Customise, pimp or upgrade your own TV furniture

Would you like to make your own custom TV furniture? Or would you like to give your current TV furniture a nice upgrade? Making your own TV furniture from sheet material or wooden panels is not complicated at all, as long as you know what you are doing and what you have to take into account. In this article we explain step by step how to make your own TV furniture and how to give your current TV furniture a nice upgrade.

In this article:

• How to make your own TV furniture
• In which room will you place the made-to-measure TV furniture?
• What do you need to make a to size TV cabinet
• How to make a drawing or sketch for a TV cabinet
• Which wood to use for a to size TV cabinet
• What dimensions do you use for a TV unit
• How high should a standing TV unit be
• How high should a suspended TV unit be
• How to attach the TV unit floating
• What does a TV unit cost to size ?
• Upgrading or pimping your TV furniture
• Get started with your to size TV furniture

How to make your own TV furniture

Making a custom-made TV cabinet: a nice challenge for any do-it-yourselfer. But, you certainly don't have to be a professional to turn it into something beautiful and unique. Have a look among these DIY projects what our handymen know how to make. You can also find inspiration there for your own project!

Ready to get started on your project? Read on quickly or View our cut-to-size product range here.

In which room will you place the made-to-measure TV furniture?

Before you start, it is useful to consider in which room the TV furniture will be placed. This of course has consequences for the size of your home-made TV furniture, but also for the options you want to add, such as drawers and doors. 

Perhaps you need some extra storage space in your living room besides the TV furniture. For your kids' things or for your game console, for example. Then you can include that directly in your design.  

What do you need to make a to size TV cabinet

Before you start, you will need some tools and supplies. Exactly what you need depends on the material you are going to use and your design. But, in general, you should consider the following gear and materials:

• Graph paper, pencil, eraser, ruler: for an accurate sketch of your project 
• Cordless drill: to easily pre-drill holes and screw screws into your material
• Wood glue: often needed to glue various parts of your TV furniture firmly together
• Primer and lacquer: if you choose a type of wood that still has to be finished - first primer, then lacquer
• Sandpaper: always handy to have with you, with a coarse or small grain
• Tape measure: needed to measure and mark your wood
• Spirit level: to hang your TV furniture nice and straight 
• Screws or jack screws: to connect the different wood materials and possibly to hang your furniture on the wall

View the accessories you can order with your project here

How to make a drawing or sketch for a TV cabinet

It is wise to make a drawing or sketch before you start. Otherwise, you will almost certainly run into problems later on. Moreover, we need the right measurements to be able to cut your sheet material just right for you. 

Already know what your TV furniture should look like? Get inspired by this hanging MDF furniture by Ramon, this sleek with speaker cloth finished furniture or this floating TV and stereo furniture by MDF.

Once you know what design you want to make, you can start working on your drawing. This doesn't have to be a professional construction drawing, of course; a good sketch will suffice for most DIY projects.

You grab a block of squared paper, a pencil, an eraser and possibly a ruler. Of course, if you are handy with a 3D programme, such as SketchUp, you can use that too.

Next, roughly sketch your design first. You may also need to make a cross-sectional sketch if you are working with cabinets or compartments, for example. Now think about how you are going to connect the sheet materials: will you glue and screw them together or will you use corner anchors? And do you want to work with right angles or mitred angles? This will affect the dimensions of your board material.

Next, you will complete your sketch (it's best to start on a new sheet) with exactly the right dimensions attached. Now you know which materials of which dimensions you need. 

With this list you can use our web shop to order exactly the material for your TV furniture. Moreover, we provide each shelf with a label of your choice, so that you will soon receive a ready-made kit at home. 

Want to make it even more visual? Then you can also cover the wall where your TV furniture will be placed (or hang) with tape. That way you can see exactly how big the furniture is going to be.  

When sketching, also take into account the size of your television, the way your cables, doors and drawers will be hidden and whether you want your furniture to be standing or floating.

Which wood to use for a to size TV cabinet

You can use different types of wood for your TV furniture. At OPMAATZAGEN.nl, you can choose from phenolic plywood, MDF, plywood, OSB en furniture and carpentry panels, among others. 

