*AD: This post is sponsored by V33.
A few months ago we decided to purchase a secondhand upright freezer for the basement, so we could have additional freezer space for storing our homegrown allotment veg. We paid £21 for the freezer and used Shiply* to have it delivered, a courier website I highly recommend which usually works out cheaper than hiring a van yourself and paying fuel for the journey.
The freezer was in good condition, but there was just one problem – it was white. I know, shocking right? But I just hate white appliances and it was totally killing the industrial vibe of our basement. So, the solution? Paint it!
Fortunately, V33 got in touch just at the right time and offered me their Renovation Radiator & Household Appliance paint, which as the name suggests, is specially formulated for appliances making it the perfect paint for this job! The paint comes in a choice of different shades, but I’ll be using the colour Carbon Metallic.
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Preparing the Appliance for Paint
Before I could begin painting, I needed to clean and degrease the freezer. I used sugar soap* and hot water with a cloth for this and then dried the freezer thoroughly using an old tea towel. If you have any hard-to-reach areas on your appliance, I also recommend using an old toothbrush – this works particularly well for cleaning around the door seal.
To make painting the freezer easier, I also removed the handle so this can be painted separately. These are usually really easy to remove – just lift off the plastic screw caps (a flat-head screwdriver usually works for this) and then unscrew the handle.
Preparing the V33 Radiator & Household Appliance Paint
I was sent the V33 Renovation Radiator & Household Appliance paint* in both a liquid tub form and as a spray can. For the main body of the freezer, I’ll be using the liquid tub which comes with an additive that must be added to the paint before you begin. This additive comes in a little disposable pot which I poured into the paint and then thoroughly mixed.
You can see the paint itself has a lovely shimmer to it which helps to create a metallic finish.
Applying the First Coat
The V33 Renovation Radiator & Household Appliance paint is a 2-in-1 paint, requiring no additional undercoat, so you can apply it straight onto the appliance! Its formulation has high adhesion direct to metal and PVC, so aside from having a clean surface to work on, there’s very little prep work needed beforehand.
To begin painting, I applied a very thin coat of paint in cross strokes to the freezer using a paintbrush. The consistency of this paint is fairly thin, so it’s important to apply it in light coats to prevent drips.
I painted the door seal as well as the outer body of the freezer, although I definitely recommend leaving the door ajar whilst the paint dries, which does mean turning off the freezer if possible!
Applying Subsequent Coats
I left the paint to dry for a minimum of 6 hours (as recommended) before going on with the following coats. This paint is really easy to apply with either a paintbrush or roller – I used a paintbrush for the first couple of coats before moving onto a foam roller for the final finishing coat. I found this gave a slightly more even coverage and helped to remove any brush stroke marks.
I thought the coverage of this paint was pretty decent, particularly as it’s applied in quite thin coats. The difference between the first coat and second cost of paint was huge (see photo on the left below) and I think if I had used the roller from the second coat, I would only have needed 3 coats of paint. I actually did four in the end just to cover some areas that I felt could do with that extra coat.
Spray Painting the Handle
For the handle, I decided to use the spray can, applying the paint in several light coats with short bursts from the spray. I felt the spray can gave a really great even finish and I think this method would work best for things like column radiators where access to all areas with a paintbrush could be tricky.
The Finished Look
So here’s a finished look at our new freezer. I’ve tried to capture the slight shimmery/metallic finish on some of the photos below, but as our basement has no natural light, in person this metallic look is not so obvious.
I really love the overall finish of the freezer and I don’t think you can really tell that it’s been painted unless you look very closely and spot where the paint ends on the inside around the door.
Another thing I like about the V33 Renovation Radiator & Household Appliance paint* is that it’s super hardwearing, making it resistant to shocks and stains. It’s ultra-washable too – which is exactly what you need for paint on any household appliance, and it has a high resistance to heat, making it perfect for radiators too.
I’m really happy with how this quick little DIY project turned out and I hope this blog post helps if you’re looking to paint a fridge, freezer, radiator, or other household appliance yourself.
This little area of the basement is not quite finished yet, so stay tuned to see how we transform it into an overflow pantry, which is the next project on our list!
Happy DIYing!
*This blog post was sponsored by V33. All words and opinions are my own.
*This post contains affiliate links where an asterisk (*) is used.
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