Antique Painting Kitchen Cabinets Ideas That Inspire

Tired of your dated and dull kitchen cabinets? Give them new life with antique painted finishes. Antiquing kitchen cabinets is an easy and budget-friendly way to refresh your space with vintage charm and character. From glazing to dry brushing, explore endless antique paint techniques to create a timeless, classic look for your kitchen.

Antique painted cabinets are currently trending as homeowners seek to add cozy nostalgia to modern kitchens. The distressed patinas and worn finishes of antiqued cabinets add depth, texture and a sense of history. Choosing antique paint treatments is also more affordable than a full cabinet replacement or remodel. Revive your existing cabinetry and uncover its hidden beauty with antique painted transformation.

Benefits of Antique Painted Kitchen Cabinets

What draws homeowners to the antique cabinet paint trend? Drab maple or oak cabinets are effortlessly updated with antique finishes. Here are some of the benefits of antiquing your kitchen cabinets:

• Adds vintage charm and character - Antique paint techniques like glazing, dry brushing and distressing add visual interest compared to basic painted cabinets.
• Creates a timeless, classic look - The patina of antique painted cabinets has a nostalgic, traditional feel perfect for farmhouse, cottage, and vintage decors.
• More affordable than full remodel - Antiquing cabinets costs a fraction of full cabinet replacement. It's an easy DIY or affordable professional upgrade.
• Covers flaws or damage - Antique paints conceal scratches, stains, and other imperfections.
• Wide range of antique paint techniques - From subdued dry brushing to heavy distressing, the look can be tailored to your style.

Ready to revive your existing kitchen cabinets? Antique painting allows you to upcycle what you have into a vintage focal point full of character and visual appeal. The aged, timeworn look of antique finishes adds a touch of humble elegance perfect for today's farmhouse style.

Prepping and Painting Kitchen Cabinets for Antique Look

Achieving an authentic, quality antique painted finish requires careful prep and painting techniques. Follow these steps when antiquing kitchen cabinets:

Cleaning Cabinets Thoroughly

Grease, dirt, and residue will impact paint adhesion. Clean cabinet surfaces with a degreasing cleaner like TSP. For a deep clean, you may need to use a liquid deglosser if cabinets were previously painted with glossy enamel. Remove doors, handles and hinges to easily access all cabinet surfaces for cleaning.

Sanding Down Cabinets

Lightly sand cabinets to rough up the surface for paint. Use 120-150 grit sandpaper for an ideal tooth. Vacuum dust before painting. Fully sand any surfaces with chipping paint to ensure proper bonding of new paint layers.

Priming With Bonding Primer

Priming ensures paint adherence and provides a uniform surface over wood grain, laminate or old paint. Use a high-quality bonding primer formulated for slick surfaces like Boss Extreme Bond Primer. Two coats of primer allow for better coverage.

Choosing Antique Paint Finishes

Numerous antique paint techniques can be used solo or combined to create your desired finish:

• Glazing - Glazes are translucent, gel-like paints applied over a base color. They settle into crevices to emphasize wood grain and distressing.
• Dry brushing - A paint brush dipped lightly in glaze or paint is brushed lightly over surfaces, leaving textured strokes behind.
• Distressing - Intentional damage is created after painting using sandpaper, chisels, chains and other tools to simulate worn, aged wood.
• Staining - Stains layered under or over paint add depth and an aged patina. Consider a gray, weathered or whitewash stain.

Experiment with each technique on paint swatches before tackling cabinets. The combination of methods and paint colors lead to endless antique styles.

Antique Paint Color Ideas for Kitchen Cabinets

Selecting the right antique cabinet paint color palette is key to achieving your desired style. Consider the following antique paint colors for kitchen cabinets:

Off-Whites and Cream Tones

Soft white and cream glazed cabinets have a timeless farmhouse feel. Try Benjamin Moore White Dove or Farrow & Ball Wevet. Add light gray glazing over white for a weathered antique look.

Soft Blues and Greens

Muted sage greens and sky blues like Sherwin-Williams Rainwashed or Benjamin Moore Healing Aloe evoke vintage charm with a lighter feel. Glaze with brown for an antiqued finish.

Warm Neutral Browns

Earthy browns like amber, chestnut and mocha make cozy antique cabinets. Go darker with Espresso Brown or lighter with Gray Cashmere by Behr.

Classic Black and Red

For dramatic antique cabinets try deep colors like Black Pepper or VALSPAR Red Renassaince. Softened with gray glazing, the colors take on an aged, timeworn look.

Mix and Match Colors

Go bold with contrasting cabinets in antique finishes. Try navy base cabinets with creamed glazed uppers, or mix black stained island cabinets with distressed white frames.

Select your antique cabinet paint colors based on the overall kitchen decor and style you want to achieve. Aim for an aged, non-uniform appearance as you would see with actual antique cabinets.

Antique Paint Techniques for Kitchen Cabinets

Various paint techniques create unique antique finishes. Try these easy methods to antique your kitchen cabinets:

Glazing

Glazing involves brushing on translucent, oil-based glaze over a dried base paint layer. The glaze settles into crevices and details to accentuate wood grain and distressing. Multiple coats build up an aged patina. Seal with a topcoat like polyurethane.

Dry Brushing

Using subtle, random dry brush strokes over painted cabinets adds texture and depth mimicking worn wood. Lightly dip a paintbrush in glaze or paint, then brush lightly over surfaces removing excess paint as you go.

Distressing

To intentionally damage cabinets, try techniques like chiseling, scraping with chains, sanding or applying waxes to simulate cracks and worn spots. Focus distressing on edges and natural wear points.

Staining

For an extra aged look, apply stains over your base antique cabinet paint. Try a whitewash stain to mimic peeling paint or a dark walnut stain for richer depth. Distress stained areas to blend the layers together.

Chalk Painting

Chalk paint creates a matte, velvety painted finish perfect for antiquing. The porous paint soaks up glazes beautifully. Topcoat with a sealing wax for sheen and protection.

Combining techniques like staining, dry brushing and glazing allows custom antique finishes. Always work from light to dark as you build up layers of color for properly antiqued cabinets.

Along with antiquing cabinet boxes, consider updating hardware like knobs and pulls for a cohesive vintage look. Ideas to antique kitchen cabinet hardware include:

• Aging brass knobs and pulls with glazes or paint
• Distressing metal handles and hinges using sandpaper
• Painting hardware black or antique brass for an updated vintage feel
• Replacing modern hardware with bin pulls, keyhole plates, or glass knobs

Look for worn, reclaimed hardware or pieces with rubbed edges and natural patinas. Swapping modern handles for porcelain knobs, rustic iron pulls and galvanized metal adds vintage industrial character.