How to Finish Cabinets in an Antique Glazing Technique

Prep your cabinets and work area for painting. Lay out a drop cloth, attaching it to the walls with painter's tape to make sure you protect any vulnerable baseboards. Remove doors, handles, and hardware from the cabinets. Use a piece of tape and marker to label the inside of the doors and the handles with a number to match the cabinet it was removed from when you are reassembling everything.

Mix TSP with water in the bucket, according to manufacturer's directions. Using the TSP water and a sponge, wipe down the doors and cabinets to remove dirt and oil from them. As you work, really examine the doors and cabinet for old and peeling paint. If you find peeling paint, you will need to use a medium grit sandpaper to sand down the cabinet and remove the old paint before painting. If you have to sand the paint, make sure you wipe down the cabinets with a tacky cloth after you've completed the sanding work, and then prep with a primer. Allow the doors and cabinet to dry completely before proceeding.

Paint your doors and cabinet with the white or cream paint. This paint will be your base color and you will apply your glaze to "antique" your cabinet over this color. If you applied a primer prior to this step, you may only need to apply one coat to achieve a consistent color. If you did not use a primer, you may need to apply two coats to achieve full coverage. Allow each coat to dry between applications. Allow the final coat to dry completely before moving on to the glazing process.

Apply the tinted glaze with a damp rag after the last coat of your base color has dried. Pour the tinted glaze into a paint tray and dip your damp rag into the glaze. Remove excess paint by wiping the rag against the side of the paint tray. Apply the glaze by gently stroking the rag against the door. Work on a small area at a time, applying the glaze and then wiping some away with a clean rag until you achieve the color saturation you want. You can wipe the glaze on in small, straight strokes, or you can apply it with a circular motion. You may want to practice on one door until you find the application technique that works best for the look you want to achieve. Remember that you can build up the glaze by working in layers; you can also allow glaze to puddle in recessed corners on doors to give an even more antique look.

Perfect your glazing technique on one door and then continue to apply the glaze to the remaining doors and cabinet until you've covered the whole piece. Allow the cabinet and doors to dry completely (24 hours) before reattaching doors and hardware to the cabinet.