Kitchen Cabinet Remodeling: Distressed Cabinets Pros & Cons

Choosing an inexpensive distressed cabinet option can leave you limited on finishes, techniques, and the overall look is underwhelming, and much more obvious that it was done by machines as opposed to the handcrafted look you get when ordering custom distressed cabinetry.

Along with different distressing techniques, there are also different levels of distressing available. They range from some minor pitting of the surface or some worn off paint edges all the way to wood that looks like it was re-purposed from an old barn or sunken boat. If you want the latter, starting off with a rustic wood like knotty alder is recommended. If you want something less drastic, most good manufacturers will start out with some sanding of the top coat to make the bare wood visible through the stain. This technique is a called a rub-through and it’s very popular with paints or dark stains.  Some of the available techniques involve using multiple coats of different colored stains that are visible as the top coats are sanded down to show different wear layers.

The other techniques available use different types of tools such as punches, knives and chisels to give you whatever level of distressing you might want. There are techniques such as birdpecking, wormholing, rasping of edges, corner softening, knife cuts, and hammer marks. These can be combined with the above mentioned sanding of top coats or rub through for a finish that is as rustic as you want it to be.

These techniques are available on an ala carte basis, but each one ads its own separate charge, so keep that in mind while you are in the cabinet selection budgeting. When you add many of them together the cost can be as much as the entire cabinet order! For this reason most of the manufacturers put together packages of distressing techniques to make typical treatments that are popular for rustic finishes. These will usually run from 20-50% and give you a well tested look for your cabinetry.

Distressing kitchen cabinetry is an art form, and we have a great selection of custom cabinet manufactures. Our cabinet makers possess unsurpassed expertise,  that have been making distressed cabinets for as long as they’ve been around.

Kitchen cabinetry is the foundation of any beautiful  kitchen, and distressed cabinetry is a great way to get a one of kind look for your new kitchen. If you’re in the market for distressed kitchen cabinetry there’s no better value than some of the great manufacturers offered at wholesale pricing through ABF Remodeling.