A friend of mine just purchased her very first home!
She asked me to build her a floating TV console table with holes cut out so the cords can be easily organized. She wanted the stain to match her existing furniture and the cubbies to be a perfect measurement for the electronics she wanted to store.
THIS is why we DIY.
Exact dimensions.
Perfectly matching stain color.
Then you get to oodle the work you’ve just done with your own 2 hands! What’s better?? (Note: oodle is a term created by Rachel Metz, a phenomenal maker, which means to sit back and appreciate/adore/be proud of the work you just created).
Anyways
Tools I Used:
Materials Needed:
1 sheet of ¾” Plywood (I used birch)
One 2×4
Let’s Get To It:
I use a website called cut list optimizer to map out my cuts on sheets of plywood. It’s fantastic.
I used my kreg track saw to rip down one sheet of ¾” plywood into the following cuts:
(2) 70” x 14” (top and bottom)
(4) 11” x 14” (cubby walls)
(1) 22” x 14” (middle horizontal shelf)
I drilled pocket holes into the top and bottom of each cubby wall (11” sides). I also drilled pocket holes into the left and right side of the middle shelf (14” sides).
I started assembling by first attaching the left and right side panel to the bottom panel. I used 1-1/4” pocket hole screws and wood glue.
I attached the middle shelf to the remaining 2 cubby walls using pockets holes and wood glue. Then I attached those cubby walls to the bottom panel as well.
Note: When you assemble this part, make sure your cubby wall pocket holes are on the opposite side of the horizontal shelf. I #failed and couldn’t get my drill to fit afterward, so I had to drill through the top and bottom panels instead. hehe
Before I attached the top panel, I drilled the holes for cord organization. I used a spade bit that seemed like a good diameter for a bundle of cords (I believe mine was 1-1/4” diameter). I drilled a hole in the center of the top panel, middle shelf, and bottom panel, as well as one through each of the interior cubby walls. I clamped a piece of scrap wood on the opposing side and added masking tape where I was going to drill, both of these things minimize tear out.
Once those holes were drilled, I attached the top panel again using wood glue and pocket hole screws.
I used my miter saw to chop a 2×4 to size, fitting it in the back of the left and right cubbies. These will be what I use to hang the TV unit onto the wall. I attached the 2×4 to the TV unit using wood glue and 2.5” wood screws.
I added edge-banding to the front of this TV unit to hide the plywood edges.
I filled all the pocket holes and screw holes with wood filler. They make wood plugs to fill the pocket holes, but I didn’t have any and clearly I like the longer way, lol. After the wood filler dried, I sanded everything down with 220 grit sand paper (this is basically the only grit I use *kanye shrug*).
I stained the unit with Espresso stain and gave it 1 coat of polyurethane.
To hang, I taped off where I wanted the TV unit to be and marked where the studs were. I drilled (3) vertical 2.5” wood screws through each 2×4 directly into the studs (don’t forget to pre-drill to avoid splitting the wood).
She’s done!
Easily hide your cords and keep all of your electronics neatly tucked away.
I would love to hear about how this project went if you choose to tackle it for yourself or a friend. Let me know in the comments below!
