New incubator question

I am building an incubator this year because I hope to get a couple clutches this year. I found an old coke mini fridge online for a few dollars and have gutted it of the mechanics. I have a few questions. First, I want to paint the exterior and interior of the fridge. Can I use regular spray paint for this? I have to have it looking neat and tidy. Secondly, the model I bought has a small plate on the back wall that has a small hole for a cable already cut out. Can I make my connection on my heat tape in the middle of the sheet? I have always seen it done at one end or the other but not in the middle. I would like to do it this way to avoid having to put anymore holes in the fridge itself.

Thanks.

Regular spray paint will be fine. I just painted an old wine refrigerator that i'm converting into an incubator, actually (I didn't paint the inside). Just don't spray it where the fumes will reach your snakes is all (obviously)... I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be perfectly all right to make your connection between two pieces of heat tape. Just make sure to insulate all of the exposed wire and connectors extra good.