| Do you want to create 'distressed look' kitchen | | | | techniques very popular. And, these cabinets look |
| cabinets and give a whole new look to your kitchen or | | | | great in a kitchen along with the 'right' accessories. |
| other areas? In decorative arts, distressing is the art of | | | | Techniques |
| making pieces look very old and worn. Distressed | | | | Deliberately sand, dent, scrape and gauge out little |
| cabinets are used to give a kitchen a vintage, antique | | | | dents and holes in the cabinet faces and tops. To |
| style. | | | | distress the wood, you can use a chain to throw |
| There are many methods of aging wooden furniture. | | | | against the wood, a screwdriver to gauge, a medium |
| Mostly these involve removing layers of paint in | | | | sized hammer to implement dents. Keep sanding in |
| uneven patches, leaving remnants of layers that show | | | | between these activities. |
| different colors, or even bare wood beneath. The aim | | | | Now you can use the and stain or varnish you've |
| is to have a 'look' that is rustic, imperfect and aged. | | | | chosen to darken the wood. You will find that a light |
| Have you seen those 'distressed' pieces in trendy | | | | colored varnish, such as a marine varnish, will look |
| furniture shops where the distressing method has | | | | wonderful as it will bring out all the beauty of the grain |
| obviously been to press imprints into the timber or | | | | of the wood as well as having the added bonus of |
| wood, with an instrument in places precisely measured | | | | being waterproof. This is really very necessary for |
| to be equidistant from one another? This is not what | | | | kitchen cabinetry as things are always getting damp, if |
| we are after! | | | | not wet. |
| We want to end up with a piece that is very authentic | | | | You can buy antiquing paints and varnishes to apply on |
| looking and looks as though it has been aged naturally | | | | the top in layers or patches, one layer abovethe last. |
| over the decades. You don't achieve this by whacking | | | | To add to the aging look, water down the colors with |
| at the wood with a sledge-hammer, either! Sandpaper | | | | thinners or water. This will look like a color wash. As |
| and paint stripper are used to remove old paint and to | | | | the paint dries, keep sanding little areas to give a worn |
| get back to the bare wood. The finished piece can be | | | | finish. |
| refinished with glaze (thinned paint) or varnish, if | | | | If you like, you can add a crackle varnish as the last |
| wanted. | | | | layer - this will give an antique appearance. Take some |
| Can I distress kitchen cabinets myself? | | | | off again with a light sand in a few places to show |
| Yes, you can easily do this! This is a good 'finishing' | | | | how the cabinet has been worn. Add some lovely |
| technique for beginners and as long as you are | | | | knobs or handles in wrought iron to finish the cabinets. |
| accepting of how your piece will turn out, you can | | | | So, you see, totally fool-proof! By following these |
| have a lot of fun creating a set of antique-looking | | | | techniques, you'll have beautiful distressed kitchen |
| cabinetry in your kitchen. You will need sandpaper of | | | | cabinets for your vintage style kitchen. Every piece is |
| differing grades of coarseness, brushes and some light | | | | of unique interest and once you add some |
| colored paints. All available from your local hardware | | | | accessories such as open shelving displays of china, |
| store. | | | | you'll be very pleased with the look you have |
| These techniques can be applied to many surfaces | | | | achieved! This technique is especially good for country |
| such as wood, glass, metal, stone, concrete, plaster | | | | style and rustic kitchens. |
| and paint. The Shabby-Chic style has made antiquing | | | | |