Glazing Kitchen Cabinets Can Be A Fun Weekend Project

Whether you want to enhance the value of your home for sale or just improve its look for the enjoyment of yourself and your family, refinishing kitchen cabinets will provide more bang for your buck than just about anything you can do with your house. If, like many people, you have more time than money available, taking on this labor-intensive chore can really generate a nice return on your investment.

If you happen to have in place high quality wooden or metal cabinets, you are even further ahead of the game. As time has gone on, manufacturers have cut costs by flooding the market with particle board cabinets, which puts a premium on the all-wood cabinets often installed in years gone by. If you have metal kitchen cabinets, you can ride the wave of resurgent interest in these units, which were originally popular in the 1940s and 50s.

Having said all that, however, be advised that glazing kitchen cabinets may not prove to be the cakewalk one might expect from reading internet articles designed to fire one up to undertake such a task. Anticipate that there will be challenges encountered in the course of any re-finishing project. Take a hard look at the number and size of your kitchen cabinets, as well as your own experience and level of ‘handiness’, to say nothing of your own ability to see things through. There is a lot of surface area in a typical set of kitchen cabinets, and, do not forget that there are inner and outer faces to be dealt with.

It may be wise to start your project with the interior faces. As you gain experience, any less than ideal results obtained will at least not be in your face and the faces of your guests every time you walk into the kitchen. Also, working on the interiors of cabinets can be frustrating and awkward. If you can get through that part of the job, the exteriors will seem easy by comparison.

If you are going to go to the trouble to strip your old cabinets, be aware that chemical strippers, at least in my experience, do not make the job as easy or complete as generally advertised. Expect that there is going to be some sanding involved. Also expect that there is going to be more mess and inconvenience and time spent than you may anticipate.

The best thing to do before launching on such a major project, to my way of thinking, is to talk directly with someone who has actually done this job before. Find someone who has no axe to grind and who will be frank with you.

If you still think you have what it takes to complete this big undertaking, have at it. The benefits of a nicely done job of glazing kitchen cabinets are real. Just be aware going in that the results do not just magically appear, they require a lot of hard work and commitment.

Time has come for you to give your kitchen cabinets a facelift they deserve. The kitchen cabinets have been wearing out for far too long and with the stains, grime and grease all over them; it does not look very good really. However, you have to decide about the way to go forward.

Though there are multiple ways of having glazing kitchen cabinets or cabinet restoration, you have to choose the method that is most suitable for you. If you are having budgetary constraints, then probably the best way to go about it is to try glazing your kitchen cabinets yourself . The following guidelines will help you to go about glazing your cabinet in a proper way.

First, you must know which doors reach out to which specific cabinets first. Once you know which doors reach out to which specific cabinets first, you can mark them with a colored tape or a pencil. This will help you identify the lines easily.

Second, slowly remove the doors first and make sure that the screws and the hinges of the door are dismantled from the door totally. After you have dismantled the screws and the hinges, you need to put the screws and the hinges at a safe place or tie them up with the doors so that they are not lost. Now slowly estrange the door handles from their respective doors and soak them totally into warm water for at least an hour.

Third, put the cabinet doors down on a drop cloth and thoroughly wash the doors with a strong soap or a detergent powder. You can also use a good quality wood cleaner. This will enable you to remove the grime, grease and the dirt that have accumulated on the surface.

Fourth, take some clean cloth or rags and wipe the doors thoroughly. Then put the drop cloths beneath the cabinets and start washing the frames till the time they are completely cleaned. Rinse and dry the frames totally thereafter.

Fifth, slowly and lightly sand the damaged areas, if any, with a lot of sandpaper. However, be cautious to use the sandpaper and use it so that you can remove the spots.

Sixth, you can buy a good quality wood glazing product that will ensure the glazing process will go smoothly. You must, however, follow the instructions given on the product completely.

You can glaze cabinets either by yourself or by hiring carpenters or experts. If you do it yourself, you need to be careful so that you do not damage the cabinet. This is especially true if you happen to be a first timer to cleaning and glazing.

Who wouldn’t love the look of glazed kitchen cabinets boasting a touch of vanilla bean over the raw naked maple which is exposed on the edges. While antique painting kitchen cabinets is a hot trend, the price tag associated with this style is not. It is out of range for many who are hoping to update the look of their kitchen- not rack up debt to the tune of the price of a luxury vehicle.

The kitchen cabinet paint ideas discussed in this article will help you achieve the look of transforming your kitchen from blah to amazing.

Glazing kitchen cabinets gives the newly painted kitchen cabinet an older look which is very trendy now. It also complements the look of your kitchen, while muting the modern look of stainless steel which is so popular in kitchens today.

