DIY Sideboard Makeover

Sideboards or buffets, as some may call it, are great pieces for any home. They offer great storage and are amazing statement pieces for the dining room. Finding a solid wood sideboard can be difficult and they can also be expensive. When my client came to me with this gorgeous sideboard and her idea I knew it would turn out incredible. I couldn’t wait to start this DIY sideboard makeover!

Inspired by the coastal farmhouse style, the first thought was having this sideboard as the pop of color for the dining room. Here’s the step by step guide on how we DIY’d this sideboard and gave it a coastal farmhouse inspired makeover. Read along and find out how you can get this look too! 

Each piece is different so we take a different approach sometimes. Here’s what the piece looked like before and what we did to transform it. 

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Materials and tools used: 

TSP cleaner/Dawn Dish soap and warm water, or Krud Kutter 

SurfPrep Sander (or any orbital sander)

1/2 inch flat head plugs

Titebond wood glue

Rubber mallet or hammer

Minwax color changing wood filler

Nail gun (optional) 

Tack cloth or lint free rag

Homeright Paint Sprayer (optional) can use rollers and/or paint brushes

BIN Primer

Sherwin Williams paint in the color Waterscape

BB Frosch Paint Transformer

Minwax finishing paste in natural

Franklin Brass pulls and knobs 

Rub n’ Buff (Antique Gold)

Step 1: Repair

The sideboard needed some repairing first before we cleaned it. I usually wipe my pieces down a bit before examining and repairing, but a lot of the finishing was chipping off so it made sense to just repair first knowing we would have to sand a lot of the finish off.

We started with the sides. I wanted a smooth finish and the sides had some holes with screws in them that were suppose to be covered with plugs. Some had plugs and others didn’t. The top left one has a plug. (see photo below)

The plugs that were on it were round and stuck out a bit. I didn’t want to paint over them and a lot of them were missing anyway. Initially, I thought about using Bondo or Quikwood to fill the holes but I did some research and found these 1/2 inch flat head plugs at Home Depot. They come in light wood or oak. We weren’t worried about the color since we knew we were going to paint over it but I’m sure you can stain them to match your piece too! They were perfect for the job!

We made sure the screws were tightly secured before we covered them. We added Titebond wood glue to the end of the plug and gently hammered it in place. 

Look at how flushed the plug is on the piece. This will help ensure a smooth painted finish.

We then removed the hardware. When removing the hardware I always make sure to label them that way I can make sure that I don’t deal with the doors giving me trouble later. We added Minwax wood filler to fill around the plugs and any visible cracks on the piece. For small cracks and scratches I recommend using wood filler, for deeper cracks or holes I recommend Bondo or Quikwood. 

The drawers needed some minor repairs. Mainly needed some reinforcement of the current nails and we also added more nails using our Ryobi nail gun. You can also secure and make minor repairs using wood glue and clamps.

Step 2: Sand

After the wood filler was dry, we sanded it smooth and scuff sanded the entire piece. There were some areas that needed to be sanded a little more than others because the finish was chipping off. If you’re wood finish is chipping off be sure to sand it so that you get a smooth surface. Unfortunately, a lot of finish was chipping off, especially on the top, so we had to sand it down to the wood before priming and painting.

This ensures that the paint will be smooth and you wont see the texture from the chipping wood underneath. If the finish is intact you can just scuff sand, no need to sand down to the wood if you are going to paint. You can use any orbital sander.

We used our Surfprep 3X4 sander and used 120 grit sand paper. I love the SurfPrep sander! There’s barely any dust when attached to our shopvac and their foam sandpaper allows for easy sanding of curves and details. For 10% off Surfprep use code PBYP10. 

Step 3: Clean

We vacuumed up all of the sanding dust and wiped the piece with a tack cloth. I usually use Krud Kutter but ran out. Instead, I used Dish soap and warm water. Any TSP cleaner and degreaser will do. As long as you use a degreaser you should be good to go. Allow it to dry well before moving on to the next step.

Step 4: Prime

Once the piece was completely clean and dried it was time to apply primer. Primer is going to prevent any bleed through. I always apply primer if I’m painting the piece a light color. Despite companies saying you don’t need to prime before painting, I’ve had pieces still bleed through after I’ve painted them. All pieces are different so it depends on what type of wood you are dealing with and what color paint you are using. I chat more about this on 4 Things To Consider Before Painting Fruniture.   

My favorite primer to use is Bin Zinsser primer. I applied two coats of primer and sanded with 220grit sandpaper to smooth. You can apply primer using a brush, roller or spray it on. I used a roller. Primer is sticky and dries really quick. Make sure to wipe clean with a rag our tack cloth before painting. I like to use a tack cloth as it ensures I get all of the dust off of the piece. 

Step 4: Paint

The color we chose for this piece was Sherwin Williams Waterscape. Its a perfect soft blue/green color. It’s not super bright and minty but bold enough to make a statement. I purchased two samples of paint and mixed it with BBFrosch paint transformer powder. Take a look at BBFrosch Paint Transformer for Painting Furniture for more details. 

You can apply the paint with a brush, roller or spray. We used out Homeright paint sprayer to spray the entire piece. We sprayed it with the drawers and cabinet doors on. Once it was dried I went back with a small roller to get to the places that were covered by the drawers and doors.

Here is it after just one coat of paint…

Step 5: Wax

After the paint was completely dried I applied a wax. I used Minwax finishing paste in nuatural (clear). Wax takes 21 days to cure so its best to treat your piece with extra care as your wax hardens.

I used an old t-shirt that I cut a piece off of to apply my wax. You can use a wax brush but a rag does just fine. Simply rub it on and wipe off any excess wax. After about 15 min you can buff your piece. Just lightly wipe your piece in circular motions and then across to buff. The wax gives the finish a slightly satin finish.

I like to use wax on my pieces that won’t require lots of traffic. I apply polycrylic to pieces like dining tables because its going to get a lot of traffic. 

Step 6: Apply Hardware

My client wasn’t sure if she wanted to change the knobs and pulls or just clean the original and reuse them. After the piece was painted, I applied these extra Franklin Brass knobs and pulls I had from a previous project. They were satin nickel but I wanted them to be gold. So I purchased Rub ‘n Buff which I love to use on hardware to give it a new look. They come in different colors and they look great if you want to change the look of your hardware. You simply brush it on (I like to use a small brush) and brush or wipe away the excess.

Refinishing furniture can be a lot of work but it is so rewarding. The transformation you see is incredible. Take your chance at a DIY makeover and have fun with it! Comment below and let me know what you think of this sideboard!