Sunday, May 30, 2010

Stained, Bare or Both


Over the past few weeks, we have been looking at the different ways to change the appearance of your existing cabinet without entirely replacing them. Another way to give your stained cabinets a different look is to scuff or “rub” the stain off of the edges and profiles.

 

Before you begin, make sure you have solid wood doors. This process will not work on plywood doors. Begin with a piece of 100 grit sandpaper. Lightly sand the edges and profiles until the stain is removed and the bare wood begins to show through. You can sand a lot of stain off or just a little. A consistent look can be created or a more random pattern. Once you have scuffed as much as you want, wipe the excess dust off and apply a clear coat of finish to the entire door or drawer fronts to seal and protect the bare wood. If you need help finding the best clear finish, talk with Ryan and Custom Color.

 

This is a simple process that produces a look that is not often seen. Unlike scuffing painted cabinets where you have the contrast between a paint and wood, now you are creating a contrast between a stain and the actual wood underneath the stain. This process seems to make the most impact when done on a darker stained cabinet, allowing the contrast of the bare wood to really pop out.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Depth and RIchness


Last week we discussed scuffing cabinets as an option for sprucing up existing painted cabinets. But what if you have stained cabinets? What can be done to spruce those up? Is your only option to paint them? What if you just really love your stained cabinets? What if you just cannot bring yourself to paint over your lovely, cherry cabinets? Take heart-there are several things you can do to give your stained cabinets a makeover.

 

One way to achieve a new look on stained cabinets is to glaze them. Otherwise known as “antiquing”, glazing stained cabinets is a great way to give them a richer look and add depth to the finish. Glaze, like a thick paint, is applied all over your doors and cabinets. Then it is wiped off as much or as little until you have achieved the look you are after. The glaze will collect in the profiles of the door creating a shadow and some streaks may be left on the flat surfaces. After you have allowed the glaze to thoroughly dry, apply a clear coat of finish to seal it in and protect your hard work. The most common glaze color used on stained cabinets is a dark brown or black, but you will sometimes see a white or bone glazed used as more of a “whitewash”.

 

As with any finish work, it is important that the surface is properly prepped before applying anything. This may include cleaning, light sanding, stain touch up or even some patch work. Before you being, take a door to a finish professional to make sure you are using the correct product. Ryan at Custom Color is always helpful in finding solutions for a variety of situations.

 

Just like glazing a painted door, this is a very time consuming, tedious process and requires some level of perfectionism. Fortunately on a stained cabinet, the wood and grain are a little more forgiving and allow for some mistakes. You will be amazed at how a simple process will enhance the richness and depth of your stained cabinets.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

When old is new again


Last week we discussed glazing cabinets as an option for sprucing up existing painted cabinets. Another way to give your painted cabinets a new look is to scuff or “rub” the paint off of the edges and profiles. This is a lot simpler process than glazing and is easy to do yourself. When you scuff the paint off of the edges and profiles of your doors and drawer fronts, it allows the grain and color of the wood to show through giving you a wonderful aged look.

 

Before you begin, make sure you have solid wood doors and drawer fronts. This process will not work on MDF(medium density fiberboard; pressboard) or plywood doors. If you scuff the paint off of MDF doors, you will reveal the MDF, which, when exposed to water, swells up like a sponge.  If you scuff, plywood, you will often see the layers and glue used to make the plywood.

 

Begin with a piece of 100 grit sandpaper. Lightly sand the edges and profiles until the wood begins to show through. You can sand a lot of paint off or just a little. Each door can look consistent or it can be a little more random. Remember, you can always sand more paint off, but you cannot put it back on. Once you have scuffed as much as you want, wipe the excess dust off and then apply a clear coat of finish to the entire door or drawer front to seal and protect the wood. Ryan at Custom Color can help you find the best clear finish product that will work with your existing painted door.

 

The most common color of new cabinets you see scuffed is black. But do not be put off-all colors can be scuffed. I have used black, red, green, white, navy blue, cream and yellow to mention a few and they all turn out looking fantastic. This is one of my favorite ways to give a new look to a great furniture find at a flea market or garage sale. In the end, this is a finish that easily disguises wear and tear and gives you a great aged, worn appearance.