DIY: Wall mounted TV cabinet

Oh yeah it’s DONE!!!

We couldn’t be happier to unveil this project, on top of it being super easy it was also super cheap. Like I said we’ve been dying to mount the tv since the littles became mobile 2 years ago. Well, we found the right style for what we wanted and I think it turned out amazing. So we planned and designed based on our tvs specific size and shape AS WELL AS the wall it would be mounted on – and you should too.

Our TV is 44.5in width that meant four 12x36in canvases (plus space for hinges) would cover the face of the tv. You can either order photocanvases from nations photolab directly or make them like I did since this was our “trial run.” Making them is really very simple (literally just stick printed photographs onto canvas from painting section at michaels crafts) looks pretty nice and you can change out photographs every few years. We had the 15$ lumber cut to size at Home Depot- yes, into 3 pieces to form a U shape- no need for a “top” this way the tv doesn’t over heat

Again this is based on the size of your specific tv and how much storage space you want for a DVD player etc etc. We added 8 inches to the length of the tv for length of the wood and that was ample space for router and modem, 2 laptops, a DVD player and a few DVDs….along with all the cords…yeah lots of those.

Anyhow, we sanded the wood down and had planned on painting it but realized that the wood was quite knotty and we wouldn’t get a smooth surface. But, with a little poly finish it looks more natural and “fits” the house. We also notched out a piece from the back that was against the wall to allow cords to be pulled in when the tv is off. This was actually quite easy with a drill bit and hand saw…oh and the dremmel to finish it.

As you can see we placed hinges on the inside as we wanted them to be “invisible” while closed. We then placed a clasp on top to secure closed. However, I think we will be moving all panels to the right with the hasp moving to the left side. We bought cheap hinges and already lost a pin from one live and learn right?

OK frame ready!

We knew we wouldn’t be able to “center” the cabinet on the wall because we wanted to mount the tv into a stud, leaving everything a bit off center. But, that’s ok since I’d rather not see our flat screen come crashing to the floor and I wanted this type of mount. Why? Because it was 25$ for a full motion mount -so I can see it while I cook in the kitchen!

Last weekend the cabinet was ready….more like Mr. was finally home and we didn’t have other plans 😉 The moment of truth came and we put it up THREE, yes, you read that right THREE times. Twice it came off the wall! Once because we forgot the notch for the cords and once because of somebody’s **cough** miss measure. To mount I’d suggest directly into studs with braces, if you can’t, use wall anchors and disperse the weight. But, third time was a charm and it’s now happily holding our tv safely out of the reach of little hands. It’s a decor friendly way to hide it all at a moments notice!

eventually we may DIY a storage system for under it, but that’s not even close to the next project on the list 😉