How to Convert a Sideboard to a Bar

You can convert a sideboard into a bar.

A sideboard is a piece of furniture that is used to store food and other items inside a dining room to prevent the need to travel back to the kitchen or to store the food on the table. Many modern homes have no need for the traditional sideboard. It is an easy process to turn an old sideboard into a bar. All you have to do is covert the shelves and add a new piece of wood to the top to extend the top of the sideboard into a bar.

Things You'll Need

• Wrench
• Screwdriver
• 1/2-inch-thick plywood
• 1-inch-thick plywood
• Table saw
• Measuring tape
• Wood stain
• Wood varnish
• Paintbrushes
• Old rags
• Finishing nails
• Hammer
• Capita brackets
• Bookshelves

Instructions

1. Remove the doors from the front of the sidebar to expose the shelves inside, using a screwdriver or wrench. Adjust the height of the shelves so your chosen alcohol bottles will fit inside the shelves. Remove the hinges from the sideboard.

2. Cut a piece of 1/2-inch-thick plywood to the same size as the back of the sideboard. Stain the wood the same color as the rest of the sideboard. Once the stain dries, paint the plywood with wood varnish. Allow to dry for two hours.

3. Nail the plywood sheet to the back of the sideboard, covering the original backing. This gives the sideboard a prettier backing, which will eventually be the front of the bar.

4. Cut a piece of 1-inch-thick plywood to the same length and half the width of the top of the sideboard. Stain and varnish the plywood board the same color as the rest of the sideboard.

5. Screw the capita brackets to the two edges and middle of the plywood board. Screw the other side of the brackets to the top of the sideboard to make an extended bar top.

6. Place a few bookshelves behind the bar to create a space to store alcohol that will not fit in the sideboard. Face the back of the sideboard toward the middle of the room.

References

• Bedzine: How to Convert a Sideboard into a Bar