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Before & After: Vintage Cabinet Reborn As a Midcentury TV Stand

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Gregory Han
Gregory Han
A Los Angeles native, Gregory’s interests fall upon the relationship between design, nature, and technology. His resume includes art director, toy designer, and design writer. Co-author of Poketo's "Creative Spaces: People, Homes, and Studios to Inspire", you can find him…read more
updated May 5, 2019
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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

The beauty of thrift store finds is in many cases their affordable price and less than ideal condition frees their owners from preconceived notions of how and where to use furniture within the home. Such was the case with this old cabinet/dresser refinished into something a whole lot more entertaining…

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jeobleo‘s antique store find turned television stand could potentially be reproduced for much less if you already own the tools and supplies required; he also notes he feels like he might have paid too much for the vintage dresser itself, but from a look at the results, I’d consider it was money and effort well spent: 

“Total cost: $75 for the cabinet, $50 for new jigsaw, and around $200 for sandpaper, stripping gel, gloves, tack cloths, stain, polyurethane, brushes, drawer pulls, and other misc. supplies.

It ended up costing more than we wanted, but I think it turned out well.”

Key details are the updated drawer pulls and the handsome set of midcentury-style wooden dowel legs (from Lowes!), details which both elevated the unit to a more ideal viewing height, while also elevating the overall design aesthetically.

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Additional tips jeobleo learned during the makeover process:

  • Plastic paint scrapers don’t work; get a metal one in there.

  • Don’t put on stripper too thick (you end up just wasting it) or too thin (it turns into wax); apply a nice medium coat.

  • Gel stain is awesome, but don’t wait the “3 minutes” it says on the can to wipe it off; apply on and then immediately wipe off.

  • Foam brushes are the way to go. Remember to use Saran Wrap to keep them fresh between coats, so you don’t have to reuse them, and don’t have to clean them or toss them out.

More photos and details about this Dresser into TV Stand project available here.

(Images: jeobleo)


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Before & After
Reuse & Recycle