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clayton nc-master bath-edgewood cabinetry

A Quick Explanation Of Finish Options and Distressing

The days of boring cabinets are over.

There are so many options now for color and finishes. Whether you want modern, contemporary or rustic, there are beautiful options for you.

Here is A Quick Explanation Of Finish Options and Distressing:

For the more modern folk, high gloss cabinets and drawers are an option as well as the exact opposite being matte finished cabinets. Usually, both styles have little to no detail, boasting clean, sleek lines. Another popular style is having two toned cabinets. The top cabinets are a different color from the bottom cabinets but both have the same finish on them to tie it all together. Both styles give a more clean, colder feel.

Glazing Cabinets

A popular trend in the contemporary kitchens has been outlining the details and lines of the cabinets. If you are not familiar with that look, it’s simply the regular color of the cabinet (usually a natural wood color or white) and it looks as though a dark, oily substance has been rubbed along the lines and curves. This type of style is usually left with a natural finish not glossy. The style could be made to feel contemporary or rustic, depending on the surrounding kitchen decor.

Distressing Cabinets

For a more rustic look, kitchens have been indulging in the trend of distressing. It is becoming more and more popular with cabinets, islands and kitchen tables. Distressing is when you take new or finished furniture and purposefully distress them to look old and worn. This look is usually achieved by sanding down the finished or painted wood to expose its natural grain and color. People also intentionally add dents and scratches to again, give it that worn look. This style is also not finished with a high gloss. Distressed wood gives a kitchen a warm, earthy, old-world charm feel.

For more information and ideas on finish options please contact us

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Achieve Old World Charm with Distressing and Other Techniques

The look of an old farmhouse, or even the shabby chic look, has a charm that just can’t be replicated without using some techniques to add age.

How can you accomplish that vintage look? There are several techniques you can use to age anything from your table to your cabinetry!

Distressing

  1. Distressing–distressing adds the visual interest of something that has had a lifetime before you got it.  How can you add years?  Using a chain, a hammer, and a nail, or a sander, you can ding your furniture just enough to add personality.
  2. Stain–this step will add the dark undertones that tell the world this piece of furniture or cabinetry has been around the block.  Don’t apply stain to the whole piece, but selectively choose cracks and dents to add depth.
  3. Paint–if desired, add paint as a final step, or add another technique to add even more character.

Tea Staining

  1. Paint— the surface and allow to dry.
  2. Sand— the surface lightly, allowing some or most of the paint to stay on.
  3. Using a dry-brush technique–in which you have stain on the brush, but you wipe off all the excess so it seems dry, and brush the surface leaving traces of the stain.

Glazing

  1. Glaze–brush on a glaze with a paintbrush, again using the drybrush technique.
  2. Allow to dry for a bit–if you wipe the glaze immediately, you will take it right back off, so let it dry for a minute or two.
  3. Wipe gently–to get a scuffed, worn look.

There are many ways to add the character and charm of old age to your furniture or cabinetry.  

The trick is getting it to look just as aged as you choose.  If you feel daunted by this task, feel free to contact us.  Especially for cabinetry, it can be difficult to get the right amount of ‘aging’ in exactly the right places, but when done well, distressing and other techniques can really give your home that old world charm.

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