(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.
©2012 The Philadelphia Inquirer
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