The first project I tackled when we moved in was the kitchen cabinets. The kitchen has a good layout. There is plenty of storage and counter space. The cabinets are oak and they were stained in a golden oak. As if that didn’t date them enough, the recessed panel doors had an oak veneer that was warped and peeling. My first plan was to re-stain the cabinets a darker and more up to date color. That plan quickly evaporated as I discovered pine under the veneers and in the process of taking off the veneers I damaged some of the doors. Time for a new plan.   My husband and I decided to cut and glue  beaded board onto the doors. We liked it so much we decided to put it on the ends of the cabinets and the peninsula as well.

     We had to take off all the doors to apply the beaded board.  I took all the drawer fronts off too.  I lightly sanded all surfaces.  I cleaned them with TSP.  I let my husband apply the beaded board then I applied one coat of primer.  I then applied two coats of white paint.  For the glaze, I mixed one part brown paint with four parts faux technique glaze.  The glaze is a bit tricky to work with.  It’s best to practice first.  Even if you do mess up you can usually just wipe it off and start over.  If you can’t get it all off, do another coat of white paint.  For the beaded board, I applied two coats of glaze.  For the bases and drawers I applied only one coat.  I think it is easiest to work with a dry brush.  Apply a thin coat of glaze and then wipe most of it off.  The trick is to just leave the color in the groves.  Then when that coat is dry apply another thin coat of glaze.  Really work it evenly all the way around.  Work quickly, the glaze dries fast.  When your last coat of glaze is dry, you might want to add a little more detail.  I used an artist’s brush to add a bit more glaze to the edges and corners of the drawers and doors.  When everything is to done to your liking you may apply a couple of coats of polyurethane to protect the finish.  I did not apply poly to mine and have not had any problems.

     Here is what I started with.

     Giving the cabinets a face lift was time consuming but I am happy with the results and all in all only cost about $125.00.

You may want to watch this tutorial video I made on glazing.