Build a TV Console Using Old Windows

We love upcycling, repurposing, and recycling old materials into something new — reusing every piece we possibly can is a big part of how we are able to do a lot of our renovations on such a small budget (like our stairs). In addition to saving some money and time, using existing pieces gives your piece some added character and interest — like how our guest today built her TV console using old windows as the doors! It’s perfect!

You could also put your old windows to work as a potting table:

or one of these 100+ ways:

And if you don’t have an old window, you can build one!

Here’s Megan to show you how to build an inexpensive TV console using upcycled or reclaimed materials:

DIY TV Console With Old Window Doors
by Megan from Two Feet First

Hi there Remodelaholics! I’m Megan and I blog over at Two Feet First.  Let’s be honest, I am so so excited to be here today! I am a wife to a very patient husband and mom to 3 very active kids. My blog is where I share how we jump into life Two Feet First by remodeling our home while living in it, my DIY/sewing projects, some of our favorite recipes, and all the other random stuff in between. I would love for you to stop by!

We have been wanting a new TV console for some time now, about 5 years. There was nothing physically wrong with our Ikea TV stand it was just not working for us anymore. Can you see little hand prints on the TV screen?

After finding a beautiful salvaged board, we knew exactly what we wanted to use it for, a TV console and this is how we built it. NOTE: Some of the wood needs to be cut down to size.

Material List:

• 2″ x 12″ x 4 ft Salvaged Board (this board needs to measure at least 11.75″)
• #2 – 2″ x 4″ x  6 ft Board
• 1″ x 6″ x  6 ft Pine Board (cut to 4 .5″)
• 1″ x 12″ x 10 ft Pine Board
• 1″ x 2″ x 8 ft Pine Board
• .5″ x 2″ x 3 ft Board (comes in poplar at our hardware store)
• 1 sheet of 2ft x 4ft x .5″ plywood (cut into strips of 9.5″ x 4ft)
• 1 sheet of 4ft x 4ft x .25″ plywood (cut to 32″ x 46″)
• 2 knobs
• 2 sets of hinges
• 1″ pocket hole screws (used for inside cabinet shelves)
• 1.25″ pocket hole screws
• wood glue
• wood filler
• 120 & 220 grit sandpaper
• .75″ or 1″ finish nails

Tools:

• measuring tape
• pencil
• safety glasses
• Kreg Jig
• drill
• circular saw
• hammer
• sander
• level and square
• clamps
• 1.5″ spade bit

Cut List:

These are the exact measurements of the wood

• 1- 2″ x 12″ x 48″ (Top)
• 4- 1.5″x 4″ x 34″ (legs: from 2″x4″)
• 2- .75″ x 4.5″ x 30″ (sides: from 1″x6″ cut to 4.5″)
• 4- .5″ x 1.5″ x 4.5″ (trim for sides: from .5″ x 2″ x 3ft)
• 2- .75″x 1.5″x43.25″ (top trim piece to attach to top: from 1″x2″)
• 2- .75″x11.25″x43.25″ (shelves: from 1″x12″)
• 1- .75″x11.25″x24″ (inside center: from 1″x12″)
• 4- .5″x9.5″x21.25″ (inside shelves: from .5″ plywood)
• 1- 32″x46″ (back: from .25″ plywood)

The first thing we did was cut all of our wood to the cut sizes listed above.  After the wood was all cut, we used our Kreg Jig and created pockets to assemble the console.

The diagram’s below show the placement of the pocket holes (=*) and also where each piece of wood will be placed. If there are “***” together that means for the width of the board place one pocket on each end and one pocket in the center of the board.

I used .75″ pocket holes and 1.25″ screws for all of the joints.

Once all of our pocket holes were created, we sanded all the wood with a #220 grit sandpaper to give the wood a smooth finish.

After all the wood was sanded, we could start assembling the sides of the TV console. Taking two 2″x4″, we sandwiched the 4.5″x30″ between the two boards, making sure the tops of all the boards & backs were flush with each other. We did use another .75″ board under the 4.5″x30″ board to make the back of the boards flush.  Then we attached the boards together, completing this step for both sides.

