How to Give Cabinets an Antique Finish

Dressing up your kitchen or bathroom with new cabinets can quickly become expensive. A more simplified way to create a new look in your home is to give cabinets an antique finish. By painting a crackle finish over your cabinets you can make the antique effect you're looking for and give an instant feel of age to your home. As you prepare for your project, select two colors that coordinate with the room's color scheme to use as the main coat and a coat that shows through from underneath.

Screwdriver
Drop cloth
Acrylic base paint
Paintbrushes
Ready-made crackle medium
Acrylic top paint

Instructions

- 1
  Remove any cabinetry hardware such as handles and hinges and set them aside for later. Lay cabinet doors out on a drop cloth or other item you can paint over.
- 2
  Paint the cabinet framework, drawer faces and both sides of the doors with your base paint. This color of paint will show through the cracks of the top coat, so select a vibrant color for a bold, rich antiqued look or a dull color for a more subtle effect. Allow the paint to dry for two hours or until no longer tacky.
- 3
  Apply the crackle medium over your base coat in even, side-to-side strokes. A thick layer of crackle medium will make for larger cracks between the paints, while a thin coating will leave only hairline cracks. Allow the crackle to dry for as long as recommended on the packaging.
- 4
  Paint over the base coat and crackle medium with the main color of paint you want to show using up and down strokes. Let the main coat dry over the period of an hour or two. As it dries the crackle medium will take effect.
- 5
  Replace the hardware on the cabinets and rehang any doors that were taken off for painting.

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