DIY Guide for Distressing Cabinets With Paint

• 1

  Thoroughly clean and degrease your cabinets using a scrub brush or scouring pad, per the cabinet cleaner or de-greaser label instructions. Wipe them dry with clean rags. Remove the doors, drawers and all hardware including hinges, drawer pulls and knobs using a screw gun or screw driver with a Philips or flat-head bit, depending on your cabinet hardware. Operate the screw gun in reverse, or twist the screwdriver to the left to loosen screws. Loosen and remove any bolts with a wrench. Place hardware together in a safe place.

• 2

  Sand down parts of your cabinet frames so they will look distressed after you paint them. Cut a square of medium- grain sandpaper, the size of your hand or bigger, and rub the furniture with it, rough side down, in a back and forth motion. Rub with the grain direction, sanding just to roughen parts of the surface. Do not completely smooth the cabinets. Sand for an uneven and patchy surface. Focus on edges, corners and raised faces on carvings and woodwork. Do the same with cabinet doors and drawers.

• 3

  Switch to a light-grain sandpaper. Lightly sand the piece once all over, just enough to smooth out any major splinters and debris. Dust the piece with a feather duster or clean rag to remove any dust.

Dry Brushing

• 4

  Dry-brush your cabinets for an extremely rustic look with the natural wood grain peaking through. Dip a dry brush into your paint. Remove enough excess paint so the brush doesn't drip. Apply the paint in patches, brushing with the grain. Use the brush's flat area and sides. Spread the paint out so it fades into the grain in certain areas for a patchy and faded effect rather than constantly re-applying for an even, smooth color. Allow the paint to dry completely before moving on.

• 5

  Apply a second color in the same manner, if you want subtly distressed cabinets. The less paint you apply, the more rustic the cabinets will look. Use your judgment and taste to decide on how much paint to apply. Allow the paint to dry.

• 6

  Sand down the edges, corners and any raised parts of carvings with coarse-grained sandpaper.

• 7

  Apply a layer of paste wax. Rub a quarter-size amount onto a dry, lint-free cotton cloth. Rub the paste-loaded cloth onto a small area of the cabinet. Let the paste haze slightly, and buff off the wax with a clean cotton rag. Continue over the entire surface area of all cabinets. Wipe them down well with a clean rag afterward.

Underlayering

• 8

  Underlayer your cabinets instead of dry-brushing if you want subtle distressing in certain areas or want to create contrast with more than one paint color. Remove, clean and sand cabinets as indicated. Rub candle wax or beeswax on the sanded corners and edges before painting. This helps the paint sand off later.

• 9

  Paint the cabinets the color you want the under layer to be. This color will peak through. Otherwise, keep the natural finish. Let the paint dry.

• 10

  Paint the main color layer as you would normally, painting thoroughly. Water down the paint for a translucent color wash if desired. Let the paint dry.

• 11

  Sand down the edges, corners and anywhere you placed wax if you only used one paint color. Use coarse-grained sandpaper. Wet a sponge with mineral spirits and lightly rub the edges and corners to let the under layer of paint peek through if you painted two layers. Let the paint dry again.

• 12

  Apply a layer of paste wax with a dry, lint-free cotton cloth. Rub a small area with the paste-loaded cloth. Let the paste haze slightly, and buff off the wax with a clean cotton rag. Continue over the entire surface area of all cabinets. Wipe them down well with a clean rag afterward.

• 13

  Paint the hardware, and sand the raised edges or corners, or leave them as is if they already look distressed. Use coarse-grained sandpaper Replace all hardware on doors, drawers and the frame.