Antique White Cabinets
The process of antiquing cabinets implies using artificial means to create an aged or worn look for the cabinets. Antiqued cabinets may be complimentary to a variety of housing designs and decorative aesthetics. White cabinets may be antiqued in a number of different ways, as the white backdrop readily offsets faux finish treatments. Whichever method(s) you choose to use for the antiquing effect, follow these steps for how to antique white cabinets.
Steps
- Prepare your cabinets.
- Remove the cabinet doors, as well as the hinges, knobs and other fixtures. The process of antiquing cabinets is much easier, and you will get more streamlined results if you take your cabinets apart before attempting an antiquing treatment. Remember to set the screws, hinges and other attachments in a safe place where they won't get lost.
- Use sandpaper to rough up all of the cabinet surfaces that you plan on antiquing. Be sure just to remove the top finish. High-gloss cabinets will require extra sanding.
- Clean the cabinets with a wet rag so that paint will adhere to them, and make sure they are free of sanding dust.
- Choose a process for antiquing white cabinets. You may use 1, or a combination, of the following methods:
- Glazing involves applying a thinned paint mixture, called a glaze, over the cabinet surfaces in order to create antique white cabinets.
- Distressing is a method of visually aging wood by causing intentional damage to the surface with a variety of instruments.
- Crackle finish is a faux painting technique for antiquing cabinets that results in a crackled paint effect.
- Glaze your cabinets. Glazing makes white and light-colored cabinets appear older and slightly dingy. Glaze only 1 cabinet at a time.
- Choose a glaze. You may opt to mix a brown, umber or amber water-based paint with water or a store-bought glaze mixture, 3 parts paint to 1 part water/glaze medium, or you may use stain. Adjust the opaqueness of the glaze by adding more water or glaze medium, as per your personal preference.
- Brush the glaze onto the cabinet. You may use a paint brush or a foam brush.
- Wipe off excess glaze using a cloth or paper towel.
- Repeat glazing until you get the desired effect. Antiquing white cabinets with the glaze method is a process, and you may need to build layer upon layer before you are satisfied with the level of antiquing.
- For greater detail and dimension, use a small paint brush to layer extra glaze into cracks, crevices and joint lines, where dust would naturally settle.
- Distress your cabinets. The purpose of distressing is to achieve an effect of years of wear and tear. When antiquing cabinets, you may distress them as much or as little as you prefer.
- Scrape a key over the surface of the cabinet to create random lines, or indentations, similar to what an old cabinet might have. Experiment with several different sized keys for different effects.
- Use an ice pick or a fork to poke holes in the cabinet surfaces. These holes should appear to be worm holes that would be natural to aged cabinets.
- Flog the cabinets with a chain to create a series of random, irregular dents and gashes in the wood.
- Sand edges with sandpaper to give them a well-worn appearance.
- Apply a crackle finish. Paint the cabinet surface with a store-bought crackling medium and let it dry. As it dries, the crackling medium shrinks, or "cracks," taking the glaze underneath with it and creating the look of old, sun-cracked paint.
Tips
- If too much of the cabinet's finish is sanded off while distressing it, repaint the cabinet and repeat the distressing process with a lighter touch.
Things You'll Need
- Screwdriver
- Sandpaper
- Wet rag
- Glazing medium
- Large paintbrush or foam brush
- Small paintbrush
- Brown, umber or amber water-based paint
- Water
- Paper Towels
- Cloth
- Distressing instruments: key(s), ice pick, chain, fork, etc.
- Crackling medium
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