Repurposed FREE Sideboard Cabinet Into Kitchen Island

7 Materials
$55
3 Hours
Medium

I am so excited to share this project with you today. If you follow along on my Facebook page, you would have seen that I scored a truckload of FREE furniture!

One of the pieces that was included was this small sideboard cabinet.

Here are the other pieces, just in case your curious. This one is my favorites! A vintage dresser on casters.

Also included were these two dressers.

They all need work, and I can’t wait to start on them! Now back to the repurposed sideboard cabinet.


While having dinner one night, an idea came to mind for this piece. I have always wanted a kitchen island. Our kitchen is rather small but has an open space that would be perfect for a small kitchen island. Once I blurted out my idea, the Hubs just laughed. He is used to me just randomly blurting out thoughts. We discussed the plan, and both agreed. This is how the repurposed sideboard cabinet was constructed into a kitchen island.


The next day, it was time to dismantle the sideboard. First, the top was removed and saved for a later project.

He then removed the doors as well as the back piece. I wanted the island to be accessible from both sides.

Here is what it looked like after all the pieces were removed that we would not use.

A piece of trim was added to the bottom on the back where the back piece was removed by using a 1x4 spruce board. The edges were rounded by sanding. Trim was also added to the back.

It was attached using wood glue and nails.

Next, he constructed a new top using pre-cut panels from the Home Depot.

The top and shelves were sanded with a piece of 220-grit sandpaper using our DeWalt Orbital Sander. These shelving pieces already come pre-sanded and ready to use. We just like a smoother surface, so we sand lightly with our 220-grit sandpaper.


I removed the sanding dust with a piece of my tack cloth. My stain color choice was English Chestnut. My plan was to paint the cabinet black, so this color would be beautiful! It has a deep dark reddish tint. Each one was given one coat of stain. They were then laid to the side to dry while the rest of the project was completed.

I sanded the sides of the sideboard with to scuff up the surface. There were no significant scratches or imperfections that needed attention.

After sanding, I gave the entire cabinet inside and out a wipe down with my vinegar and water solution.  


My color choice for the island was Dixie Belle’s Caviar, a beautiful black. I painted the entire cabinet inside and out as well as the new trim. It took only two coats to fully cover. 

Once the paint completely dried, I lightly sanded the entire cabinet with 220-grit sandpaper. After removing the sanding dust, I applied one coat of Dixie Belle’s Best Dang Wax in black to seal the piece. 

I applied one coat of Minwax Wipe-On Poly to each stained wood panel.

The piece sat overnight, allowing the topcoat to dry as well as the wax. The next day, the Hubs added the small shelving panel by screwing it into the existing drawer frame.

The top was added by screwing from the bottom of the frame using wood screws. This is when I realized I DID NOT stain underneath! I did go back and stain.

Holes for a shelf were already on the bottom portion of the cabinet. Therefore, all we had to do was add shelf brackets. (Before Stain)

Lastly, we laid the island on a towel to protect the paint and attached the casters to the bottom in each corner.

I found this rustic looking hangar at Hobby Lobby for 50% off. We attached it to the side of the kitchen island.

Here is the finished kitchen island. I am totally excited with the finished piece! It fits perfectly in our kitchen space. We also have a blank wall next to our dining room table that we can move it to if need be. The casters make it mobile, which is super helpful!

Here it is in our kitchen.

We had so much fun putting this project together. And, from a FREE cabinet!


Check out other repurposed projects .


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Christina :)

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  • Melinda Penny Canady Melinda Penny Canady on Apr 26, 2020

    I don’t think I saw anything about a back on the cabinet in your directions. You left the back off so shelves are accessible on both sides, right?

  • Mike Mike on Apr 30, 2020

    Is there a pic of the finished cabinet with the top on?

  • Toi Payne Toi Payne on May 28, 2020

    I really love the end product!!!!

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