antiquing cabinets

Thank you George for your reply to my question on Maple cabinets and finishes. I have one more- how do I make the cabinet look old?

 

When you get into artificial aging, you're addressing either one of two methods, and sometimes both.

The first is physically distressing the raw wood; in other words, beating it up, sanding down sharp corners to look worn, punching 'worm holes' in the surface with an ice pick, etc.

The second involves wearing away the finish where it would normally wear over time, possibly adding a dark glaze to corners on paneled doors to darken them where polish, dirt, etc., would have accumulated over the years.

Let me know what oyu have in mind (more specifically) and we'll talk about it.