Can You Do an Antiquing Effect on Existing Cabinets?

Distress

• You can give newer cabinets the slightly beat-up look of antiques by beating them up, also known as distressing. Use a chain, hammer, screwdriver or other tool to roughen up the surface of your cabinets by lightly striking them. Pay special attention to the area along the edges and handles. Sandpaper lightly to give your cabinets a scruffy look, or go over them with a wire brush. You can even add small holes or dents with a wire nail and a hammer.

Prepare

• While antiquing is a fairly free-style method of applying finish, it's always a good idea to prepare your surface. Clean your cabinets with hot water and a commercial cleaning product, and dry them carefully. Tape or remove the hardware, and tape around your appliances to protect them. This might be a good time to replace your cabinetry hardware with something more compatible with the new look.

Paint or Stain

• You can antique your cabinets one of several ways. You can apply a thin coat of white primer, allow it to dry, lightly sand it, then apply a coat of paint and wipe some of it off while it's still wet. Another method is to rub the cabinets with two different colors of gel stain. Apply one color in an approximately 12-inch patch, using one rag to apply the stain and another rag to wipe it off. Then do the same thing with the other color of stain. Don't go for a uniform effect; instead, leave more stain on in some areas and wipe it off more in others. Using two colors of stain will give more depth to the appearance of the cabinets. A third way requires just one stain color. Apply it the same way, wiping it on with a rag and then wiping it off with another.

Other Methods

• You can also antique your cabinets by using bleach. Mix a small amount of bleach with water and wipe your cabinets with the mixture using a rag. Then, again using a rag, wipe with green or light brown paint. Some faux painting techniques work well for antiquing, such as crackling. Simply prime the cabinets, allow them to dry and brush on a coat of light-colored paint. Apply the crackling medium, allow it to dry and finish the cabinets off with a coat of latex paint.