The Whimsy House

The cabinets in the boys’ bathroom have been “distressed” for some time now. When I say distressed, I don’t mean a lovely worn patina, I mean peeling polyurethane on cheap builder-grade cabinets. 

I wanted to change it up, but as always it needed to be done as a DIY since we don’t have new cabinets in the budget. I thought about chalk painting because I love being lazy managing my time when I’m working on a project and chalk paint requires no prep. But I wanted something that could mimic a driftwood effect, and wax on  chalk painted furniture can be a process to remove. So, proactively lazy I guess.

I started by removing the cabinet hardware, (knobs, not hinges). Then I partied on giving the cabinets a good scrub with 409 to remove any gunk and left it to dry. Meanwhile, I got my paint area set up, gathering the tools I would need to get the job done. This actually didn’t take very long, but it’s nice to get ready to paint and be able to just walk in and get started. 

Here’s my prep list:

Baby Wipes

Brush

Paint

Paint Key

Paper Towels

Ipad and charger

Ipad and charger might be a strange add to the list, but I enjoy listening to something while I have a project happening. During this project I listened to Little Fires Everywhere, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I started by giving the cabinets a coat of Valspar Furniture Paint. It feels like enamel on the brush, is cleaned up with soap and water and doesn’t leave brush marks behind. Best yet… it can be tinted in whatever color you like. By the time the entire cabinet was painted the beginning was dry it was ready for a second coat. But I was done by that time, so I put my brush in a Ziplock bag, put aluminum foil over my paint cup and threw it all in the fridge. The next day, it was good to go.

So. I gave the cabinet another coat. 

When I have a project going, it’s hard for me to leave it alone. As soon as my second coat is done I’m ready to start the glaze, but it still needs some dry time. So I find something else to do. 

Generally, I spend that time reminding my kids about the amount of laundry in their rooms or video game usage. Then I tell them for the 10th time that there is wet paint in their bathroom and they shouldn’t touch it. They love it. 

The glaze is the fun part of the project. Here’s how you do it.

Mix a little black craft paint, I use this one with a clear glaze. I used Faux Glaze, you can pick it up from your hardware store or buy it here on Amazon. Don’t use a whole lot of glaze, a little goes a long way. Try half a cup of glaze with about a teaspoon of paint. I use a disposable cup or whatever I can find in the recycle bin. 

Start on an area that you can experiment on and have your baby wipes ready.

Lightly dip the brush in the paint and then lightly brush it on the edges of your area. If you want it to look like a grain across the area, they lightly drag it across left to right. If it’s too much paint, wipe it off with the wipes and then try again, but first… drag your brush across a paper towel to remove some of the excess. It’s always easier to add paint than to take it away. Play around with it until you get something you like. The best part about working with glaze is that if you don’t like the results, you can let it dry and just paint over it. 

Once you get the method down you’ll be painting and glazing everything in the house. Good luck! Send pictures!