How to Apply Faux Paint on Cabinets

Faux painting is a great way to add a decorative finish to your home's cabinets. You can choose the style and texture that will be applied to the cabinets. Some faux finishes even resemble wood or stone, making your kitchen look like you have replaced all of the cabinets with a more expensive material. Follow these easy steps to apply faux paint to the cabinets in your bathroom or kitchen.

Things You'll Need

• Drop cloths
• Painter's tape
• Screwdriver
• Acrylic paint
• Paint rollers and trays
• Paint brush
• Sponge, rag or sponge brush

Instructions

1. Take off the doors and hardware from each cabinet. Use a soft cloth soaked in warm water and soap to clean off the doors and cabinets. Dry them with a fresh cloth, making sure not to leave any lint or dust on the surface.

2. Select the colors for your faux painting. The base color should be white or a neutral color. Choose an acrylic paint that contrasts with the base color to use as your glaze.

3. Apply a coat of base paint to the cabinets and doors. Allow this coat to dry overnight.

4. Use a glaze that is designed for faux finishes and mix in the paint as needed until you get the color you want. Be sure to mix enough glaze to cover all of the cabinets and doors. It will be difficult to mix another batch to match the exact shade if you run out in the middle of painting. Pour some of the glaze into a paint roller tray for easy access.

5. Choose a faux painting technique to use. Sponging is the easiest type of faux painting and works well to cover blemishes and imperfections in your cabinets. Rag rolling is another common faux painting method that gives cabinets a textured appearance. To use the sponging method, go to step 6. For the rag rolling method, go to step 7.

6. Soak a large sponge in clean water and squeeze it out so that it is slightly damp. Lightly place one side of the sponge into your mixed glaze. Do not let the glaze soak into the sponge. Dab the sponge on a paper towel or cloth to remove the excess glaze, then dab the sponge onto the cabinet surface. Rotate the sponge as you press it onto the wall to vary the pattern. Repeat this until the cabinets are textured to your satisfaction.

7. Submerge a rag in the mixed glaze and wring out the excess. Bunch up the rag and lightly press it against the cabinet, making sure not to flatten out the rag. The textured appearance comes from the creases and folds in the rag. Continue dabbing the rag onto the cabinet surface, rotating it as you go to change up the pattern.

8. Apply a coating of clear glaze to the cabinets to seal the colors in or to add a glossy finish. Depending on the amount of sunlight in the room, you may want to skip this step. There may be too much glare in a brightly-lit kitchen.

9. Repeat steps 3-8 to paint the cabinet doors.

10. Allow everything to dry for 24-48 hours and replace the cabinet doors and hardware.

Tips & Warnings

• Most home improvement and paint stores allow you to take color samples home to test out your paint choices. The lighting in your home will be very different than the lighting in the store. Test out your faux painting technique on a scrap piece of wood or cardboard before applying it to the cabinets.

• Use drop cloths to protect your floors and counters from dripping paint. Mask off the edges of the walls and ceilings with painter's tape.