Brentwood Lane Neighbors

How To Make Your Cabinets Stop Looking Brand-New: From Sandpaper to Cabinet Knobs

This year there’s going to be a lot of emphasis on incorporating retro looks into everything from wardrobes to interior design — why not be proactive and help your cabinets along? Making new cabinets look vintage, also called “antiquing” is a great home decor project; check out the instructions below.

First of all, make sure you have a properly ventilated workspace. If you’re not working outdoors, make sure you’re in a room with at least one window, try to keep a fan going, and wear a mask.

Now you can start. Take apart as much of the cabinet as you can, without damaging it. (i.e. Take the doors off the hinge, and if the cabinets can come down from the wall, they should, otherwise you’ll have to use a ladder or footstool) Remove the hardware (hinges, cabinet knobs, etc.) and set them aside. Use a sponge to wash the wood with a mild water and soap combo, then wipe it dry with a lint-free towel or rag. Get it as clean as possible; if there’s any dirt or grime it will prevent the paint/stain from adhering to the wood fibers. Lightly sandpaper the wood. Any stains and sealants need to be removed completely.

Now, apply a coat of oil-based primer. After it dries, apply another coat of primer, in a different shade, with a brush to allow for a streaked appearance. Once it’s dried, apply wood stain. You can either use a rag and scrub it on, or brush it on and then scrub with the rag until you get the shade you want. Apply the stain more heavily around the edges of the wood, handles and cabinet knobs. After the stain dries, take the sandpaper and rub it along those areas. (Those areas, which receive more attention, would naturally grow darker over the years.)

If you want the cabinets to have a more distressed look, create some extra, but light, damage. Try gently hammering a chain into the wood to create indentations, as well as the points of nails to simulate the appearance of wormholes. (Use differently-sized nails to make it look more authentic.) Then, VERY lightly run a knife over the wood occasionally to make the wood look cracked. You can also dig at it with the tip of a nail file. You’re almost done! Apply a few coats of matte finish polyurethane, allowing time to dry in between. It’s important to use matte so the wood won’t look shiny — it’s a dead giveaway that the cabinets aren’t truly old.

Now you can re-hang the cabinets. Take a look at them, and add any finishing touches you might only just notice. If you want to make them look really ancient, look into vintage-inspired cabinet knobs. Many hardware or home decor stores sell them, or you could visit some flea markets for the real thing — not having matching cabinet knobs will make it look all the more believable.

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