Dishwasher Repair: Fix a Dishwasher Rack

Repair procedure

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Repair kit

Color-matched vinyl repair paint and replacement rack tips are sold at appliance parts stores or online.

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Photo 1: Clean the rack

Load a wire brush into a rotary tool and zip off the old rust and vinyl. Keep brushing until you get to fresh metal. Then paint on a new coating.

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Photo 2: Apply paint and new tips

Coat the freshly cut tip with vinyl paint. Then slip a new vinyl tip over the tine. Let it dry and you’re good to go.

Dishwasher rack tines break off or lose the protective coating at the tips and then you get rust spots on your dishes. New racks cost about $80 (and up). But you can fix yours in less than an hour and for a fraction of that cost. Buy a bottle of vinyl repair paint and a package of replacement tips to match your rack color (from any appliance parts store or find-a-fix.com). Cut off the rusted tips with a rotary tool and cutoff wheel. Then retip the tines (Photo 2).

To patch a rusted area around a broken tine, first clean off the rust (Photo 1).