How-To: Glazing Cabinets

Is this a busy time of year or what?!?!

 I feel like the two weeks before the kids get out of school, seems to be the craziest time. Your running around Christmas shopping, there are tons of school parties, and events. wrapping presents, cookie baking...the list goes on and on. I do love the hustle and bustle of it, though I wish it were a bit colder here, so it felt like the holidays. 

72 degrees is a little warm for December! But that's Texas for ya.

Today I wanted to share with you a How-To for glazing cabinets. I've talked about posting this for some time, just hadn't gotten around to getting the pictures taken. It takes twice as long to do a job like this, with a camera in your hand the whole time. 

So I hope this is helpful. 

And hey, what better season to give it a try...when the whole family is in town, all the kids are home tearing up the house, your baking cookies and giant meals!! 

Well, maybe not...Pin it and save it for later instead :)

If you don't already know me, or follow my blog....I am a Faux Painter, I paint murals, faux finishes, and cabinets...lots of cabinets! 

So the work I show you on here, isn't something I just tried out and show you the steps...

this is how I do it on a daily basis!

Here are a few before and afters, so you can see what a difference it makes. These cabinets were already painted before I came in. They were just a stark basic white, and the walls around were a glazed stucco plaster look. The cabinets just stuck out like a sore thumb. This glazing technique, helps tone them down, and warm up the space. 

This process doesn't take a long time (even though it looks like it), and doesn't look super heavy, so it's good in  most spaces. 

You can start with any color of base painted cabinets really. Just tweak the glaze to go with your space. 

Most pre-painted white cabinets are sprayed on, and that works well with the technique. But if you looking to start from scratch with yours, you can check out these blog posts on How-To Paint Cabinets Like A Pro, or How-To: Painting Laminated Cabinets. 

So to start, lets talk about what kind of glaze to use. 

If your cabinets are an oil base paint, you have to use and oil based glaze. Latex will not adhere to an oil based surface.  If your unsure, always use an oil based glaze.  

Oil sticks to latex, but latex does not stick to oil!!

If your cabinets are a builder grade laminate material, you can still do this technique just stick to the oil based glaze. 

I know alot of you up north unfortunately, can not get oil based paints...or you may just hate the smell of oil products, and turpentine. 

You can use latex here, but make sure you are putting it over a latex surface, if you are unsure, a fresh coat of oil primer, and a new coat of latex white will prep the surface for you. 

 I use Sherwin Williams Oil-Based Faux Finish Glazing Liquid. They did stop carrying this for awhile, and it was very hard to come by, ( I bought a stock pile) but you should be able to find it in at least a quart size now. The material is pretty thick, so some paint thinner, or turpentine will help the flow of this glaze. As far as color goes, I just buy tint by the ounce from Sherwin Williams. If you are using the oil based glaze, make SURE you ask for the tints that work with oil. They carry two kinds. For this color I used some raw umber, and a hint of yellow and red. A TINY drop goes a long way. So start slow, and keep trying your color on a sample piece.

For my brush, I used the cheapy $1 chip brushes. You don't want to have to go to the hassle of cleaning this out later. Chucking it the trash is much easier!!

I work with one door at a time. Start at the top, so you don't brush up against wet cabinets. Try picking your smallest door to start with.

 I cover the whole front of the surface, don't worry or mess with the edges yet. The product can dry fast depending on the type of glaze, and your rooms conditions. So you will want to work fast here.

Next I take a dry rag, and follow the pattern below, wiping most of the product back off. 

The more you wipe, the lighter the glaze will be. 

I start on the inside edges (1), and go all the way around. I usually take off more in this area, to give the appearance, that the crevasses is a deeper looking color.

Next I wipe the center (2), of the door. 

Then, the top and bottom pieces (3), in the direction of the grain.

And lastly, the sides (4), going all the way from top to bottom.

Afterwards I run my rag all the way around the edges of the door, to clean of any heavy goop.

It should look similar to the last picture when done. 

This pattern stays with the natural grain of how the cabinet is built, and will make your faux, look not so faux. 

Next, I take a very soft brush, (a Purdy is what I used here) and brush it softly out, in the same patterned you just wiped in. Don't worry about the unpainted cabinets next to you, they will wipe down easily later. 

Once the product starts to dry, you don't want to touch it again with the brush, it will pull off the paint. So make sure each area is as you want it before moving on the the next portion. 

The softer you press here, the less streaks you will have. You are going for a sort of grain direction in the pattern. If you are looking for a very light glaze, taking off most of the paint, and softening afterward should give you no streaks. Be sure when your getting the sides, you also run the brush around the outside edges as well.

