Is your refrigerator running ... out of style?
This is a fun, ultra-creative way to spark up your drab fridge—canvas adhered to magnetic sheeting can be painted and finished so you would never know how ugly your refrigerator is! This is a step-by-step guide to creating this very new work of art: where to buy supplies, how to paint it, and how to finish it so you can wipe it clean as often as you wish.
First, measure the dimensions of all the panels you’ll need. The canvas will fit flat against the door surface, so measure right up to the handles and around any hinges. If you have a water or ice dispenser, you’ll have to cut those out after you’ve received the canvas. Take a picture of the fridge and draw a diagram showing where you got all the measurements. Go to the Canvasworks Floorcloths website and click on “Refrigerator Panels.” This will tell you how to submit the sizes and pictures. They will make your panels. They are $85 each and will cost $20 for shipping. These canvas-covered magnetic panels will fit your fridge and just slide on and off. That’s great when you’re painting because you can go check it out by sticking it on there and see how it looks. Or you can paint it while it’s right on the fridge. The panels are primed and ready to paint.
Second, decide what design you’re going to paint. Lay it out on graph paper to be sure your idea will fit, then transfer the design freehand, or using a grid to enlarge it. You might want to create some kind of a visual frame to tie the image in to the size of the fridge.
Paint the design using artist’s acrylic paints. Stay away from poster paints or watercolor paints, as they can bleed or run when the polyurethane is applied. Work from the background to the foreground, building layers of color as you go.
When you’re happy with the painting, let it dry thoroughly, at least overnight. Lay the canvas and magnet panel flat on a table and apply two coats of water-based polyurethane, one coat at a time, with three to four hours of dry time between coats.
To clean your panels, just spray with window cleaner and wipe it clean.
