Things You'll Need:
- Paint
- Key
- Nails
- Crackling liquid
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Step 1
Kitchen cabinetsStart by scrapping off some of the finish from the wood. To do this you'll need sandpaper. Use a medium grade sandpaper. Gently rub the sandpaper against the wood of the cabinets you are trying to distress. The best way to do this is with a bit of elbow grease. Be careful not to gouge too hard or the sandpaper will create holes in the furniture that may be hard to repair.
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Step 2
Distressed furnitureMake small holes on the kitchen cabinets. You can do this with a nail. Scrape the nail against the sides of the cabinet. Do not place too much pressure on the nail or you will hurt the wood. You want to be very careful. Use a step ladder to reach higher cabinets if necessary.
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Step 3
Use a key to make small scrapes on the doors of the kitchen cabinets. If necessary unhinge the doors from the cabinets. Do not push too hard on the key or the wood will be very damaged. Try to make random patterns with your key. Avoid using a straight line if possible. Straight lines look too neat and may not give an aged effect.
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Step 4
Add a crackling medium to make the effect just a bit more antique looking. A cracking medium allows you to create small cracks in the wood finish. The crackling medium can be poured in one spot and spread across the rest of the surface of the wood kitchen cabinets with a small paint brush. Look for paint brushes that have fine lines on them. Use brushes to capture edges and the middle of the cabinets.
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Step 5
Add sealer. Once you've added antique marks and crackling mediums to your kitchen cabinets you'll want to make sure that you preserve your desired finish. Sealers are available for purchase in most hardware stores. A sealer can be poured on the wood kitchen cabinets after the crackling medium had dried. Make sure that you get all corners. Avoid letting the sealer build up in one place.
