Jacqueline and hubby Glen have tracked down some impressive vintage goodies on Craigslist in the past — but their latest find really struck gold — Harvest Gold, that is. When the couple needed to replace the selectively operational 27 inch GE stove in their new 1972 ranch home, they thought they had found an almond-colored replacement. However, after some detective work and a bottle of Citristrip, it turned out their kitchen had a colorful new treasure.
Jacqueline writes:
Hi Pam! I’ve written in before about my thrifty turquoise appliance finds and my brown 40 inch GE stove that I needed help identifying the color name.
A lot of changes in Glen’s and my life since then — we moved into a darling 1972 ranch home in Arizona. We still own our other home that is pretty small, and it is being rented by my son now. My husband likes his space, and now that we are in here, I do too!
We went from just under 1,100 sq. ft. to almost 1,700, which is nice, and we have the added bonus of a swimming pool, great for the weather around here!
My story today is that even though I absolutely love the turquoise appliances that we collected to be put into a new house that we found, it wasn’t in the cards. They will be installed in the little house. Our new kitchen won’t accommodate them and I really don’t see the necessity in re-doing a perfectly fine kitchen for that reason. So, my DH (he really is dear) has been on the hunt for 70’s appliances, ever since we moved in.
We found out that in this big old kitchen, our stove opening is only 27 inches. The original 27 inch space-maker had been replaced at some point we believe, and an almond 27 inch updated GE put in its place. We had problems with the almond one — it was giving me fits — so we started looking for the replacement with more haste. Ha! Try and find a 27 inch space-maker. No appliance makers other than GE manufacture them, and to be honest we were at the end of our rope, the new ones are $1,300-$1,400!! AND I didn’t really want “new.”
Glen was on Craigslist, (his favorite past time) and showed me an ad for a free 27 inch stove in Phoenix, that said: “Remodeling, works great, don’t want it” (you know how they go.)
He called, made arrangements to get it the next afternoon, and brought it home. It’s almond…but the guy said it was a 1972?? (Same year as the house) I was puzzled, and so was Glen. It’s a P7 top of the line according to the model and serial numbers, but almond? Hmmm…
We got it inside and it looked like someone had patched a spot on the front with a badly matched porcelain paint. I rubbed at it a little and almond paint started to come off a bit. HOLY COW, I realized right then we had a stove from the early 70’s, that had been painted almond. We both looked at each other…..our stove was GE Harvest underneath all that almond!
I researched online to try to remove the paint, not a lot of info, but I remembered a post from your site, that some folks had used Citristrip to remove old paint from their bathtub and toilet in their vintage mobile home. They live close to us in Arizona, that is why I had their posting firmly in my mind!
[Precautionary Pam reminds that old paint may contain lead — be sure to consult with a properly licensed professional to assess what you have so you can make informed decisions. For more info see our Be Safe/Renovate Safe page here.]
Just finished this endeavor this morning, did the top yesterday, and the door this morning.
Oh Pam it is beautiful — and I am so happy to send you this and let you know how it turned out. It is perfect, no abrasions from sandpaper, it looks like it just came out of the GE carton. It shines, it’s full of chrome, and it is amazing. It was actually pretty easy, That stripping gel works so well (I’m so glad it wasn’t roughed up before they painted it.) We brought her back to her old self!
We do not have a Harvest gold fridge, and as you can see we are dealing with a black fridge, and a black dishwasher. Could be that is a quest for Glen..he is always looking!
The floors are a light VCT, we had it installed before we moved in… I love it, it’s Armstrong Imperial Texture, “Pebble Tan.” The walls are painted with Valspar Satin low VOC “Imagine.” I love the pinky orange color, it may not come through that well in those pictures.
I am in the process of painting the cabinets too, you can see the bare wood under the stove area but it’s not horrible, It’s just a little at a time. I have a few done which don’t show in the pictures, they are a little more white than the others — Sherwin Williams “Creamy.”
Here is a shot of our Whirlpool Laundry pair. We have grown fond of this color for sure!
I also included a picture of our “Roxy” She reminds me so much of Kate’s puppy! Only she is much older than he and kinda grouchy..it’s just age!
Thank you for ALL your time and energy that you and Kate put into helping us through our projects, and all the good advice.
Wow Jacqueline and Glen, not only did you guys save a bundle ($1,400) sourcing a stove for free on Craigslist, but kudos to you for restoring this stove to its former glory. Mega thanks for sharing your success story with us.
Read more about Harvest Gold —
our 2014 Retro Renovation color of the year
.
Leslie Gorman says
Hello, We have this same model in excellent working condition that we may be looking to find a happy home for. Do you have any tips on how to go about this?
Pam Kueber says
Hi Leslie, here is some basic info: https://retrorenovation.com/do-you-want-to-sell-a-vintage-item-that-you-own/
And here is a list of places that restore old stoves that may provide an outlet for you: https://retrorenovation.com/2011/11/04/13-places-to-buy-restored-vintage-stoves/
Nancy Boyajy says
I have a harvest gold stove top with some chips. Does anyone know where I can find touch up paint for an enamel stove top?
Pam Kueber says
Hi Nancy, I don’t know the answer to this. Sorry for the late reply. I held this in moderation to think about it, but then it just sat.
Karin says
Lovely oven. It fits the space perfectly. Elbow grease, research, and patience saves a vintage beauty from the scrapyard. Well done, Jacqueline and Glen. Love your sweet dog Roxy too.
I once had a harvest gold oven (and fridge) in a rental and I remember frantically trying to figure out the locking mechanism before cooking a turkey. Yikes. Fortunately, a friend figured it out, averting a late dinner. That was close.
I confess to being the owner of no less than three coloured vintage stoves. I figure if one died or I couldn’t find parts or an experienced repair person, I was covered. I had seafoam, turquoise and avocado. My favorites were the seafoam and the turquoise.
However, to my regret, the seafoam was not meant to be my main squeeze.
The seafoam had to be scrapped due to a twisted door
hinge that I couldn’t repair or locate on the internet. I shed a silent tear when it went to the scrapyard because other than that, it had hardly been used. I still have fond memories of it.
I discovered I was not the only one with at least three vintage stoves. Some folks routinely rotate their stand-alone stoves to save on wear and tear and in case an obsolete part can’t be located.
Recently the 1956 turquoise GE had an element break down. I was about to lose my pride and joy. So I bought a barely used avocado oven from an estate sale for forty dollars just in case.
It went into the kitchen while I located a replacement on eBay. DH was leary, but it turned out to be the right part. I was over the moon. I may not luck out in the future, but for now, there’s still a few years left in the old girl.
Avocado is waiting in the wings, but but truth be told, the 1956 turquoise GE is my first love. Thank you, Mary Elizabeth for the link to the GE manual and appliantology. Really appreciate that.
The takeaway here is don’t be afraid of research and elbow grease if you love these stoves. Do your research. Be safe. Great post, thanks everybody.
Kara says
We just bought a home last year, and it came with a P7 in harvest gold, with matching hood and dishwasher. If anyone has info for repairing wiring? I think something came unplugged while I was trying to replace the bake element on my own. 🙁 Willing to part with the dishwasher! Great condition!
Pam Kueber says
Hi Kara, see this story for tips on where you might be able to find help: https://retrorenovation.com/2011/08/29/parts-service-and-advice-to-fix-old-stoves-and-other-vintage-appliances-a-list-of-9-online-resources/
And note, no buying/selling here on the blog or it becomes chaos.