Upcycling a Sideboard: Turning a Free Find into a White, Tropical Feature Piece

This project actually came around because my neighbour who was downsizing gave me this fairly dated sideboard (or buffet, depending on what you call it) for free. Here’s how I transformed this piece into something that goes well with the rest of my house.

Step 1: Hardware Rescue Mission

First things first, I removed all the hardware. The handles and knobs were actually pretty nice—just buried under years of tarnish and grime. To bring them back to life, I boiled them in a simple water and vinegar solution, gave them a good scrub with some bi-carb soda and vinegar solution with a rough sponge, and finished up with some bronze polish I already had on hand. The difference was night and day!

Step 2: Stripping and Sanding

You can see that the top of the sideboard was lovely and worth keeping visible but the rest was very cheap timber

With the hardware sorted, I turned my attention to the buffet itself. I started by applying a paint and varnish remover, scraping off as much of the old finish as possible. The top of the sideboard was a surprisingly lovely piece of wood—just a bit too red for my taste. The rest of the buffet was much more basic, so I focused my efforts where it counted.

I sanded the top down finely to really let the wood shine, while the rest of the piece got a quick scuff sand—enough to prep it for paint without getting too precious about it.

Step 3: Colour Correction and Painting

To tone down the red hues in the wood, I started with a greenwash on the top, followed by a taupe wash to get the softer, neutral look I wanted. To pick the taupe wash, I actually took the wallpaper I’d chosen for the cupboard doors into the hardware store and got them to colour match the pattern. I was really happy with how closely it tied everything together!

The rest of the buffet got a couple of coats of crisp white paint, except for the front cupboard doors, which I had other plans for. Once the paint was dry, I sealed everything with a clear, water-based varnish.

Step 4: Wallpaper Magic

Here’s where things got fun. I picked out a wallpaper for the front cupboard doors that featured a beautiful taupe shade—tying in perfectly with the wash I’d used on top. It added just the right amount of pattern and personality without overwhelming the piece.

Step 5: The Finishing Touches

Inside the cupboards, I tackled some very tired contact paper that had seriously seen better days. With everything cleaned up, I reinstalled the freshly polished hardware, reattached the doors, and slid the drawers back in.

Cost Breakdown

Here’s what I spent on this project (not including the sideboard itself, since it was free!):

• Sandpaper: $8

• Paint: $17.50

• Varnish stripper: $18.50 (didn’t use all of it)

• Water-based protective varnish: $10

• Wallpaper: $11

• Bronze polish: Already had it

Total spent: $65 (rounded up, but you could easily do this for less if you already have some supplies at home)

Tools Used

Here’s what I used to get the job done:

• Makita orbital sander

• Screwdrivers

• Exacto knife (for cutting wallpaper)

• Paint brushes

  
  

Time Investment

If you’re planning to tackle a similar project, it’s worth knowing where the hours go. I spent about 4 hours in total painting this sideboard—spread out over a bunch of different sessions. Honestly, this was the first piece that made me seriously consider investing in a paint sprayer. It just would have made things a whole lot quicker and probably given an even smoother finish.

The biggest unexpected time sink, though, was scraping off the old contact paper inside the cupboards. That job took ages and was by far the most tedious part of the whole process. If I were to do it again, I’d probably just replace the shelves with some basic particle board and save myself the hassle.

The Result

What started as a fairly dated dresser now looks at home in my more modern home, without having lost it's original charm. I love the mixture of the original hardware with the modern wallpaper.