How to: Decorative Painting Techniques in Restoring Kitchen Cabinets

If you have old kitchen cabinets that you want to restore but you're bored by the idea of just painting or re-staining them, consider glaze. This is a form of stain that does not go on evenly but his made to go on unevenly, gathering in corners and crevices, which gives the effect of age. It's something of an art, so if you haven't done it before, practice on scrap wood before you start.

Screwdriver
Newspapers
Sandpaper
Glaze refinishing compound (contrasting color from the cabinets)
Paintbrush
Old rags
Polyurethane (spray can)

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the cabinet hinges and other hardware. Set the doors out on newspapers, facing up. Put masking tape on the wall around any attached portions of the cabinet.
- 2
  Dull the cabinet surface with sandpaper, by hand, scuffing it just enough to de-gloss it. Wipe away the dust.
- 3
  Lay glaze refinishing compound thickly over each section of the cabinet using a paintbrush. Let the glaze sit on the surface until it just starts to dry (as indcated by the shine of the compound starting to dull), about about five minutes.
- 4
  Wipe away the partly set glaze with old rags, using light strokes, to remove just the compound on the flat sections but not in the corners and crevices of the wood. Work the compound until it has the appearance you want. Let the glaze set for 12 hours.
- 5
  Spray polyurethane over the whole surface, lighly. Let it dry for about four hours and add a second coat. Let it set 12 hours. Put the cabinet back together.

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Kitchens