Need ideas please to upcycle this sideboard

[dorabulldog]

We have recently bought a rural property with a run down house that we are doing up. Because a lot of budget is going to be needed for the land, I’ve been thrifting and scouring Facebook Marketplace for furniture. 

i found this sideboard for just $60 - it has a wobbly leg and is made of a cheaper plywood (I think) so I would only consider a light sanding. 

I would like to use this in the lounge as you enter the house, and am looking for ideas on what you would suggest to modernise this piece? I’ve uploaded a pic of how the lounge is shaping up to give you an idea of colour and style. 

looking forward to your ideas!!!!!! Also any tips for how best to fix the wobbly leg???

  

[MitchellMc]

Congrats on purchasing the property, @dorabulldog. I trust it's an exciting time filled with endless possibilities.

You've found a lovely piece there. It could be worth removing the current coating and replacing it with something like Bondall 1L Monocel Satin Waterbased Clear Varnish. You can see this product on @JoeAzza's Overhead laundry cupboards. The product will really let the timber's natural beauty shine through. Alternatively, you might consider whitewashing it, so it has a similar style to your dining setting. Perhaps you could also update the handles to something a bit trendier. I think these leather handles could look quite nice. If it were mine, I'd likely strip the stain, sand the timber back slightly, add rattan to the circular sections, re-coat it with the Bondall varnish, and add the leather handles. I think that would look neat.

I'm keen to hear more about the wobbly leg. Could you provide an image of how the leg connects to the cabinet? If nothing is damaged, it might just need to be glued back into position or a timber screw used to secure it.

Let me mention @craftyhopper, @sandy_d and @theDIYedit to see if they have any thoughts.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[brendawebster44]

Hello dorabulldog, I agree with Mitchell about white washing your sideboard and replacing it with new handles.Looking around the room at all the other furnishings it needs to tie in with some thing.This way it ties with the dining table and brings some consistency to the room, home. brenda 

[theDIYedit]

Hi @dorabulldog congrats to the house purchase! The white washing sounds like a great idea for this piece, but you would need to sand back the wood and see what type / colour the original wood is. Sometimes the panelling can be just plywood and if the wood is quite red naturally, it can make the white wash look pink. If you come across issues like these, it may look better just to paint it a block colour. There are so many different types of paints and colours (even 50 shades of white!) that I'm sure that you could find something to suit. It looks like you are aiming for Coastal / Hamptons as a vibe? So whites and pale greys would be awesome, or even blues if you were wanting to make a statement! 

Even with the original handles being ornate, they should still be held in by one or 2 screws. Measure the distance between the screw holes if there are 2 and see if 'off the shelf' handles will be a straight swap replacement. Look at your other metals in the house and see if you want gold, silver, or even leather like @MitchellMc suggested. Once you decide on the paint job, that decision might be easier to make. 

The wobbly leg might be a threaded screw, or the screw hole being compromised somehow. Can you provide more info as to why it's wobbly? 🙂

@theDIYedit 

[KatieC]

Hi @dorabulldog,

What did you end up deciding for your gorgeous sideboard? Were you okay fixing the wobbly leg? 

We would love to see a photo of how you styled it too!

Katie