Kitchen Cabinet Painting ideas

Crackle

Color changes everything. But color with a little flair can change the style of your cabinets from plain and simple to shabby chic, rustic, provincial, or modern. Here are a few of our favorite faux finishes that can spice up your kitchen's style.This weathered finish comes from a special "crackling glaze" available at paint stores. Apply the glaze over a dry base coat, brushing in only one direction (thick for large cracks and thin for fine cracks). Let it dry, then finish with a flat top coat of the base color, brushed on perpendicular to the glaze. The paint will start to form cracks as it dries, a process that takes about an hour.

Distressed

Whether it's simply worn or truly beat up, this rustic finish is made up of layered colors and spattered dark paint (to mimic fly specks). When the paint is dry, you can "distress" the finish by hitting it with a chain and lightly sanding in the spots where cabinets get the most use to reveal the colors underneath.

Antiqued

This provincial look evokes a slowly aged surface. Speed the aging process by dipping the tips of a paintbrush in a color lighter than the cabinets, dabbing the excess onto a cloth until the brush is almost dry and lightly grazing the surface of detail trim, corners, or seams.

High Gloss

Not only will a high-gloss finish repel dirty fingerprints better than any matte (and it's easier to wipe clean), it will also simulate the look of metal or glass in a modern setting. To shine up your smooth cabinets, paint a high-gloss clear acrylic varnish over your final coat to add depth and effect a glassy finish