Distressing Kitchen Cupboards

Prepare the cabinets to be painted. Apply painter's tape around the cabinets' edges where they meet the wall and arrange a dropcloth on the counter tops or flooring underneath them.

Remove the cabinet doors from the kitchen cupboards. Unscrew the door hinges and handles with a flat-head or Philips screwdriver. Place the doors outside on top of sawhorses or a workbench.

Wipe the doors and the fronts of the cupboards with a clean, soft cloth, removing any dust.

Apply one coat of paint to the doors and cupboard fronts with a 3- to 4-inch-wide paintbrush or roller. Allow the first coat to dry for two hours.

Apply a second coat of a different color in the same manner. Allow the second coat to dry for two hours.

Apply a third coat of another color if desired. Allow the paint to dry completely.

Distress the fronts of the cupboards and doors with fine-grit sandpaper. Rub the sandpaper gently in raised and oft-used areas of the cupboards to allow the different coats of paint to be seen; do not rub through to the cupboards' original colors. Some areas that should be distressed include the sides of the doors, edges of the cupboards, any raised markings or carvings, and areas around the cupboards' hardware.

Apply dents haphazardly to the cupboard doors by banging gently on them with a hammer or lightly swinging a chain at them.

Replace the hardware on the cupboard doors and place each door in the same location it was taken from.