Chic and Cheap Ways to Refresh Your Furniture

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Spectacular Sideboard: After

We removed the side drawers and lined the interior cubbies with sheets of 3/4-inch medium-density fiberboard (MDF) cut to fit and nailed down.

Then we outfitted one cubby with shelves made from MDF boards that are supported by 1-x-1-1/2-inch furring strips nailed horizontally to support them.

To create the X-shape wine rack on the opposite side, we took two cut-to-fit MDF boards and made a slit halfway down the middle of each so they could slide into one another. We also mitered each end of both boards so they'd fit neatly into the cubby corners -- no need for nails.

We gave the whole piece a light sanding, a coat of primer, and two coats of semigloss latex paint in a pale blue shade on the outside and a deeper blue inside for contrast. To dress up the doors, we picked out a pair of modern nickel pulls.

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