Custom Panelled Refrigerator

This is a fairly easy and by comparison very, very cheap way to get a built-in custom cabinetry look for your refrigerator. The method is versatile and allows you to use your imagination in constructing a molding style to match the rest of your cabinetry. The only tool you really need is some kind of miter saw for making straight and 45 degree cuts. The rest relies on readily available lumber and molding pieces. oh yeah, and possibly a jigsaw for cutting some hardboard to rough size. we used a top freezer model fridge because they are the simplest and supposedly the most energy efficient configuration, though i expect this could be done with other refrigerator configurations. we also only paneled the doors, since the fridge sits in a custom alcove, but the body of the fridge could also be paneled to match. in choosing a fridge to panel it's best to find one that has square edged doors, rather than rounded, and the thinner the door the better, since the applied mouldings make the door thicker. ours is a 20 cu. ft. whirlpool model from lowes.

Step 1 Preparation, sides and frames 1

first you need to sand down the glossy painted finish on the leatherette metal door covering in order to insure a good bond. urethane-based construction adhesive (like liquid nails) is used to secure wood to the metal and will most likely outlast the life of the fridge itself. One of the tricks of this method is to use the thin (1/4" i believe) "hobby" lumber that they have in cubby holes in the lumber section of the home improvement stores to cover the top and sides of the doors. I found that the 2" strips, which are 1.5" nominal, are just the right width for our doors. otherwise a table saw may be needed to trim down larger width strips to fit. The frames for our style of paneling are made using 1X2 lumber, but other widths could be used or simpler colonial casings could be substituted.

Comments

[rsbst19]

This is awesome, and I will try and do the same thing after seeing the cost of panel fridges, and custom panels. Question--in your example, how do you open the fridge?

[tumblingblocks]

At first we were just pulling on the door from the top, but then later we added a handle to match other cabinet handles.

[free221]

Nice, I was looking for someone who did something like this. Thank you.

[fbarkon]

Beautiful. I can't wait to own my own home. Forget stainless steel and go ultra classy. Think about matching cabinetry. Do a cover for a stove and a microwave and a hidden chic modern kitchen emerges. Bravo!

[sooky]

Nice!!! I love this Instructable. You just saved me a small fortune. Thanks so much~