If someone asks you if you have a buffet cabinet in the house you’d probably think twice before answering. Actually, a buffet cabinet and a sideboard are the same and often used interchangeably.

Their one difference is buffet cabinets are often located in the dining room, while a sideboard is located either in the hallway or in the living room. Both are used as storage for tablecloth, china, and other knickknacks, while the top serves as a tabletop for food or for decor.

Your DIY Wood Buffet Cabinet

If you’re new to woodworking, this is something that you can take on as a project. This wood project does not require the use of many tools. Just follow these steps to get yourself started:

• Prepare your materials and gather all your tools

Various sizes and thickness of wood boards, screws, pocket holes, knobs, hinges, brad nails, and drawer slides.

You don’t need that many tools. A miter saw, a table saw, a pocket hole, jigs, cauls, and a drill should suffice. You can even use a circular saw if you do not have a miter or table saw.

• Assembling the top panel or the table top

Glue 2 pieces of 1 x 8 board and one piece 1 x 4 board. Place the 1 x 4 board glued between the 2 pieces of 1 x 8 board.

To keep alignment, you can use biscuit slots or place clamping cauls while drying.

• Putting together the side panels

Make a side rail. If you plan to use legs instead of wheels, you can attach the legs to the side rails with pocket screws.

Attach a ¾-inch board panel to the outward portion of the side rail. This will become your side panels for the cabinet

• Building the frame

Build the frames using 2 x 4s for the back and 2 x 2s and 1 x 2s for the front. Attach to your side panels to form a box-like frame.

• Installing the bottom panel

Get a ¾-inch board and attach it to the bottom of your frame using pocket screws. If you plan to use wheels, mark the areas where you wish to place them.

• Adding the center panels

Adding a center panel can help balance your cabinet and prevent it from sagging in the middle. This will also help you hold the drawer slides for your drawers.

Glue together two pieces of ¾-inch board to make the center panel thick.

• Preparing the doors and drawers

Make sure your rails fit the size of your cabinet opening.

For your drawer slide, use a bottom mount type. You also need to install shelf pin jigs to make the cabinet shelves adjustable.

Install the knobs and drawer pulls on your cabinet doors and drawers.

• Staining, distressing, and finishing

This is important, as this will create the look you want for your cabinet.

Choose a stain that would match your needs and preferences. Use a sealer and topcoat for a lasting effect.

• Final assembly

Finally, once you’ve stained all the wood pieces, attach the top and back panels of your cabinet with screws.

• Installing the caster wheels (optional)

If you want to put wheels on your cabinet, get 6 pieces of screw-on caster wheels.

Turn your cabinet upside down, taking care not to scratch the top. Screw two caster wheels on both side of the two edges and two in the middle.

You can now admire your work. You can choose to place it in your dining area or along the hallway.