Each type of wood has its own qualities and pluses and minuses. For instance, you don't need to finish concrete plywood and OSB is structurally very strong. It is up to you to make a choice that best suits your specific requirements for your TV furniture. In projects by our handymen, we often see the use of plywood and MDF.

With the timbers from OPMAATZAGEN.nl, you can choose different finishes. For example, you can choose rounded or bevelled corners and sides. We can also mitre-cut the boards for you. Moreover, some wood types are available with, for example, a lacquer carrier film. So you spend less time on your project!

View our sheet materials here

What dimensions do you use for a TV unit

When designing your TV furniture, it is important to consider what dimensions it should have. Two factors are very important here: the space you have for your furniture and the size of your television. 

The first factor is obvious: the TV furniture must fit in the room. We will briefly explain the second factor. 

Do you want to place the television on your TV furniture? Then we recommend making the furniture 1.5x as big as your TV. This will leave enough space on both sides to put something small, like a plant or your speakers. 

If you hang your TV above the unit, the width is less relevant, but it often looks nicer than if you make your custom-made TV unit wider than the TV itself. 

For the depth of your TV furniture, it's best to stick to around 30.0 or 40.0 cm. But, be sure to measure the things you want to put in it to be sure. 

How high should a standing TV unit be

Of course, you want your television to be at the right viewing height soon. A rule of thumb for placing or hanging your television is that the top of your television is at eye level. So, when you are sitting on your sofa or chair, your eye level is level with the top part of your television. 

How high your standing, homemade TV furniture should be therefore depends on: the size of your television and the sitting height in your TV room. You can take these details into account in your drawing. Also remember that you might want to make uprights or legs under your TV cabinet. 

How high should a suspended TV unit be

For a hanging television cabinet, the same rules apply as for a standing television cabinet. Make sure the top part of your television hangs at eye level. By subtracting the size of your television from that, you will know how high you can hang your floating TV cabinet.

How to attach the TV unit floating

Are you making a floating TV unit? Then you need to know how to attach it correctly.

First, make sure your wall can support the weight of your homemade TV furniture. Can it? Then you have two options for fixing your furniture: using a wedge batten or wedge bolts. We explain exactly how to do this in our article on making a TV cabinet made of MDF. 

What does a TV unit cost to size

If you don't want to DIY, you can also order a TV furniture made-to-measure. The cost of this varies enormously, depending on the materials and size of the furniture. But, you should think of a range from €1,000 to €10,000 euros. 

Making your own custom-made TV furniture saves considerably on costs. After all, you only have material costs and we cut the wood to size for you. But, it is a bit more work. No problem, of course, if you like a nice job. 

For a few hundred euros, you can make your own TV furniture. Like this hanging sideboard, this furniture with connecting seating area or this plywood and MDF furniture. 

Upgrading or pimping your TV furniture

Do you already have a piece of furniture or an old TV cabinet in your house that could use a nice upgrade? Pimp your old furniture into a contemporary piece that will last for years! Let our handymen's projects inspire you.

So Alexander pimped an old lowboard on this beautiful rustic oak furniture. He mounted his old, open lowboard to the wall and covered it with oak glued panels. He then fitted the front with tilt openings (flaps) with push-to-open hardware. Beautiful result!

It can also be a lot simpler. For example, place a cut-to-size oak panel over your white television cabinet, as Hilde and also Robert have done. The result can last for years again.

Bowie shows that you can also pimp fixed elements in your home. He made a virtue of a necessity and left two large stone blocks in the wall to transform them into a beautiful TV cabinet. A rustic oak lumber panel top is enough for a beautiful result.

Get started with your to size TV furniture

We hope this article has given you enough inspiration and information to get started on your own TV furniture. At OPMAATZAGEN.nl, you can find perfectly cut materials for your project.

Finding it hard to create your own design? Then get inspired by the projects of our handymen and make it easy for yourself, by adding all the materials, in the right size, directly to your shopping basket. 

Have fun with your project!

View our entire range