How to Refinish Kitchen Cabinets in Antique Finish

If you're looking for a unique and interesting way to refinish your kitchen cabinets, why not make them look about a hundred years old? Faux antique refinishing is something anyone with a little artistic ability can do, and it will get a lot more attention than plain old stained or painted wood. Refinishing glaze is a translucent gel that you wipe onto the surface then wipe partly (but not completely) off, giving the wood uneven shading that mimics the effects of age.

Things You'll Need

• Screwdriver
• Fine sandpaper
• Masking tape
• Tarps or newspapers
• Glaze
• Paint brush
• Old rags
• Polyurethane gloss

Instructions

1. Take the cabinet apart with your screwdriver, removing all the hinges and hardware. Set the separate pieces out on tarps or newspapers. If the cabinet is mounted to the wall, tape off the immediate area on the surrounding wall with masking tape.

2. Buff each part of the surface with sandpaper, to take off any grime or gloss. Wipe off the dust.

3. Brush your glaze heavily over each section of the cabinet, making a thick layer of it.

4. Allow the glaze to sit for about five minutes while you examine the surface. Watch for the shiny wet look of the glaze to just start getting dull, indicating it's starting to dry.

5. Use an old rag to partly wipe off the glaze. Press lightly with the rag as you go and don't try to dig it out of the crevices and corners. Make sure the glaze is flat and smooth and is wiped off the flat spans but left in the corners. Work it until you get it the way you want it.

6. Let the glaze dry overnight. Brush on a thin layer of polyurethane gloss over the whole surface. Let it dry about four hours. Lightly sand the gloss by hand, wipe off the dust, and brush on a second layer of polyurethane. Let it dry overnight. Reassemble the cabinet.

References

• Ask The Decorator: Glazing Techniques