A Small Refrigerator Repair Job

Just a couple days before we were to leave on our vacation the clear acrylic door on the upper shelf of our refrigerator popped off its hinge points and hit the tile floor.  Not sure what made it pop off, but I'm pretty sure hitting the tile floor wasn't good for it at all.  It broke into two pieces.

I was super bummed when the door to this shelf hit the floor

Most people would've probably said "Oh darn" and tossed it in the trash, but I decided I needed to try and fix it.  My refrigerator is twenty two years old and finding a replacement part might be difficult if not impossible, plus it would cost money and I'm trying really hard to pay off some bills right now.

My favorite brand of super glue

I set the pieces on my desk and figured it was something I could deal with once we returned from our vacation.  While driving on our trip I managed to come up with an idea to fix it and as soon as I had a spare moment I got busy making the repair.

Clothespins make the best clamps for small delicate projects

First I used super glue to put the pieces back together.  Clothespins made the perfect clamps.  I let it sit all day to dry and cure.  I was pretty proud of myself for not getting a lot of super glue on my fingers in the process.  I'm sure anyone who's used the stuff knows exactly what I mean.

I reinforced the inside with clear packing tape

I used clear packing tape to cover the repair on the inside of the door.  I wanted it to have a little more reinforcement since it was a pretty big break.  I figured the clear plastic packing tape would do that and help the repair last longer.

I had this in the garage

The chemical reaction super glue has with acrylic makes for a good bond, however it tends to turn the clear acrylic opaque wherever it touches.  I didn't really like the looks of that, but at least it was a usable door once again.

Blurry pic, but you get the idea

The girls suggested I paint the door and I knew exactly what paint I had in the garage that would work really well.  Over the years the little door had some scratches and worn spots too so it was a little rough.  Using the Frosted paint by Rustoleum was a perfect way to spruce this one up.  I did two coats inside and out and let it dry.  I also gave the shelf itself a good cleaning.

What do you think?  Looks pretty good, huh?

I re-inserted the hinge pins back into the spots inside the shelf area on the refrigerator door.  It isn't perfect, but I have to say it isn't bad either.  I'm really happy with it and even happier that I was able to repair the broken door as well as the fact that it didn't cost me anything to do it.  Yay!