The one thing to remember with glazed kitchen cabinets is it is not a textbook process. It is one that takes a certain flair for artistry when deciding where and how much glaze to remove to achieve the ‘aged’ look. Before you panic, remember it is also a very forgiving process. Glazing kitchen cabinets allows one to wipe the slate clean if you don’t like the look and start over. Just make sure to work quickly before the glaze begins to dry.

Basically the steps involved are mixing the paint and glaze together to
achieve the color you desire, apply the glaze to the door and wipe off as little or as much as you choose. Let paint dry thoroughly and move onto the cabinet drawers and bases performing the same steps. Let everything dry at least a day to assure the surfaces are not tacky when rehanging doors. For free, detailed step by step instructions in the glazing process, click the link below.

Things to keep in mind when painting or staining your kitchen are as follows. Remember your kitchen will not be 100% functional again until the entire project is completed. Do you have a place to prepare and store food and dishes during this time? Plan ahead and decide where you will be doing this. Remember that you will be removing your kitchen cabinet doors from their frame and will probably have then laid out throughout your kitchen to apply paint and dry, unless you have an enclosed garage or workshop this can be done in during the summer months.

Check the surface of the cabinets you are working with. What techniques have been done previously to these? If they’ve been stained or a urethane coat has been applied you must first apply a base coat of a special primer-sealer to ensure adhesion of the paint you are applying.

If you prefer a more weathered look in your glazing treatment, apply the glaze compound after the paint is fully dried. For this treatment it is recommended to use a light base coat of paint and a darker glaze. Always apply glaze first then a little at a time apply the dark paint color until you reach the desired consistency and color. It’s better to go light by adding a little at a time than to add a lot of color right away. When removing the glaze mixture with a rag leave additional glaze in corners to achieve the aged old world look.

To finish off the look, update your kitchen cabinets with new hardware to set the tone for the style you are portraying in your kitchen. Before you know it you will have a kitchen that looks like a million dollars.

Hi….I actually have the plan of my kitchen pretty down pat. I know all about the work triangle….u kitchens…l kitchens etc. To place tall units together and dishwashers by water sources etc. What I’m a bit stumped about now is how to sort out my cabinetry. Where to put drawers…where to put cupboards…whether I should have pot and and pan cupboards or drawers etc. Whether to put the wall cupboards all the way to the ceiling…whether to put in a couple of glazed wall cabinets or not??

Any good websites with tips and advice about that stuff? I tried googling but all I got was info about work triangles etc not about how to layout the cabinetry.

So I’m in a rental and stuck with a very ugly kitchen and old cabinetry. I am thinking of asking the landlord if I can do a glaze on the cabinets. Assuming I get her permission, what is the process? I’m looking for something easy to do…I’m not super handy but can manage something simple. I think something darker would look nice and not so cheap and tacky.

If it helps at all, this is a link to a picture of my current cabinet doors: http://i40.tinypic.com/20q05tx.jpg

How much would it cost to get my kitchen cabinets refaced including glazing and a protective coat? Sanding, primed, painted, glazed and sealed. I counted 16 doors and 9 drawers. I’ve found prices ranging from -120 a door and -90 a drawer other forums base their prices on openings 0-130. Is ,500 to 3,500 a safe estimation for a professional to get this done?

I’m buying a new house (5 years old) and it has cherry cabinets in the kitchen. They do feel solid and good quality, but they were the builder grade configuration. It just looks like they were plonked up there on the wall. They don’t have crown molding or any upgrades. I don’t like the color of the cabinets because it just doesn’t seem to go very well with any colors i like and I don’t like the basic look of them. In a couple years I’d like to hire a kitchen company to upgrade them. I want them to add crown moulding and do a glaze on the cabinets so they’ll look more custom. My mom is telling me not to because cherry cabinets sell houses. I’ve never heard that. Would a builder basic cherry kitchen sell better than a decorated kitchen (like glazed cabinets with crown moulding)? What do you think?

We are wanting to update our kitchen from oak cabinets to that off white–butterscotch white. We are trying to determine if it would be cheaper and less hassle to reface the cabinets OR sand them down..paint them and then glaze them ourselves? does ANYONE have any advise on this…if you’ve already done this?? What is the best inexpensive way to get this done??

We painted our kitchen cabinets and look worse than before ! Remove paint and re-stain is not my option,anyone out there has experience how with paint make them look like been stained ! Glazing or Faux.or …. I heard it can be done.Of-course it won’t be looking like real stain .Please don’t response for staining techniques since I know that and I don’t want to sand them down to bare wood.Thanks.

I am trying to bring some life to my oak kitchen cabinets, I have read that I can use a glaze over top of stained cabinets. I read that I could get an antiquing glaze but oil-based.. to add oil based stain to this and whalla! trouble is I cannot find any oil based glaze. I really would love to have a total new look, more like the modern expresso colors or in that color tone. Is it possible to glaze the cabinets with a water based antiquing glaze or ? Does anyone have any suggestions? Help!