Resurfacing Kitchen Cabinets: Old Technique for New Results
Sometimes the best new look for your kitchen is an old look. Here's how to give your cabinets a distressed look using two colors.
Steps to Transforming Your Stock Kitchen Cabinets
1. First, choose two colors. One is your base and the other is your accent color. The accent color is paint that is applied secondly, over the base color. One option is to create your base color from staining kitchen cabinets.
2. Apply your base color and let dry completely.
3. Take a candle or other piece of wax and rub it on the cabinet wherever you want the base color to show. Do this carefully as it is hard to turn back in this process. If you want a lot of the color to show through for an antique, crackle look, then apply a lot of wax. Be careful not to apply the wax too solidly or very little of the accent color will show.
4. Apply one or two coats of the accent color, letting each coat dry completely.
5. Using sheets of fine sandpaper (220 grit), carefully sand the entire surface where you have painted. The accent color will come off wherever the wax is present under the paint. You may need to pass over the paint a few times to reach the layer of wax.
Resurfacing kitchen cabinets does not have to stop here. Add a hand-painted motif to the cabinet doors such as a fleur-de-lis, flowers, or other image. End with a coat of glaze or clear varnish. These will go on creamy but will dry clear.
Choose colors that will help you achieve the look you want. If you want a subtle look, choose colors that are similar. The more contrast between the two colors and the more wax you use, the more drastic the look. Be creative and enjoy your new old look.
Additional Kitchen Cabinets Reading
