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DIY Bar Cabinet Transformation

    After I finished the dining room makeover I still had one blank wall. I kept looking for some combo of functionality and décor that would fit the aesthetic and was having a hard time. Then, one day I saw a gorgeous bar cabinet from Pottery Barn that I loved the look of but NOT the price! I decided I would do what I could to make my own. I started by watching Facebook marketplace for a bookshelf or something that I could transform. I got SO excited to find the perfect piece posted for FREE! It had been custom built as an entertainment center and was huge! A very kind neighbor helped me go to pick it up and put it in the garage for the transformation. 

The picture from Facebook marketplace.

    There were actually three pieces, the large middle section and two smaller side sections. I started by cleaning the whole thing. Then I used a wood filler to fill in any scuffs/ holes I thought might show and sanded everything really well. 

Prep work is so important!

    Now it was ready for paint. Since it was so very large I had to do sections at a time. I picked up a satin finish black Behr paint for the project. I used a combination of both a small foam roller and a small brush to minimize the appearance of lines. 

    While I was painting and waiting for each section to dry, I bought the little accents I had planned. A metal grate backing (Home Depot), Remote control LED lights with a warm white (Amazon), and upside down glass racks (Amazon). 

These let your wine glasses be your décor!

    When the black paint was all on I stood the pieces up to do the spray polyurethane. I would HIGHLY recommend NOT using the spray version on such a large piece. I ended up just over spraying and using a stationary roller to brush it on evenly. This worked well and went on fairly even.

    When all the paint and clear coat was dry I installed the accessories. 

Glass stem holders.

    I measured to make sure the middle of each of the stem holders were evenly spaced. They were very easy to install with my small pink drill. I then went to work adding the grate backing. I used smaller nails to affix the grating which was a fairly thin aluminum. 

Lots of nails to add the grate on the back. 

    I used small garden clippers to cut off the excess and finished by hammering the raw edge into the piece so it wouldn't stick out and scratch anything.


    On to the LED lights. They were super easy as they had a sticky side already. I didn't have all the AA batteries I needed for the six lights, so I just did the main two. The other four will be installed under the very top when I get more batteries. 




Loving it so far! Can't wait to get it inside. 

    With the help of a few friends and my husband we brought it in, secured it to the wall, and stocked it!

    Now the finished product... 


It fits so perfectly on the wall! I love it!

    Thanks for coming along on this journey with me! This was a super fun project and I love it so much! I look forward to adding more wine racks on each side, adding the last four lights on top, and looking for a small wine fridge for the bottom middle compartment. Check back for more fun projects soon.

-Lizzy





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