Kitchen Design
Stress Less With Distressed Cabinets
Stop worrying over every little nick and chip. Intentionally aged cabinets give the kitchen or laundry room a relaxed, timeworn look
If you're looking for a simple, effective way to add instant charm and appeal to the cabinets in your home, distressing is for you. Distressing a cabinet is the process of making it look aged, producing the appearance of wear that time usually causes.
There are several ways to create the distressed look. You could start with a few layers of paint, then add a spatter of glaze in areas where wear would naturally occur. Or try light sanding or hitting with a chain to reveal colors below; this creates the look of a piece that has been painted multiple times and years of use have worn away some layers. If you're looking for a simpler process, painting only one coat and lightly sanding in spots to reveal the wood below also works.
Whatever process you choose, sealing with polyurethane ensures that your wood looks perfectly distressed for years to come. Here are a few examples of how you can bring the relaxed, inviting feel of distressed cabinets into your house.
There are several ways to create the distressed look. You could start with a few layers of paint, then add a spatter of glaze in areas where wear would naturally occur. Or try light sanding or hitting with a chain to reveal colors below; this creates the look of a piece that has been painted multiple times and years of use have worn away some layers. If you're looking for a simpler process, painting only one coat and lightly sanding in spots to reveal the wood below also works.
Whatever process you choose, sealing with polyurethane ensures that your wood looks perfectly distressed for years to come. Here are a few examples of how you can bring the relaxed, inviting feel of distressed cabinets into your house.
Glossy, uniformly painted cabinets can appear fresh, clean and modern. If you're trying to create a more French country look, distressed cabinets are a great place to start.
The laundry room is perhaps one of the most overlooked spaces in the home. It's easy to put it on the back burner because, after all, it's not a room that often gets used for entertaining. Adding character with distressed cabinets might make all that folding feel like less of a chore.
While distressed cabinets have a look all their own to begin with, pulls help define the style. A sleek bar pull adds a modern element, a dark pull creates contrast and a similarly distressed knob blends in, allowing the detail in the cabinets to shine.
Perhaps you want your newly renovated kitchen to blend with your older home, or maybe that antiqued feel is your favorite. Either way, distressing your cabinets is a perfect way to achieve a worn-in look effectively and efficiently.
More:
Add Character to Your Home With the Look of Age
Defining a Look: European Eclectic Cabinets
The Unmatched Kitchen: Mixing Finishes With Style
More:
Add Character to Your Home With the Look of Age
Defining a Look: European Eclectic Cabinets
The Unmatched Kitchen: Mixing Finishes With Style