Keep your refrigerator running longer

Preparation is a large percentage of the job beginning with has the door been painted before? If so how many times?

If the paint is chipped around the edges the best plan is to remove all the paint until the door is bare wood and a blowlamp and scraper or paint stripper is what gets the job done. If the old paint is particularly loose a Skarsten scraper is what you need to make a good beginning.

If the door has been painted only once or twice before and painted particularly well it will need sanding to remove runs, brush marks and any remaining gloss and to thin the paint thickness close to the edges. Defects will need filling and then more sanding with progressively finer abrasive paper.

Once the door is flat and smooth it should be wiped over with a damp cloth to remove all dust and the surrounding area cleaned. Visible knots should be sealed with shellac or knotting and bare wood primed with a thin coat of wood primer and when dry denibbed.

Next is a light coat of the correct undercoat and further denibbing/light sanding followed by another clean and a further (full) coat of undercoat and more denibbing, etc.

When applying paint it is important to work systematically and to thoroughly brush each new brush full of paint in every direction and blend it into the last painted area in order to obtain a uniform paint thickness and then finish each area with long even strokes in the same direction.
Modern paints dry or become tacky very quickly and so each fresh brush full should be laid without delay close to a wet edge and then blended into it.

The final coat or top coat needs special care because mistakes are difficult to correct without applying a complete new coat.

I hope this helps - it is a much abbreviated description of what usually takes a long time; spread over several days or even a week when allowing proper drying times between coats of paint.

Most likely the coils under the refrigerator need cleaning. Unplug the refrigerator and remove the front, vented cover below the door. With a vacuum cleaner and crevice tool clean the coils off. It may also help the clean off the door gasket and apply a very thin coat of Vaseline. (Don't forget to clean the refrigerator edge that makes contact with the gasket.)

Try unplugging the refrigerator for 24 hours (Of course, remove any food.) Be prepared for it to leak. Then make sure the coils and door gaskets are clean. (A thin coat of vasoline applied to the door gaskets should help).

NO fun... Looks like you will need a new door again soon ~ no matter what.

I would buy a new door, BUT BEFORE installation... I would apply many coats of a decent clear lacquer paint first... apply on all of the bottom of the door and cover at least 10 inches up.

Also coat the bottom and inside of the door at least 6" up... the door sides too...

Be sure to allow each layer to dry thoroughly.

Use a 1" blue masking tape to keep your paint line straight and true. Lay the door down flat and face-up to do your work...

This measure should add years of service to your door... At the first sign of any rust ~ you know what to do.

As for Zanussi, I doubt if you could muster enough owners to pursue any legal actions... sorry.

Anthony