Once your microwave oven reaches a certain age, its paint starts to peel. In turn, its interior starts rusting over, particularly the metal walls. Exposed steel tends to rust, especially when it comes to ovens and the hot grease it tends to accumulate.
Enamel paint is a great way to keep your appliances from rusting over. With that in mind, is enamel paint microwave safe? Enamel is usually what’s used in order to paint the inside of the microwave. It’s not something that easily melts off the super-hot interior like other paints.
Is Enamel Paint Microwave-Safe?
Yes, enamel paint is microwave-safe. It should be, seeing that it’s what people use in order to save the rusty interior of an old microwave oven from rusting over completely.
One good type of enamel paint you can use is Rust-Oleum High Heat Paint. Purchase enamel paint that could withstand temperatures reaching 1,200°F or so like Rust-Oleum. You should get paint made to take oven temperatures.
Anything metal, from lockers to appliances, should be repainted in case their original paint has peeled off and the exposed metal has started rusting. You should sand off the rustiness then paint the smoothened surface with a new coat of paint to prevent the metal from completely rusting over.
Further reading: Microwave Cavity Paint Product, 6 oz, Snow White, which provides a “like new” finish on the inside of your microwave
You don’t want those metal walls to rust over. You don’t want your microwave circuitry to get exposed by your magnetron’s microwave radiation.
Is It Safe to Use a Microwave with Peeling Paint Inside?
No. Peeling paint inside your microwave interior is most certainly a concern. The existence of peeling paint within the appliance is both a safety and health hazard, to say the least.
In other words, it’s not safe to use a microwave whose interior has peeling paint. Aside from being a fire risk that can contaminate the food you’re cooking, the metal walls can degrade to the point where the heat can enter the internal circuitry of the microwave.
If metal gets too rusty or oxidized, it will crumble like chalk or red wafers. This is why you should repaint the metal walls. Without these walls, there’s be nothing to contain the microwave radiation of your microwave.
Is the Microwave Cavity Paint-Safe?
If enamel paint is microwave-safe then is the microwave cavity paint-safe in turn. You can do this in a DIY manner or you can hire a painter to do the paint job for you. Even better, get someone who’s experienced in repainting and refurbishing rusted appliances to assist you.
In other words, the microwave cavity is paint-safe as long as you do a good job of painting that won’t itself start peeling off over time and after a number of reheating.
Two Types of Enamel Paint Application Methods
There are two types of appliance enamel paint you can use to coat your microwave oven’s interior—spray-on or brush-on. The type to use by our recommendation is spray-on enamel paint because it’s easier to use and saves you time and effort.
Meanwhile, a small can of brush-on paint assists you in doing small spot repairs or finishing spots you’ve missed during the spray-on process.
Can Microwave Radiation Leak Out of a Microwave with Peeling Paint?
As long as the interior of the microwave oven remains intact and sealed, the radiation poses no threat to you. If your microwave interior has peeling paint, you can sand the paint off then repair the paintless interior using microwave-safe paint like enamel.
The only real danger is if your microwave interior metal walls have degraded to the point where there are holes in them or they’ve broken down. At this point, the microwave is unusable or shouldn’t be used, thus necessitating replacement.
Fix this problem by cleaning the inside of the (unplugged) microwave first to remove the grease or grime. Let the microwave dry and then sand it off. Don’t paint until the rust is removed or the interior is dry.
How to Fix Peeling Paint Inside the Microwave
It’s important to unplug the microwave from the wall socket so it won’t accidentally turn on and there’s no power going into it. From there, if the existing paint is peeling off, remove as much of the paint as possible.
Get sandpaper and do some sanding by hand to remove all of the flaking paint along with the remaining grease and grime. Gently sand away the remaining peeling areas. Use steel wool to scrape off the rusty parts that’s hard to come off with the sandpaper.
Don’t use a power sander that fits inside your microwave to do the sanding, that could damage the interior too much. Instead, hand-sand with medium-grit paper then get a fine-grit paper to smooth everything out. Wipe the resulting rust dust with a paper towel or dry cloth.
Can You Paint the Inside of a Rusty Microwave?
You can paint over rust, scratches, or minor damage inside your appliance. Remove the rust first before painting then cover the sanded-off part with paint. Don’t spray-paint your oven interior if it has grease, it’s still wet, or it still has rust.
Get a plastic bag that covers the rest of the microwave except the interior you intend to paint. Wear safety glasses, rubber glass, and a mask when using aerosol enamel paint to safeguard your own respiratory health. Leave the door open and let dry for 24 hours or more before using your microwave again.
Spot Testing the Paint
Test the paint on a small area on your unpainted, freshly sanded oven. Once that spot has dried, run your microwave on high for a minute with a cup of water inside it. Remove the cup then feel the inside of your walls to verify that the spot is no warmer than the other surfaces.
If your spot test for the paint remains cool then you can go ahead in using your specific enamel (or otherwise) paint to paint the rest of the oven interior for good measure.
Never Forget This As Well
If the paint inside your microwave is peeling or deteriorating, you might need to either repaint the interior or just buy a new microwave wholesale.
However, not just any paint can work. You should observe certain preparations in order to do this right. Enamel paint works great in covering up those metal walls and keeping the metal microwave box from rusting over.
Follow the tips and recommendations on this guide to ensure a polished and functional result when push comes to shove.
References:
- “Can I use this to paint the inside of my microwave oven?“, Amazon.com, Retrieved May 22, 2021
- Shereyll Pineda, “How to Repaint the Inside of a Microwave“, DoItYourself.com, October 20, 2010
- Becca Boo, “How To Repaint The Inside Of Your Microwave – Rusting And Peeling Paint“, YouTube.com, July 5, 2020
