Easy DIY Ikea Sideboard Hack

This post will show you step by step how to create your own built-in sideboard.

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When we moved into our townhouse one of the first things I wanted to do was get more storage. Our kitchen isn’t very big and is lacking in functional storage space. There was a bump out in our dining room that was a blank slate and calling for built-in cabinetry. Like most first-time homeowners our budget was small and didn’t cover the cost of custom cabinetry and millwork. This was one of my first diy projects I did and a relatively easy hack to start with!

I wanted my sideboard to look like a custom piece of built-in furniture that has always been there. After doing a lot of research I decided an Ikea hack was the perfect solution. I went with Ikea Sektion lower kitchen cabinets and then a laminate countertop from Home Depot. This was my first time using Ikea kitchen cabinets, I had a few frustrations along the way but overall I couldn’t be happier with the end result and how DIY-friendly this project was. Keep reading and I will give you the full breakdown of how you can recreate this project in your own home.

Required Tools

Materials List

There are all links to the exact items I used for my project

01 | Measuring your space

The first step I take when starting a new project is to sketch out my idea on a piece of paper that also includes all of my measurements. This helps me visualize my project and helps the measurements make more sense to me than a list of numbers.

My space is roughly 10 feet wide by 2 feet deep. I consider myself lucky that I was working with a space that is exactly the depth of a standard kitchen base cabinet. It made the planning a lot easier and didn’t require me to make any custom adjustments to my cabinets.

02| Ikea kitchen planner

A popular Ikea hack you have probably seen all over Pinterest is doing an Ikea Besta sideboard. I considered going with a Besta unit but ultimately decided that I wanted to have drawers and deeper cabinets.

I have always loved ikea products but I also love their kitchen planning tool. Even though I wasn’t technically building a kitchen I was using the Sektion cabinets and could easily enter my measurements and play around until I found the configuration that fit best. You can find the planning tool here. The best part about the planner is that it will give you a list of everything you need including all the little components.

I had initially wanted 4 of the 1 drawer two-door configuration but my space was about 4 inches too small. I also had to take into consideration being able to open the doors on either end, so I couldn’t have the edge of the door butting up against the wall. I am actually glad that I wasn’t able to fit 4 of the same cabinet as I think the single door cabinet on the ends make it a bit more visually appealing. Not only does it look nicer but the single cabinet has a pull out drawer that perfectly fits the measurement of a 20lb bag of dog food.

Once I got my measurements figured out and I was happy with my design I went to my local Ikea and placed the order in the store and picked up my entire order at once. The best part about Ikea is their return policy I ended up ordering a few extra things than I originally needed and I was easily able to return what was left over. There isn’t an Ikea close to me so I didn’t want to be making multiple trips.

If you want more design inspiration check out 15 Insanely Cute Bathroom Wallpaper Ideas

03 | Putting cabinets together

Putting these cabinets together was pretty straightforward and was one of the easiest parts of the entire project. This is where I should have realized that the Ikea cabinet feet were about to be my arch nemisius. They are made of pretty flimsy plastic which was my first red flag but the second red flag and what should have prompted me to go with plan b is that they don’t stay in so if you don’t lift your cabinet up perfectly without hitting them they will keep flying off (this will haunt me later).

Once all the cabinet boxes were put together I slid them into place to make sure they all fit and that my measurements were in fact correct! I love when things fit on the first try.

04 | Installing the cabinets

This is where I personally ran into the most problems. They aren’t even really problems more just frustrations. The first issue was installing the metal suspension rail. Now… this is where I would do things differently so I will tell you what I did and what I would have done differently to save you a few potential meltdowns.

What I did:

Every tutorial I saw online they create a 2×4 base to rest the cabinets on. I was trying to be budget conscious and thought Ikea sells the cabinet feet so they must be good (wrong) and it would save me a trip to Home Depot and buying 2x4s which aren’t cheap right now with the cost of lumber and the extra task of creating a base. So, I went with the suspension rail and the cabinet feet. The first problem I ran into with the suspension rail is that my studs were not the same distance as the pre drilled holes, and I was trying to put up a 8 ft wide suspension rail that was nearly impossible to level without drilling into studs. This meant that I was not able to drill the rail into the recommended number of studs. In fact, I was only able to drill into 2 instead of 6 in my 10 feet of wall. What I ended up with was a relatively stuck to the wall suspension rail to hang the cabinets on and wobbly cabinet feet and I had to adjust a million time to get the cabinets level.

