When I bought my condo at the end of 2009, I purchased a TV stand from Pier 1 that was perfect for my living room and my 30ish inch TV. Fast forward a few years later, and while I still loved the style of the TV stand, the brown original color didn’t work in our new house (too much brown on one wall with the club chairs) and I’d always been annoyed that it had an open back and you could see all the wires, no matter how hard I tried to organize them.
Simple TV stand from Pier 1. Also, it was cold when I did this, so I did it in the living room and of course, the dogs were curious!
I started reading about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, and figured it was worth a shot!
Painting:
To start, I gave it a quick sanding and then a quick coat of primer. The only reason I did this is because I was using Old White and I’d had issues with two other pieces that I used as my tests with the paint chipping and taking 3+ coats to cover darker wood. With priming using a roller (took all of 10 minutes since the surfaces are flat), it only took me two coats of chalk paint.
After two coats of Annie Sloan Old White
Back Cover:
For the back of the piece to hide the wires, I used foam core board from Hobby Lobby. The whole thing was so simple I don’t know why I didn’t do it years earlier! I measured the foam core and cut it to size. I had marked where I needed to cut holes as well for the cords.
I found remnant upholstery fabric at Hobby Lobby that happened to be the same pattern as the rug – it was the perfect size! This was a risk; I bought the fabric on a whim and I don’t think I’d measured at that point, but crossed my fingers and it worked out. I used fabric glue to adhere the fabric to the foam core and let it dry. I cut holes for the cords in the fabric too.
My plan was to use some small nails to hold the back in, but it turns out I cut it just right and it fit perfectly without needing anything to hold it in its spot.
The finished product! Also, I realized that Bogey matches my decor.
I love how this DIY piece turned out – it really brightened up that whole side of the living room. Of course, shortly after, we upgraded TVs and now my cute little TV stand is too small and looks puny with the bigger TV! But, we’re keeping it for now until I find the right piece for the larger TV. I’m leaning towards a dresser (painted & stained, if needed) because it never hurts to have more storage.
Now my cute DIY TV stand is too small for the big TV, but I still love how it turned out!
What do you use as a TV stand? Did you mount your TV (we’ve also had that debate forever)? What should I do with the TV stand now that I can’t use it? Sell it? Turn it into a bench?
Wow, it’s amazing how much the chalk paint changed the look of the TV stand. I really like its updated look.