The Best Colors for Antiquing Your Kitchen Cabinets

White on White

• Bright white, off-white and shades of rich cream are good colors for antiquing when you want your kitchen to feel light, airy and romantic. Painting dark cabinets white may take several coats. Use multiple shades of white for an effect that mimics years of whitewashing. Wallpaper the insides of the cabinets with a pastel calico print to complete a sweet, 1930s-inspired look.

Sienna Brown

• Use the techniques of dry brushing and dry ragging with sienna brown paint to add character and depth to the crevices and edges of cabinetry, mimicking the effects of age. Dip the corner of a dry rag or brush in sienna paint and rub it into parts of the cabinet that people touch frequently. Sienna looks as authentic on light-colored backgrounds as it does on bright and dark shades. Heavy application results in a masculine, rugged finish; a light application is more subtle. Wipe off excess sienna paint with a clean rag until you achieve the antique impression you want.

Multiple Colors

• Paint cabinets in multiple contrasting colors, such as red, blue, green and yellow, for a bright, cheerful effect. Apply a coating of butcher's wax between layers and use sandpaper to reveal the different colors of paint, simulating layers of history. Play with the balance of colors until the look feels right and enhances your kitchen decor. This look is especially joyous in a farmhouse or in an apartment with a farmhouse feel.

Faux Finishing Kits

• Faux finishing kits allow you to use two layers of paint and apply the chemical kit to achieve a crackled, leather or other decorative, antique effect. A bottom coat of red paint with a top coat of brown creates a woodsy two-toned leather look, suitable for a lodgelike kitchen; a bottom coat of buttercup with a top coat of cloud white looks charmingly country with a crackle finish. Faux finishing kits contain instructions as well as recommendations for color combinations that will not work well with the finish.