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Well, I have been busy for the past 3 days. My kitchen cabinets were white and 12 yrs old so we remodeled with new granite counter tops so I got the bright idea that I would like to antique the cabinets so I go to Home Depot and purchase a gal of Ralph Lauren Faux Techinque Glazes Teastaned (AG02). They have turned out really pretty but let me tell you unless you have the stamina to keep with the job don't start it, do a small chest to learn on first...you need to use long strokes and you need to do one board of your cabinets at a time. The stuff drys fast, you have to put it on, then brush it off and wipe your excess off your brush as you go to get the right effect. I learned there is an art to it after doing the cabinet base before I did my doors. By the time I got to my doors I had it down pat so it all came out looking good, because they are what your eye catches first when you look at the cabinets. They really look like some old cabinets out of an old farm house (if thats what you want)...but they are pretty...my son thinks I'm crazy. Now that I'm finished with the staining process, tomorrow I plan to top coat with a clear simigloss polycrylic for a protective finish. All this is water based, so easy clean up.
That looks really nice--that was exactly the look I wanted to get when I did my kitchen cabinets, but I used a different technique and it didn't come out quite as nice (I did a cream basecoat, then used a brush to apply mocha colored glaze, then wiped off some of the excess)
The picture looks really good, so they must look even better in person. Good job.
I often use oil-based wood stain instead of a glaze. On vertical surfaces the gel stain works best because it doesn't drip. The wood stain works very nicely on crackle finishes, too. Tinted paste wax is another method, as well as shoe polish. (I've used the former but not the latter.) However, I intend to try shoe polish on something soon just to see what kind of effect I can get.
Those are beautiful. You did a great job. Wish you would come do mine for me. Hey, how are those day lilies doing these days? Are you going to have your gardens on display this year?
Hey Elena...good to hear from you...would you believe I've gotten rid of most of my daylilies...still have maybe 50 or so, rust has just about run me out of business...too much work, spraying, etc. getting too old also, found annuals and prennials are easier to care for so I sold off most daylilies and last yr the beds got pretty much filled with a few azaleas and the rest prennials, and had bloom all season, beautiful...Thanks on the cabinets, don't know what kind of wood the cabinets are, just basic paintable wood that they install when building the house new, 12 yrs ago.
WOW! I am stunned... after seeing all of your day lily beds and knowing that you have had your gardens on show for so long. I know about plants being too much trouble to continue growing, however. After the struggle we had last year just to keep things watered, we are rethinking our gardens too. I am continuing with plants that don't need a lot of water but will eventually have to give up on most of the ones that need too much petting. We spent hours every day watering last summer and that is just too hard to continue doing at our age. Day lilies and iris plants are easy to care for in our area so they will get to stay. Azaleas are hard to care for now so we have already let two or three die and may let the rest go also this summer if things are bad. The perennials get to stay if they don't need petting.
