I purchased a TV cabinet at a yard sale this summer for $7. $7!? I know, it was a weird price. But it was towards the end of the day and I think she was just imaging herself hauling it to Goodwill. In fact, she probably would have just given it to me. It was solid wood, durable, heavy, and definitely worth $7. With a bright blue paint it would be a perfect fit in our playroom.
This is what I had in the playroom before. It was an okay option at the time but with as active as my 5 1/2 year old is the glass shelves are just asking for trouble. The piece used to have doors on it but those got ripped off a long time ago because they were just laminate. Knowing I was going to replace it I allowed it to get messier and messier until last week one of the shelves fell down and my son caught the TV (true story!)
Yowsers I definitely need a better, sturdier option! So back to the post…
Supplies:
20 feet of 1 x 4’s
air compressor with air nailer
paint sprayer
Dutch Boy satin paint (Go Blue)
latex primer
beadboard
various grits of sandpaper
cloth to clean
chopsaw or miter box and handsaw
ruler and pencil
wood filler
drill
I wasn’t in love with the engraved seashell thing at the top. Perhaps it would look better in a different room painted and glazed but not so much in a kid’s playroom. Or at least MY kids playroom, haha!
The nice part was the top popped off so I just unscrewed everything and nailed in new 1 x 4’s on the sides and top to gave it a more casual look. Then I just popped it back in place lining up the dowels.
I also had to add a new back to it since the previous owners cut a huge square out of it to accommodate a bigger television. I purchased a sheet of bead board (cut to size — thanks Lowes!) and nailed that in place with my air nailer.
I lightly sanded the entire piece and then washed it really well. Then I spray primed it. I let that dry overnight, lightly sanded it with a fine grit sand paper and then gave it a really good coat of Dutch Boy’s Go Blue paint in a satin finish. Every time I post about spraying furniture I get questions about my paint sprayer. See here to see the one I use.
I also changed out the knobs, added new magnetic closures, and shelf pins to hold the shelves in place.
Much cleaner, brighter, sturdier and safer.
Click here to see how I organized the inside.
Whoa…$7!!! That is a steal. Love the color!
Love what you did to it!! And I still can’t believe it was so cheap!! WTG!
Wow! That is simply stunning! I love the choice of blue and you just cannot beat the price! They say 7 is a lucky number! 🙂
This is amazing!!! I love the blue!
Love it!! That will look perfect in that spot!!
Beckie it’s perfect, love your modifications. It’s a true – let’s make it work for this space without spending a gazillion dollars – really well done. I’ve got blue furniture on my mind (our nightstands are going navy!!), your project just hit a sweet spot.
That is a wonderful piece of furniture for the price! Even without the blue paint I would have loved it. You did a great job. Can’t wait to see the inside.
I am so anxious to see how you did the inside! I have a very similar tv cabinet in our playroom, which has so much potential, but I’ve just been to lazy to organize the inside. I plan to be inspired by your post tomorrow!
Love the color of blue Beckie! Great idea to replace the top curved part! Looks wonderful…so nice to have something to just shove all the kid electronic stuff into and shut the doors!
looks great! can’t wait to see the inside!
Wow this looks so nice! It was very lucky & convenient that the top piece there was so easy to detach. Sawing it off might have been a little tricky. The color you chose looks great for a kid’s playroom!
What an amazing deal and the look you gave it is awesome!
~Mandy
It’s perfect! And what a bargain 🙂
Seriously?? $7? That’s a steal of a lifetime! And what an improvement you made to the piece! Amazing job! 🙂
Wow – I love the color. I have an old entertainment center that is similar in our rec room. Thanks for the much needed inspiration! I can’t wait to paint it. I love what you did with this $7 piece.
Great!
Zepequeña.
Holy crap this is the most awesome transformation!!! I love it in blue! Excellent job!!!!
beckie–your tv cabinet is beautiful! Love the updates and the color.
I KNOW you’re not throwing out the old piece, wondering what you’re going to do with it. 🙂
gail
I have a cabinet almost identical and that is what we are doing to it too. I reconfigured the inside to hold dishes, just need to fix the top and paint it!
Love, love, love the blue!!
It’s LOVELY. Definitely love the updates and that color is perfect!
🙂
shaunna
LOVE the blue!!! Gorgeous, Beckie. 🙂
Love this! I especially like that you didn’t hide the old mess 🙂 Can’t wait to see how you have organized it.
what a nice job! it looks sooo much better! for a great price too.
Impressive redo!!!! Thanks for sharing! Can’t believe that you got it for 7 buckaroos!!!!!!!!!!
I love the plans that start with “Let’s paint something blue!”
Amazing job!