My Television Console

I'm so excited to show you what I've been working on the past week!

I snapped this photo on my phone of this big dresser I found recently at a local consignment shop. I'd been searching for one for a long time.

 My husband thought I was off my noggin' when I told him it would soon be a charming piece of furniture holding his treasured 47" flat screen TV and soundbar in our family room. 

He definitely didn't see my vision. 

So it was fun and very gratifying to watch him come around to my side as I completed each step of its transformation. 

First, I put it outside and sanded all the stain off the top with an orbital sander, being careful not to sand through the thin veneer. Then I sanded the sides by hand with sanding sponges to remove the shine. 

 I brought it inside and stained the top with one coat of Minwax dark walnut stain followed by three coats of wipe-on polyurethane.

Next, I painted the bottom with two coats of Glidden flat paint. I sanded both the poly and paint between coats for a smooth-as-silk finish on both the top and sides.

The color I used is called Linen. 

I put the knobs and handles in a cardboard box and painted them with oil rubbed bronze spray paint. 

Then I got to work distressing everything by hand. And, boy, was it a workout! 

Are you starting to see my vision? 

Next, I rubbed clear furniture wax onto the paint and buffed everything to a soft glow. 

I stained the middle drawers to match the top and finished the cabinet door that hides them, just in case we ever want to use this as a dresser in a bedroom. But for now, the drawers and door are stored away in the basement. 

In their place are some shelves I made to hold the cable box, bluray player, and a basket. Holes were drilled through the back for the cables and wires.

The television and soundbar fit just right on top, and there's tons of storage in the drawers for DVDs and all our electronic cables, chargers, and manuals. It's a great TV console.

I have a whole new respect for bloggers who tackle furniture refinishing projects like this every week. It was a TON of work! But it was so worth it. The custom vintage look fits our cottage perfectly and adds so much charm to our family room. 

Here's a look back:

  What a difference!

It feels wonderful to finally have the exact piece of furniture I've wanted for such a long time.

Thanks so much for letting me share it with you today!

I'm partying this week at these fabulous blogs

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TV Console

This is my husband's old ugly desk. It's about 3 feet wide and 5 feet long and is so heavy it takes three people to move it. He bought it at a consignment shop years ago and lugged it up the stairs to his home office under the eaves. When the kids got old enough to use the computer, we wanted their use to be where we could  monitor it, so we actually lowered this monster over the loft railing to have it in the family room below. 

This became the family office. It was great for bill paying and homework because the kids could spread out their books and papers and still have room for the printer and old computer monitor (remember how big those old monitors were?) When the kids went away to college and my husband and I got laptops, we retired the desktop computer and incorporated the home office into my craft room back upstairs. 

We were older and wiser now, and there was no way we were going to lug the "monster" upstairs again. 

So I started scheming to get rid of it because it is so huge and so ugly! 
 
Before I could convince my husband to get rid of it (what is it about men and their attachments to huge heavy ugly pieces of furniture?), we replaced our tiny 22 year-old television and needed a new stand and somewhere to store all the TV stuff. The new 47" flat screen television broke the budget, though, and there was no money left for a new piece of furniture, too. 

Then I saw this Craigslist redo online about 18 months ago. It was the first time I'd seen a television console made from another piece of furniture. I loved the simple idea of removing some drawers in a dresser for the cable box, DVR, and DVD player.   

Nuestra Vida Dulce

And I thought, hey, I can do that with the desk! My handy husband made some shelves for the knee hole of the desk, and I stained them to match the desk trim. We retrofitted the inside shelves behind the fake drawer front on the left side to fit two huge plastic under-the-bed boxes from Target to store DVDs in one and assorted chargers, cables, iPods, manuals, etc. in the other. You just open the door and the big plastic boxes slide out like drawers. In the three real drawers on the other side, we keep miscellaneous household stuff.  You would not believe how much stuff this one piece of furniture holds.

But the thing is, the one that I copied is cool, and mine is still really ugly, it still takes up way too much floorspace, and I still want something that looks nicer.

After pricing nice looking, well-built television stands and consoles, I decided I just can't waste spend $500 (or more) on a new one. Instead, I'm on the lookout for an interesting piece of used furniture in good shape with lots of storage that I can refinish and remake into one. One that's taller, narrower, lighter weight, and not ugly. 

There are a lot of people thinking the same thing because today I found all of these television consoles online made from other furniture at a fraction of the price of a new one.

Ana White

Sweet Pickins

Danielle Oakey Interiors

Liz Marie Blog

Farm Style Studio

Addicted 2 Decorating

Ana White

Less-Than-Perfect Life of Bliss

Apartment Therapy

I Am Momma Hear Me Roar

Natty by Design

Nifty Thrifty Girl

Sugar Bee Crafts

Emily A. Clark

How Does She?

Project! Palermo

Be Different Act Normal

Aren't they beautiful?

Wish me luck on my search for the perfect piece of (cheap) used furniture for my new television console. 

Thanks for stopping by today! 

Linking to 
Funky Junk Interiors