Is the paint on your microwave’s interiors peeling out or flaking? Well, once in a while, this problem arises with every microwave. The reason being either your microwave has become too old or is rusting out. On those days, you can repaint the microwave with enamel. However, is enamel paint microwave safe? Yes, certainly, enamel is microwave-safe.
In this post, we’ll learn everything about enamel paint, how to verify if it’s microwave-safe, how to apply enamel paint on a microwave oven cavity, and more.
Stay tuned to get better insights at the end.
Can you use enamel paint in a microwave?
Yes, you can apply a layer of enamel paint in a microwave. It does not melt away as you switch on & run the microwave. Enamel paint withstands hot temperatures up to 1,200°F inside the oven. That’s why enamel paint is preferred over ordinary paints. One of the popular enamel paints is Rust-Oleum high heat paint.
When the original paint inside of a microwave oven is flaking or deteriorating, you can always use this enamel paint. Apply one or multiple coats of it over the peeled off part.
You will discover more about repainting things below in this short post.
Is enamel paint microwave-safe?
Yeah! The enamel paint is mostly microwave-safe. Yet, also check for a microwave-safe label mentioning so!
This microwave-safety check is necessary as repercussions could be dearly. A few paints consist of chemicals, substances, and toxins that aren’t microwave-friendly. While microwaving, it may leach chemicals that contaminate the food slowly! It’s dangerous so check microwave-safety beforehand.
If you’re unsure, there are microwave-safety tests you can perform! Doing so, you can identify if this enamel paint withstands hot temperatures or not.
Spot test the paint
It’s a simple test! You can dry run this test on a small patch inside the microwave cavity.
Know your microwave better! After all, every model & design is different. For some microwave cavities, the paint may work and for some others, it may not work. So, better test-run enamel paint safety to avoid mess later!
Follow these step-by-step:
- Identify the area you wish to repaint
- Repaint a small portion of it
- Let the freshly applied paint dry fully
- Once dry, place a cup of water inside of a microwave
- Run the microwave for a minute or so
- Keep the temperatures high while heating a cup of water
- After it runs & stops, take out the cup of water
- Check if repainted spot is warmer as other parts or not
In conclusion, if the repainted spot feels hotter than other parts, the enamel paint is not microwave-safe. On the other hand, if the repainted spot is normal as others, the enamel paint is microwave-safe.
This is how simple it is to test & verify if enamel paint is microwave-safe or not.
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Preferred method to apply enamel paint inside the microwave oven
It’s easy to apply enamel paint inside a microwave. You mostly repaint the areas when there is rust. In other cases, the primary paint layer is flaking out in layers. Furthermore, you’ll learn to repaint microwave insides with enamel paint.
There are two types of enamel paint brush available in the market. One is spray-on and another is brush-on! Both are great. Both have their features. You can choose whichever best-suits your convenience while painting.
Follow the method to repaint microwave walls:
Make the microwave paint-ready
First & foremost, unplug the microwave from the wall-socket! You don’t want any electric-shocks while you work. Wear your kitchen gloves, mask, & protective glasses, and finally begin with work! All of it is necessary to protect against negative health effects of aerosol paint.
Start with cleaning the debris, dust, grime, grease, flaked paint, etc. To do so, simply use a damp sponge or cloth. Rub it inside the microwave area that needs repainting. Also, you can use sandpaper to remove the dust & dirt. If there is orange-brown rust inside, use a steel wool to scrape off the rust swiftly.
Be cautious ! : Never use a power sander to clean the rust as it can damage the microwave interior. Rather, use medium-grit sandpaper to take off flaking paint & rust fully.
Once done, take a dry rag or towel to clean off the sanding dust. Finally, you can use a fine-grit sandpaper to even out the rusted area. Making it ready for paint!
Select the right paint
There are two types of paint you can select from – spray on or brush on. Do not paint overspray as it creates holes inside. Also, overspray can coat areas that aren’t intended to spray.
Generally, spray-on is easy-to-use and paints areas faster. On the contrary, brush on paints are useful for repainting small repairs.
One can use a combination of spray-on & brush-on too. After you spray, use a brush to paint areas that spray has skipped.
How to repaint microwave interior?
Follow the steps:
- Make the area ‘even’ before you repaint
- Repaint the area with first coat
- Wait until the area is dry fully
- Apply second, third, and multiple paint coatings same-way
- Dry the microwave paint-coatings for at least 24 hours. Keep the microwave door open as it allows ventilation.
*Same repainting process applies to both spray on and brush on paints.
Attention ! : Do not use ordinary paint. Also, paint overspray can impact appliance operational efficiency & overall shelf life.
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Final Thoughts
In conclusion, enamel paint is microwave-safe if it’s labelled as such! You can perform a test check as well to confirm if it’s safe or not. Though one can easily use enamel paint for microwave repainting purposes. Do it Yourself or consult a professional to repaint appliance interiors. It’s a matter of a couple of hours. Go through the above short post to learn more in-depth!