How to make a floating sideboard

Add a touch of the tropics to your home without having to scour the shops for that piece that’s just a little bit different.

WATCH: Juliet shows you how to customise your sideboard for a stunning look

Start out with a couple of basic flatpack cabinets, then add your own personal touches. Rattan panels attached to the doors give you the tropical look and feel, while a solid timber top and a few well-placed furniture legs complete the transformation.

Gather your supplies

1200 x 800 x 12mm red oak plywood
140cm x 1.2m raffia fabric
1800 x 405 x 18mm pine panel
Kaboodle 600mm wall cabinets and gloss white doors
1200 x 900 x 3mm melamine white MDF
150mm round furniture legs and leg plates (6)
Wave pull handles (2)

You'll also need

Circular saw
Pencil
Scrap timber for compass
Drill
10, 3 and 6mm drill bits
Hammer
Nail
Jigsaw
Fine sandpaper
Cork sanding block
Undercoat
Painting equipment
Water-based enamel paint
Sharp scissors
Thin masking tape
White acrylic paint
Painter’s tape
Sanding sponge
Spray contact adhesive
Double-sided tape
25 and 30mm screws
Clamps

Here's how

Step 1

Use circular saw to cut ply into 700 x 580mm panels to sit over doors.

Step 2

To create circles on ply, make a compass by marking spot for a nail on scrap timber, then drilling a 10mm hole 250mm from it. From there, hammer nail through timber into centre of first ply panel, just deep enough to hold in place. Put pencil in hole and rotate timber to scribe circle. Repeat on other ply panel.

Step 3

Drill a large hole inside circles to provide access for jigsaw blade. Use jigsaw to cut out circles.

Step 4

Use fine sandpaper wrapped around cork sanding block to smooth cut edges of circles.

Step 5

Apply undercoat to finished faces and outside edges of panels. Let dry, then apply 2 coats of paint. Allow to dry and sand lightly after each coat.

Step 6

Sit raffia on ply panels and draw outline of panels. Cut raffia a touch smaller with scissors. Run masking tape around raffia edges to stop fraying.

Step 7

Cut 1250 x 350mm panel from 18mm pine for top of sideboard. Make whitewash by diluting white paint with water in ratio of 3:1. Use roller to apply to front-facing side of raffia panels. Also whitewash top and furniture legs.

Step 8

Run painter’s tape around edges of doors to prevent spray adhesive landing there. Use sanding sponge to roughen up gloss surface of doors.

Step 9

Apply spray contact adhesive to doors and back of raffia panels. Leave to dry until it is tacky then, starting from one side, roll a raffia panel onto each door, being careful it is flat. Remove painter’s tape.

Step 10

Apply squares of double-sided tape to each raffia panel then place a circle panel on top, making sure gap from panel to door edge is the same all around.

Step 11

Turn door over and predrill through back of doors into panels using a 3mm drill bit. Wrap tape around bit so you don’t go all the way through. Screw together with 25mm screws.

Step 12

Assemble flatpack cabinets per instructions. Bring together so front edges are flush. Clamp, predrill and screw together using 30mm screws.

Step 13

Cut two 720 x 300mm panels out of 3mm MDF. Glue and clamp to sides of sideboard to hide screw holes.

Step 14

Sit top on sideboard flush with rear and overhanging the sides evenly. Predrill and screw up through cabinet into top with 30mm screws.

Step 15

Screw vertical leg plates on bottom of sideboard. Place a pair at each end and in the centre to support where cabinets join. Screw legs into plates.

Step 16

Mark doors for screw holes to suit handles. Drill holes through doors and panels using a 6mm bit, then use supplied screws to attach handles to doors. Attach doors to cabinet.