Faux refrigerator doors

[Bob Johnson2]

Don't know if I used the right term or not, but can someone tell me how you attach cabinet door panels to the fronts of refrigerators to get the built in look?

[Chris Rosenberger]

Some companys have a kit for false fronts. You can use screws, but that may void the warranty if it is still covered by one. Double stick tape will also work. If you use the tape, be sure you clean the refrig doors with alcohol & put sealer on the back of your false doors.

[Jim Becker]

Chris hit on it...usually you work with a fridge that has the capability to take a false front. (Both refrigerators and dishwashers are usually available with this feature...often a different model number designation. If you have an appliance that doesn't have provisions for this, you'll have to get creative and be very, very careful about what you might drill into to make fastening provisions.

[Per Swenson]

As Jim sez,

Fridges come with a special panel for this purpose.

special order and high end.

But if one wanted to get creative......

1 inch fostner bit and those Lee Valley rare earth magnets again.....

I keep bringing this up, magnets, 'cause I love em.

they are a elegant cabinet closer etc.

And these 1 inch ones are so powerful they come with a warning label.

just a thought.

Per

PS

think hidden wall panels, secret no see um doors, false backs to cash drawers,
all that stuff the customer never thought he needed.

P.

[Jim Becker]

Per...that will work quite nicely as long as there is actually steel in the fridge door! And if so, it will be darn hard to get off or reposition...those things hold very tight...so the panel needs to be mounted perfectly the first time. Use double-stick table for "test fitting"...

[Bob Johnson2]

Thanks guys, I'll do some poking around at a couple of the appliance manufacturers.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Jim.........the LOML wouldn't buy a refrigerator whose door wouldn't hold a magnet!

[Norman Hitt]

Jim.........the LOML wouldn't buy a refrigerator whose door wouldn't hold a magnet!

Neither would mine, Ken. I was thinking, one day, that the Mfr's really need to put an extra line in their Sales Spec Lables, to show the door's "Max Weight Bearing Capacity" for "Magnet Planning Purposes".

[Robert Sylvester]

Just a quick note on the 1 inch magnet idea. On the last kitchen I did we tried this for the dishwasher and it did not work. The magnets were strong enough to hold the panel to the front of the dishwasher but wouldnt prevent the panel from sliding to the floor. Granted my applied panel was a full 3/4 thick 24 x 24 raised panel and wieghed quite a bit.Hope this helps

[fRED mCnEILL]

I did exactly what you want to do. Our fridge is 7 or 8 years old but has a flat front so it was a good candidate. I took off the handle and some trim and made a panel that is thinner than the cupboard doors. (1/2 in instead of 3/4 in) . I then glued it on with Sikaflex 252 (an industrial adhesive used to make commercial truck bodies, buses etc) The hardest part was holding it on until the adhesive set up. I'm sure there are other adhesives that would work but I have used this stuff before and KNEW it would work.

Keep in mind that the fridsge will need more side clearance because the "door" is now thicker than before. But it looks and works fantastic.

You can buy a kit but it cost 8 or 9 hundred dollars.

[M. A. Espinoza]

Just a quick note on the 1 inch magnet idea. On the last kitchen I did we tried this for the dishwasher and it did not work. The magnets were strong enough to hold the panel to the front of the dishwasher but wouldnt prevent the panel from sliding to the floor. Granted my applied panel was a full 3/4 thick 24 x 24 raised panel and wieghed quite a bit.Hope this helps

Lee Valley sells anti-friction tape and possibly magnet covers that might keep a panel from sliding when used with rare earth magnets.

I put some on the bottom of a saw guide jig and it has some serious gription.