Next we took two of the side trim pieces (.5″ x 1.5″ x 4.5″ ) and glued them to the top and bottom of the 4.5″ board, making sure they were flush with the edges of that board. Then we clamped them into place to dry. After they finished drying we used some of the 1? finishing nails and hammered them into the back of the side piece to help hold the trim pieces in place, completing this step for both sides.

Next we attached both side pieces together by using the two long trim pieces (.75″x1.5″x43.25″), this created the frame of the TV console. We made sure the back trim piece was flush with both of the side pieces and the front trim piece was inset about .25″ from the sides. Then we attached the frame to the top piece of the TV console, see pictures below.

After that we attached the inside pieces of the TV console. We started with the bottom shelf (.75″x11.25″x43.25″ ) and placed it 4″ from the ground, the bottom of the shelf will be flush with the side trim piece. Then we attached the inside center and ended with the top shelf. 

TIP: Make sure you measure the front and back of the stand to give you the distance. Also if you would like more space for the top shelf make the inside center piece smaller.

Next, we attached the back using the .25″ plywood and attaching it with 1″ finishing nails.

Then we added the shelves to the console by creating two pocket holes on each of the boards ends (4 pocket holes per board). We made sure we spaced them with enough distance to fit our DVD/Blu-ray cases. Then we screwed the board into place with 1″ screws.

Now onto the doors and as luck would have it, my dad was removing some old wooden windows from a home and wondered if we could use them. After looking through the pile, we found two frames that would fit the TV console door space after a little cutting. We did remove the old glass because it was broken.

To cut the old window frames to the size, we took a circular saw and cut around the edges, making sure we took off  an extra 1/8? to 1/4? around the sides so the door could open and close in the console.

Before we painted the console, we applied our finish to the top board. We decided to use 100% Tung Oil to give our wood a Natural look.

To apply tung oil we used a clean, lint-free rag and applied a small amount of oil to the cloth. Then we rub the cloth along the grain of the wood. TIP: Make sure you do not starve the wood, meaning you should not have to rub hard to get the wood wet.. But make sure you are not over saturating the wood either, meaning the wood should not be forming puddles.

After letting the oil sit for 30 minutes to an 1 hour, we rubbed the wood with a new clean rag to remove any excess oil.

We then let the wood sit for 24 hours. Then we applied our second coat, to apply this coat we used #600 grit waterproof sandpaper not a rag, this will give it a super smooth finish. Then again wiped off any excess oil after 30 minutes to an hour and let the board dry for 24 hours.

We repeated the last step one more time, all together we applied 3 coats of tung oil.

Next we drilled two holes for the power cords of our DVD player and gaming station. We used a 1.5″ spade bit to drill the holes. I drilled the holes from the inside out, that way if there was any splintering of the wood it would be on the back.

After, I filled in all the pocket holes and sanded everything until it was smooth. Then I cleaned all the dust and wood shavings from the stand using our shop-vac and finished with a quick wipe down with a damp cloth.

Now we could paint the base of the stand and the doors. To create a straight line where the base meets the top piece, I used a handy taping knife (used to apply mud to drywall).

After the first coat of primer, I decided that I should caulk all the seams and joints because the gaps were large in some areas and not very pretty.

After caulking and letting that dry, I applied another coat of primer then 3 coats of Behr Premium Plus Paint in White.

We then had a local glass company put new glass inserts into the doors.

Next was attaching the doors and adding the hardware. We decided to use utility hinges  that would mount to the front of the stand. We also attached magnetic plates to hold the doors in place.

And here is our finished TV Console!

But now for the dirty details, the cost.

COST Breakdown:

Salvaged Board – FREE
Wood – $100
Glass – $83
Screws – $10
Hardware – $22
Everything else we had on hand

TOTAL – $215

Thank you for reading about our DIY TV Console!

———————————

Thanks for sharing with us, Megan! Such a great storage piece!

Pay Megan a visit over at Two Feet First for beautiful home projects and great tips, like building a sandbox and using a pool noodle to protect your car doors. 

Want to be featured? Link up here and submit your best project here.

Lorene

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Lorene has been behind the scenes here at Remodelaholic for more than a decade! She believes that planning projects and actually completing them are two different hobbies, but that doesn't stop her from planning at least a dozen projects at any given time. She spends her free time creating memories with her husband and 5 kids, traveling as far as she can afford, and partaking of books in any form available.

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