Upgrading an old CRT television to a modern flat screen is a costly endeavor in itself, and it gets even more expensive when you consider some of the hidden costs of upgrading. For instance, if your old tube TV fit snug in a TV cabinet, you'll need to find a new furniture home for the likely larger new screen. Or, you could take a cue from this no-cost DIY project and transform an old TV armoire into something new.
A tube TV cabinet is literally cut down to size and re-fashioned as the perfect furniture anchor for an upgraded widescreen in this project from Reddit user db89, posted to Reddit's dedicated DIY subreddit.
After removing the top of the old cabinet, db89 cut down the top "cubby" to form a shelf above the drawers below. After adding a partition (from the scrap material) to the larger space to even everything out, the top of the cabinet was re-attached, turning this tube-TV closet into a sleek TV stand.
It's the perfect new spot for an upgraded TV, and it was all done while barely spending a dime. This is what DIY projects are all about — making the old look new again, reusing as much as possible, and keeping waste and costs down. To check out more in-process photos of this project, head over to Reddit.
(Images: db89/Reddit.com)
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Well done!
Bravo!
Awesome!
I have similar issue, but with a niche in my living room built for giant tube tv. I have an armoire that fits well but doesn't look right. May have to submit a photo for the 'Good Question' series.
Looks beyond amazing!
Really nice!
My issue is that just like with the old tube TV, I want to enclose my flat screen. Unfortunately, they don't make those kinds of cabinets. It's weird to me that we used
to hide our TVs and now we display them. Guess the only option is to build or have someone built something custom made.
Great work! We just finished some cabinetry in our living room as well! http://hammer-and-heels.com/2012/11/20/living-room-cabinetry-complete/
-Anne
@ barking ants: I have a theory about this! When televisions were the new (and new-ish) thing, they were a status symbol and were proudly displayed and built into fabulous cabinets, etc. When they got banal, we started hiding them, but flat-screens were a New! Exciting! Thing! so we started putting them out again. Give it a few years (IMO), and there will be flat-screen cabinets everywhere! But it might be that I have too much time on my hands for thinking up theories.
BTW, great redo post!! Our old TV armoire moved to the basement and now stores misc stuff -- wish I had thought of this!
You can still use a traditional TV cabinet/armoire for your television, although there might be excess space.
Depending on your layout, Ikea has options, such as in their Besta line, that take up a lot of wall, but are a bit narrow: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S49896667/
They are harder to find, but you can also find narrow TV cabinets, such as this Neimen Marcus "Rosewood" Entertainment Center: http://www.neimanmarcus.com/product.jsp?itemId=prod74210084&cmCat=search&searchType=MAIN&parentId=
HW Home has a wall-mounted enclosure: http://www.hwhome.com/ic280frm.asp?prodno=EME1102-SO&PRODCAT=&COMBO1=2K
Finally, you can hide your flatscreen inside or behind a cabinet and have it pop-up. Professional and DIY examples exist, for example, as in this Instructable: http://www.instructables.com/id/Disappearing-TV-Mounted-Behind-Furniture-With-Pop-/
You make a great point. Once flat screens become banal, it will create a market for hiding them. I think now they are still seen as a sleek and elegant. I don't mind the TV, it's the other media stuff (cable boxes, gaming console) that I don't want to see.
I agree with Barking Ants. I like my tvs hidden no matter what kind of tv I have. I don't need everyone to know that I bought the latest model.
Great redo.
i use a large piece of mounted (unframed) art to camouflage my flatscreen - props in front when the TV is not in use, sits on the floor in front when it is, no construction or new purchases needed :)
Just perfect. What a great reuse.
Very clever! Looks great. Love that so much of the original material was used.
"It's weird to me that we used to hide our TVs and now we display them."
Tube TVs were bulky and ugly. That's no longer the case.
Awesome remod. Reddit commentors can be pretty nasty tho...
Given everyone I know now seems to gain 5-10" in TV size every time they upgrade now, I don't think we'll see enclosed cabinets coming back into style as it locks you into a size for as long as you have the furniture. Especially as newer TV's are now getting so thin and having such little bezel that mounting them to the wall is the best solution.
When TV's were being hidden in the 90's, they were awful plastic monstrosities.
This is my favorite redo.