Distressed cabinets and shabby-chic styles are not as prominent today as in the past, but they are timeless and still have their place in the right surroundings.
If you have a customer order that calls for cabinets with a rustic look, you will need to follow the right process and use the ideal rustic wood stain colors to achieve a distressed appearance. Take a look at the best process and use of colors to satisfy the order.
The Importance of Following a Multi-Step Process
A true distressed finish is most often a multi-step process. Achieving rustic or distressed styles includes substrate preparation, selecting the best glazes, and following other distressing techniques. The color choice, while very important, is just the beginning of the process.
Once you have the proper process in place, you can start thinking through color options to achieve a rustic look. Then, to get the timeless look, you can add glazes to create that color.
- If you need support with the process and set-up, consider registering for one of our wood finishing classes to advance your skills.
Selecting Rustic Wood Stain Colors to Achieve the Desired Look
Each customer order will require a different color selection. Read the customer order carefully to ensure you are selecting the ideal color to create the optimal final product.
Keep Oak or Pine Cabinets Blonde
When choosing stain colors for distressed cabinets, look for a lighter blonde color. With different cabinet styles, the blonde stain will have a different effect that could match your customer’s request.
Staining flat-fronted cabinets with a blonde color will give the cabinetry an updated, modern appearance. Using this shade of stain on paneled cabinets offers a more traditional look that your customer may desire.
Charcoal Complements Modern Kitchen Appliances
If you need to accentuate modern appliances with black finishes, you can use charcoal wood stains to create a consistent appearance. Charcoal stains also set a more subdued tone. This color is especially attractive on Shaker-style cabinets and kitchens with a farmhouse motif.
Update the Clear Finish with Medium Gray
Perhaps your customer desires the natural look of distressed cabinets, but they want a darker tone to the finish. If so, try a slightly darker shade. Medium gray helps bring out the wood’s natural beauty. It also lets you avoid creating an artificially painted look.
Stay away from medium gray if you need to accentuate darker countertops, though. Instead, you can help create a more inviting space with white or light-colored accents.
Traditional Brown Has Its Place
You can keep the traditional look of distressed cabinets by adding a medium-to-dark-brown finish. This color is best to support kitchens with silver or white appliances. It’s also a good color choice for lighter walls and floor tiles. The finish will create a good contrast with the brown stain and make for an exciting design.
Add a Splash of Color
Achieving a shabby-chic finish to cabinets doesn’t mean staying as close to natural as possible. Instead, you can take the cabinet finish in the other direction.
A darker shade of red, green, or blue will help you keep that rustic look. This choice is especially attractive when the rest of a kitchen or bathroom is brighter with white or cream-colored countertops, walls, and flooring.
Go Brighter for a More Spacious Look
Some customer orders may call for a bright and airy look for the kitchen cabinets. In this case, try using a white or cream-colored stain on rustic cabinetry.
Even if the cabinets will be placed near walls and flooring that are white, this selection can help create the illusion of a larger kitchen. Also, brightly-colored stains work well with darker countertops and appliances with black or other dark finishes.
Find the Precise Color You Want for Your Cabinets
Are you looking for rustic wood stain colors to complete customer requests for shabby-chic or distressed cabinets? If so, you’ll find what you need at Finishers Depot.
Our GrainTone Wiping Stains and GrainTone Wiping Glazes are the professionals' choice for distressed finishes. Both lines are available in waterborne or solvent coatings to support your exact needs.
Take a look at this video to see the application of a wipe stain that is specially formulated to highlight and enhance the natural beauty of all types of wood.
- Ready to select a finish to achieve your customer’s desired finish? We offer 200 color variations to support the needs of each job.
You can visit one of our local warehouses to view the Wall of Color displays and see each color variant for yourself on a wood chip.
Taking this step will help you see exactly how the colors will look on the cabinets you work on.
