ my eyes light up”:

“A salt environment is very corrosive to all metals, paints, and the like. Any rust must be removed completely; otherwise, it will continue to grow under any protective coatings.”

Lentz suggests that once the rust is removed completely, the refrigerator should be polished periodically. He uses Nu-Finish car polish.

“I use the car polish on my front storm door that faces west,” he said. “The door was 2 years old in April and looks as if it were just installed.”

From Bill in Snyder County, Pa.: “I painted a refrigerator a number of years ago for a rental, using the instructions of a person who owned a used-furniture store.

“I removed the door and all the hardware and gave it a very light sanding with very fine paper. After cleaning it, I thinned the oil-based almond paint I was using. I then used an inexpensive foam roller to paint the refrigerator. I put on a second coat, and maybe a third; no problem once it was prepped. The results were amazing. At a casual glance you couldn’t tell it’s not a factory paint job.”

He was very careful, keeping things dust-free, making sure the paint didn’t run, and the like.