Once the door is done, clean up any areas that may have gotten painted in the process. 

The door on the left, is the only one painted here. You can see the difference in color.

After each door is done, I prop it open, so not to get paint on it from a nearby door. If you are doing the back as well, this is the time to do it. Just remember to hold the door from the top (for upper cabinets), or from the bottom (on lower cabinets) when painting.
I cant tell you how many times Iv'e made a whole painted hand-print on the front of a door I just painted by grabbing it.

When working on the lower cabinets, I start with the doors, and the finish up with the drawers. I like to take them out completely when working on them, though it isn't always possible, like around sinks.
The pattern here is similar. I start with the top and bottom (1), then the sides (2), then the front (3).

The doors, and drawer on the left are finished. The ones on the right have not been painted yet.

We were going for a bit of a heavier look here. But again, the more you take off, the lighter it will be.

Here is how I prop the doors when finished. 

There is no need to remove doors for this process. It is actually much easier to work with them hanging. If you dont plan on painting the backs, it is much easier to wipe down the back side as well..

The next step I do, is darkening the creases. Not all doors or drawers will have these spaces. But If yours does, this is a super important step. It just accentuates the shape of the door. 

Make sure when you do this the door is dry, at least 24 hours. 

I've tried to rush it, and it isnt a pretty site...the words that  come out of your mouth will not be pretty either! So just be patient!

I just deepen the glaze I have already used, with a hint more brown, and a TINY bit of black.

With a small brush, I run along the inside crease with a good amount of paint. 

Be liberal.

Then with a dry rag, around one finger....and at a slight angle, I follow the raised edges, touching the flat surface with my nail. You don't need to press really hard, you just don't want to pull your finger to close to the inside crease, as this will take away too much of the paint. 

You will end up with a faded line, that is heavier on the inside, and fades out.

The last part of the glazing technique is lining the edges. This may not seem like it is necessary, but this really makes the shape of the cabinet pop. Why go to all the trouble, and still loose the cabinet into the next.

I use the same color from the crevasses. Coating both sides of the smaller chip brush, I scrap it all back off. You don't want any excess globbed on the brush. Just some of the color covering the base of the brush.

Then I lightly, run it along the high edges of the each door. Use the middle, to the base of the brush here. The tip of the brush tends to fan out, and can leave little brush streaks on the door.

I do the same thing to the outside of the door as well.

Here, the door on the left has the edging in the middle only, and the door on the right has no edging. You can see what a difference it makes to the shape of each door, 

And here is the area complete.

On any open shelving, or trim pieces...I follow the same steps, making any deep corners or crevasses darker with glaze.

The final coat here is the sealer. 

Make sure that you have let the base glaze sit at least 24-48 hours before applying this. Do a test spot somewhere inconspicuous, as it can wipe off all of your hard work if it isn't dry enough. 

I usually do this step on the same day as the glazing of corners, and edging. It usually is dry enough, but try it out first. If you have the time....wait another day!!

I use an oil base satin sealer when using oil based glaze, Minwax Wipe-On Poly. You can use this same brand but the latex version in satin if you are using a latex glaze (comes in a silver can just like this one). It's only about $10, and it goes pretty far. depending on what finish, and how many coats you want. I have tried TONS, of sealers. And this really is all I use. Now it can tend to yellow a bit over time, but on a glazed cabinet you should notice it. On top of a white based cabinet, you will see the yellowing! Don't brush this product on, infact don't use any kind of brushed sealer. It leaves streaks, and drips, and is always shinier than when you wipe it on. 

It's also loads easier to wipe on. I dump a good bit into a bucket, wad up a rag, and dip it in. You want it wet, just not dripping. 

WEAR GLOVES!!!! 

The blue nitrile gloves are the only kind you can use with this sealer!!!!

Regular latex gloves will disintegrate in about 1 minute. 

I've used them, when it was all I had on hand, and the finger tips always fall off and get stuck to the door. This stuff is terrible to get of your hands, once it dries.  

With the saturated rag, you will basically just wipe it on. Make sure you follow the direction of the grain, or the same direction you brushed the glaze in. If you look at the piece your sealing from an angle, you will see the sheen, and will be able to see any areas you missed....they will look dry still.

Two coats of this is really best, but you can do 3 for more durability. With the first coat, it can tend to look a bit spotty, or dryer in areas. With two coats you are sure to get an even looking surface.  This will give you a nice satin, furniture looking finish

So there you have it, just a few steps to beautifully glazed cabinets. I know it seems like alot, but after a door or two, you get the hang of it, and will blow right through the rest.

Don't forget to Pin it, and save it for later!

And as always, I'm happy to answer any questions!