A good TV stand can cost as much as the TV, and most of these 15 DIY TV stands and media consoles cost a fraction of that. Some are built from scratch with lumber and a pocket hole jig: X base console tables, a chunky farmhouse console and a seven foot industrial console on black pipe legs. Others start with furniture that already exists. A Craigslist dresser becomes a TV stand with a shelf for electronics, a secondhand buffet hides the game console behind its doors and a laminate TV stand gets a chalk paint makeover. There is also an IKEA kitchen cabinet hack with brass pulls and a pallet console with a matching wall panel for the TV. Measure the wall, then pick a favorite.
1. X Based Console Table
This extra tall X base console table was built for about $25 in lumber, modeled on a boatwood console that sold for $970 on sale. The frame takes five 2x2s plus a few 2x6s, all joined with pocket holes hidden on the top and underside of the legs. The legs carry the weight, not the X, so check every square as the frame goes together. A planked top glued and screwed from below finishes it, and the height is easy to change for a shorter wall.
Get the full tutorial at Bower Power.
2. DIY Rustic TV Console
A very long wall made every store bought console look tiny, so this rustic TV console was built extra long to fill the space properly. It is a big, heavy piece of furniture, so build it close to where it will live. The wood is finished in Minwax Special Walnut stain for a warm brown tone, and an antique quilt and a mix of eclectic finds keep the styling cozy. Full building steps are linked from the post on a companion woodworking site.
Get the full tutorial at Liz Marie Blog.
3. Buffet Table to TV Console
With the TV mounted on the wall, a secondhand buffet makes a smart TV console: lots of storage, a good long length and a shallow depth that hugs the wall. This one got two coats of Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint in Yesteryear, no primer needed, then light sanding on the edges and a buffed creme wax. The original pulls were painted, plain knobs went on the doors and shelf liner covers the cardboard back. Holes cut in the back let cords reach the DVD player and game console hidden inside.
Get the full tutorial at Cutesy Crafts.
4. IKEA Hack TV Console
Two IKEA SEKTION wall cabinets, the kind that usually hang above a fridge, become a sleek TV console with brass hardware. The cabinets are joined, then wrapped in inexpensive fibreboard shelves from the hardware store. The shelves are an inch deeper than the cabinets, so the only cuts are for length and the doors sit flush with the frame. PL adhesive and finishing nails hold it, and legs cut from 1×2 pine make it look like furniture. The total was about $400 against $1,300 for similar units.
Get the full tutorial at Pink Little Notebook.
5. Chunky X Media Console
This hefty rustic media console pairs chunky X sides with a planked back and an open top shelf sized for a DVD player, a cable box and other electronics. The free building plans arrive as a printable PDF by email from the post. Want it longer to fill a big wall? Extend every horizontal piece, from the top to the rails and shelves, and add extra support in the middle so the long boards do not sag over time. Pick a stain that suits the room.
Get the full tutorial at The House of Wood.
6. DIY Industrial Media Console
No welder needed for this industrial media console. Boards painted black stand in for steel, and real six inch metal casters make it read as a welded piece. It has open shelves for gaming and movie night plus two drawers on 16 inch slides. The frame is mostly 2x3s and 1x6s with hex bolt accents, and the top rails run 72 inches. It came in just under $150 at first, with the wheels nearly half of that, and later lumber prices pushed it closer to $350.
Get the full tutorial at The Inspired Workshop.
7. DIY Console Table
An X motif gives this rustic console table both stability and style, and it was built for under $40 after a similar store piece was priced at $750. The tutorial behind it uses a dark stain, but a weathered farmhouse finish suits it just as well. It is versatile enough to work as a slim TV stand, a sofa table or an entryway catch all, with room for magazines, mail and keys. It makes a good first furniture build for a confident beginner.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
8. Rustic Industrial Media Console
Metal connectors from Simpson Strong-Tie give this rustic media console its industrial edge, and they make the frame very sturdy too. It is designed to be easy to build, with a lot of storage space, and a stenciled number adds a playful vintage touch. The free plans and full build steps are hosted on a partner woodworking site linked from the post, so follow that link for the cut list.
Get the full tutorial at My Love 2 Create.
9. DIY Apothecary Media Console
Free Ana White plans for an apothecary cabinet console are the starting point here, with the doors and drawers left off for open shelving under the TV. The top is pine and the base is MDF, joined with pocket holes and right angle clamps over several weekends. Fill the pocket holes, sand through a few grits, then stain the top in Minwax Jacobean and paint the base white. Stain the top before attaching it. A few coats of satin varnish seal it.
Get the full tutorial at Handmade with Ashley.
10. Rustic Media Console Table
Reclaimed 2×12 barn boards and faux rusted legs give this media console its catalog look. Inspired by a store console with metal legs, it uses a rust patina paint kit on the wood legs, drawer pulls and drawer boxes, and the rust stops spreading once sealed. At only 12 inches deep it is too shallow for drawer runners, so simple drawer guides keep the drawers in line. No barn wood? Standard 2x12s from the store work, just a bit narrower. Free plans are linked.
Get the full tutorial at Her Tool Belt.
11. Dresser Turned TV Stand
A $50 Craigslist dresser becomes a custom TV stand for $83 in total. The top drawers come out to make a shelf for electronics, which also stops the piece from looking like a bedroom dresser. It was primed twice, painted ultra white with a paint conditioner for a smooth finish and accented in gray on the drawer fronts. The original hardware got a coat of spray paint, clearance pulls filled in the gaps and shelf liner dresses up the drawers. It fits a 47 inch TV.
Get the full tutorial at Two Twenty One.
12. Mid Century Dresser Turned TV Console
A $20 garage sale find becomes a West Elm inspired two tone TV console. The glossy orange finish came off with Citristrip and hours of sanding, then a stain pre-conditioner went on before Minwax PolyShades in Olde Maple Satin, picked to match a pair of mid century end tables. The drawer fronts got Annie Sloan Pure White and the original hardware went back on. To turn the dresser into a media console, the top drawers came out to open a shelf and holes were drilled through the back for cords.
Get the full tutorial at Bright Green Door.
13. Chalk Paint TV Stand Makeover
A $60 floor model TV stand made of faux wood gets an antique look with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Duck Egg and clear wax. Chalk paint sticks to that shiny laminate with no sanding or priming. It is thick, so a little water thins it. A cheap chip brush leaves visible brush strokes that look nicely aged. Paint with the grain, plan on three coats, let it dry overnight, then add two coats of wax. Buff longer for more shine, less for a matte finish.
Get the full tutorial at To Simply Inspire.
14. DIY Pallet Media Console and TV Stand
Free pallet skids become a media console plus a matching wall panel that holds a flat screen above it. Taking pallets apart is the slow part: a pry bar and a nail puller free the boards. Sand every piece well, since shipping pallets are full of splinters. Some boards are joined into a panel that mounts the TV with standard hanging hardware, and the console below stores discs, an amplifier and other media gear. Hand rubbed dark walnut stain gives the set a rich, even color.
Get the full tutorial at 99 Pallets.
15. Industrial Entertainment Console
A huge basement TV called for a custom console, so this industrial one runs a full seven feet. Four 2×10 boards cut to length at the store are joined with pocket holes into an upper and a lower shelf. Six 18 inch black pipe nipples with floor flanges at each end form the legs, and heavy duty casters bolt underneath. It stays under 30 inches tall so the center speaker is not blocked, and it holds a subwoofer and surround sound gear easily. Stain finishes it.
Get the full tutorial at Refresh Restyle.
