Glazing is a very good way to give your kitchen cabinets a new look without a big cost. It is a project that is not difficult for the do-it-yourself person. There are many tutorials online that tell you exactly how to go about the process, and the one at Ask the Decorator is particularly easy to follow.
Once you have an idea of the process, you need to decide which products are best for you to use. Glazing kitchen cabinets involves using either a water-based or oil-based product as your glazing medium. Here are some you might want to consider:
- Sher-Wood Kemvar Glazes – These glazes are available in Van Dyke Brown, Natural and White and can be applied by spray, rag or brush. It is recommended that the Sher-Wood Kemvar Glazes be used over pigmented varnishes, although the varnish does not have to be sanded to achieve optimal adhesion by the glaze. They can be used with solvent based sealers, basecoats and topcoats. The Natural glaze can be mixed with Sherwin-Williams wiping stain concentrates and shading bases to make exactly the shade you want. This glaze also contains a polymer coating to add an extra layer of protection. This product for glazing kitchen cabinets can be purchased at any of your local Sherwin-Williams stores.
- Valspar Glazes – These glazes are specifically formulated to highlight the natural beauty of all types of wood. They do not contain a sealer, but may be finished with sealing topcoat systems. Valspar Signature Tintable glazes may be mixed to get the custom color you want. Translucent Color Glaze is satin color premixed and requires no tinting that can be used alone, or with other colors to produce the desired product. Try Clear Mixing Glaze mixed with latex base paints for custom color possibilities. Translucent Iridescent Glaze creates shimmering effects and can be used alone over a base coat or apply over color glazes to create depth. All of these products are available in quarts and can be bought at any Lowe’s store.
- General Glaze Effects Wiping Glazes – These glazes are translucent water-based wiping colors. They come in clear, Van Dyke Brown, and standard colors of White, Black, Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna, Burnt Umber, and Raw Umber. General Glaze Effect can be bought in quart or gallon sizes and the price can range from $12.95 for a quart of Van Dyke Brown to $45.00 for a gallon of the standard colors of General Glaze Effect at Homestead Finishing.
- WetEdge Plus by Adicolor -This is a glaze that is mixed with paint to get its color. This glaze cures to a durable finish and has a long open time. If you mix the WetEdge glaze with a flat paint, it will dry to an eggshell sheen. Priced at $15.95 for a quart or $45.95 per gallon at Pro Faux.
- Polyvine’s Classic Color glaze – This glaze is designed to be mixed with latex paint as a colorant. The open time is long, and has good working properties. This glaze, however, is not very durable on its own and needs to sealed with a water-based varnish as a topcoat to protect it. Polyvine Scumble is a water-based transparent glaze that is an acrylic water-resistant finish. You can buy it in pint size for $13.95 or a quart for $25.75 at The Faux Shop.
- All-In-One Glazing Liquid – This glaze is a transparent medium with no drying agents, which will increase the open time of the glaze. The glaze assumes the sheen level of the paint used, and you can mix a tint or powdered pigment to get the unique color you want. This kitchen cabinet glazing product sells for about $15 for a quart, or $49 per gallon at The Faux Shop.
- Modern Masters Extender – is actually an additive which is transparent and water-based. Added to ordinary latex paint, it creates a decorative glaze. Used in a ratio of four parts of Extender to one part of low-sheen paint in the color of your choice. This kitchen cabinet glazing product comes in a handy container which holds five quarts, which allows you to just add one quart of paint to the gallon of Extender. Once you stir the mixture you are ready to glaze your kitchen cabinets. An important note is to not try to tint Extender with universal colorants; it just doesn’t work. Dry to touch time is about 12 to 18 hours; full cure is approximately 3 to 4 days. May be washed with warm soapy water. It will cover approximately 650 to 850 square feet per gallon. It can be bought in one gallon size for $52.44 at Discount Paint, or in a pint for $10 at Hardware World.
- Perfetto Glaze – This glaze can accept either color pigment or pre-tinted paint to get the color you want. It is available at Metallic Mart in various sizes and prices ranging from $7.82 for 8 oz. to $52.90 per gallon. Another variation is the Perfetto Rapido Glaze, which was designed for small areas such as kitchen cabinet glazing. It has a faster drying time, which allows faster layering of small products, but still has an workable time sufficient to work in small areas. Metallic Mart sells it for $8.16 for 8 oz. to $55.20 per gallon
- Golden Acrylic Glazing Liquid – This glaze is 100% acrylic and water-based. Mixed with any water-based paint color, it has an open time of 10 to 30 minutes and dries to produce a good qualitly product. It is available in gloss and satin finishes and can be added to paint in any quantity. Adding small amounts will increase the brushability of the product. Adding one part paint to ten parts Acrylic Glazing Liquid produces a transparent glaze. This can be bought in a variety of sizes and priced from $6.29 for 8 oz. to $15.81 for a quart at Dick Blick Art Materials. This glazing liquid is also used for art projects and ceramics.
Some of the things to keep in mind are that to increase the time you have to work with a glaze (open time), you should use a base coat with a higher sheen, such as a gloss or satin paint. Also, different techniques must be used for acrylic, or oil-based glazes. They need to be applied more thickly than solvent-based glazes to avoid them drying too quickly.
There are many fine products to choose from, depending on your particular circumstances. Whichever one you choose, you should be able to complete your project of glazing kitchen cabinets with a result that is pleasing to the eye without breaking the bank. Just remember that projects that update your kitchen mean a big increase in the overall value of your home.
