Kitchen Cabinet Remodeling - Ideas and Estimates

Decorative Painting Techniques for Kitchen Design

by Allison E. Beatty
KitchensAndCabinets.com Columnist

Want to make your kitchen design look like a cozy Italian restaurant? One way to achieve this type of European look is to add some textured paint to your walls. Here's how to do it.

Faux Finishing Paint Techniques

Faux finishing has become a hot kitchen design trend, as homeowners look for ways to accentuate their kitchen cabinets and create a unique design. The perfect time to try this type of painting is when you are refacing cabinets. Here's why:
  • You can create more of an effect for the buck with newly refaced cabinets and textured walls surrounding them.
  • You can blend your paint treatment with the style, finish and wood type used in the cabinet refacing.

Select Textured Paint Colors

After making the main cabinet refacing decisions - cabinet doors and drawer style, wood type, etc. - look for paint colors and treatments to accentuate the new cabinet look. Among the options in colors are:
  • Earth tones such as sage, golden yellows, browns and rusts for a warm, traditional kitchen design.
  • Bright blues, yellows and doses of red for a more contemporary kitchen design.

Use Paint to Coordinate Cabinet Finish

Decorative painting techniques are ideal for blending the walls with a new cabinet refacing look. If you are using an oak cabinet, which has yellow tones and some natural graining, look for a paint treatment with a yellow base or heavy texture. You also can create contrast by using smooth, flat panel cabinet doors and a bumpy textured wall treatment.

Faux Finishing As Part of Kitchen Design

There are several faux finishing techniques popular in today's kitchen design. Each has its own unique look, so ask your painter to show you pictures of homes with the various techniques. Among them are:
  • Venetian plaster - gives the authentic look of old bumpy plaster.
  • Color washing - where various colors are wiped over the surface to give an effect.
  • Ragging - where rags are used to apply color; "ragging on" leaves more color, while "ragging off" takes color away to create an effect.
  • Sponge Painting - where the painter uses a sponge to apply various paint colors.

Faux finishing techniques can create a truly unique kitchen design. When combined with newly refaced cabinets, the look will transform the room.

About the Author
Allison E. Beatty is a syndicated real estate writer who has been writing home improvement columns for 15 years.