The Easy Paint Hack That Breathes New Life Into Old Kitchen Cabinets

Whether you need to quickly install affordable cabinetry and the pickings are slim, or have just purchased a home that may need a little TLC — sometimes you simply can't avoid choosing outdated wood tones for your kitchen cabinets. Warm, orangey-toned cabinets, in particular, are a surefire way to make your kitchen look like it's stuck in the '90s. While there is nothing inherently wrong with that look, you may be searching for ways to breathe new life into your dated kitchen cabinets. Well, with a mixture of black paint and water you can quickly tone down those orange hues.

This technique is called black wash, and although a subtle change, you'll be amazed how different your cabinets will look. So if replacing your kitchen cabinets isn't in the budget right now, then this design trick to modernize dated wood cabinets is worth a shot. It'll turn glossy, outdated orange cabinets into rustic, gray-toned wood that blends perfectly with the trending modern farmhouse style. 

To make the black wash you will need to use a ratio of black paint and water. The more paint you use, the more pigmented the wash will look. A ratio of one part paint to three parts water will produce a strong color, one part paint to six parts water will give a more balanced and translucent look, and one part paint to 10 parts water will be incredibly light and subtle. To be safe, you should start with the 1:10 ratio and build up as needed. Either way, be sure to use warm water to make mixing the two together easier.

Once you're happy with your mixture, begin applying the black wash to your cabinet doors with a paint brush. Then, use an old cloth to wipe away and blend the excess paint wash. If you want, you can strip and sand your cabinets first to get a more intense change, however it's also possible to paint without stripping or sanding if you prefer an easier route. One thing to keep in mind is that any form of paint wash can highlight imperfections in your wood. If you'd rather conceal those imperfections then it's probably best to try a different technique. This paint wash method can also be done with other colors besides black. Try white paint for a whitewash look, tan for a raw wood finish, or green paint which also works to tone down orange wood.