What I would do differently:

I would build the 2×4 base to rest the cabinets on and then bare the weight of the cabinets plus the countertop and install the suspension rail as a secondary way to hold the cabinets in place. That way the weight is evenly distributed between the rail and the base.

05 | Countertop install

This was the one part that I didn’t do myself. My number one requirement for the countertop was that I didn’t have a seam. I wanted it to be one continuous piece of countertop and at first I wasn’t sure they could do that at 10ft wide but luckily they could! I went with home depot after I did some research and found that the Formica brand was the best for real looking stone and I am so happy with my choice.

Laminet countertops have really come a long way! I was going back and forth between the Calacatta Marble and the calacatta cava and ultimately ended up going with the Calacatta Marble with the Premium fx Etchings finish. Because I have white walls and was going with white cabinets I needed my countertops to have a bit more dramatic veining to add more texture and dimension to the room, I think the Calacatta Cava would have been lost in the space.

If you want more kitchen inspiration check out 13 Chic Bohemian Kitchen Decor Ideas

06 | Finishing work

Once the countertop was installed I could start to work on finishing the “built-in” look of my cabinets. I only had about 2.5 inches on either side to build in and then install a 4-inch baseboard along the bottom.

To finish the sides of my cabinets I ended up using a piece of 1/2-inch x 2 1/2-inch Modern MDF Primed Fibreboard Casing. This is technically door casings but it was the exact measurements I needed. Firstly, I screwed 2 pieces of wood (scrap pieces of 2×4 cut to size) to the cabinet so that I had something to nail my casing to. I used my nail gun for this but if you don’t have one you could get away with using regular nails and a hammer, or you could use wood glue and glue the casing to the wood pieces you screwed into the cabinets.

If you are planning on doing a lot of DIY projects it is worth investing in a brad nailer! I use mine on almost every project and don’t regret my purchase.

Once my casing was nailed into place I caulked the seams and then painted it the same color as the wall which is Benjamin Moore White Dove.

For my baseboard (as you can see in the picture above) I had to glue two pieces together to fit the entire 10 foot span. I did a miter cut to get the seam of where the two pieces meet to be as invisible as possible. This is where having a 2×4 base would be the better choice once again, I could have nailed the baseboard into 2×4 directly, but because I used the feet from Ikea I had to get creative. I ended up gluing the fasteners that come with the feet to the back of my baseboard to snap it into place rather than nailing it in (because there was nothing to nail it to. It is secured just fine but it was an extra step I had to do.

07 | Hardware

It took me a bit of trial and error before I made my hardware choice. I got these drawer pulls and knobs from Etsy at a fairly low cost. I made the mistake of first purchasing drawer pulls that were too small and they just looked silly and the wrong scale. I found this guide helpful when deciding what size pulls and knobs I should go with and where to place my hardware.

I wanted something that was gold but not shiny and not too yellow. I love these pulls they are amazing quality and when I redo my kitchen I will use them there as well!

08 | Picture frame molding

Once the built-in was finished the wall behind it felt like it needed a focal point. I have always loved picture frame molding and thought it would look really great on this wall. This part of the project was the least time consuming and I got it done in one and a half days.

If you want a more detailed post for how I installed the picture frame molding check it out here.

09 | Decorating

It was finally time to add some finishing touches with some decor. I love interior design so I was excited to style the countertop with some of my favorite things.

I love all the extra counter space but I did find styling a 10ft long space to be a bit of a challenge and to be honest I am still trying to figure it out. I loved decorating for Christmas this year as I was finally able to use a full-length garland. I have never had the space or a fireplace to put one out.

If you want more decor inspiration check out 10 Must-Try Ideas to Decorate Your Bathroom on a Budget

Conclusion

I hope that you have found this tutorial helpful! The key takeaway here is not to let a lack of DIY skills or experience in DIY deter you from undertaking your own home projects. Starting is the hardest part but with each project you tackle, your skills will naturally evolve and improve.