DIY TV Stand With Hidden TV

This week I’m sharing an awesome project.  I’ve been so excited to publish this post because I built the coolest TV stand with a hidden TV lift! 

It has a modern industrial look to match the other furniture in my guest room and it’s so absolutely perfect for this space. 

We rarely use the TV in this room so being able to keep it stored away most of the time makes better use of our space.  This bedroom used to be the one that my guests didn’t love staying in but now that I’m almost done completely refreshing the space I think this is going to be the room everyone wants.

This post is sponsored by tvliftcabinet.com. 

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will make a commission if you click through and make a purchase.  Thanks for the support!

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How to Build a TV Lift Cabinet

Tools

Miter Saw 

Table Saw 

Pocket hole jig 

Palm Impact Screwdriver

Drill

Brad Nailer 

Circular Saw 

Concealed Hinge Jig

Sander

Clamps

1 – 1/2″ Forstener Bit

Tape Measure

Pencil

Ear Protection

Eye Protection

Materials

(6) 1×8 x 96″ Boards

(3) 1×2 x 96″ Boards

(3) 2×4 Boards

(1) 4’x8′ plywood sheet (3/4″)

(1) 2’x4′ plywood sheet (1/4″)

(24) 2″ pocket hole screws

(105) 1 – 1/4″ pocket hole screws

(20) Brad nails

(16) 1 – 1/4″ screws

(8) Corner brackets

Wood Glue

Wood Filler

Stain

Polyurethane

Primer

Soft Iron Spray paint

Cabinet Pulls

Concealed Hinges

Piano Hinges

TV Lift Mechanism

TV

DIY TV Stand with Hidden TV:  Components

All dimensions and instructions are included in the build plans but I wanted to provide some additional photos so that there isn’t any confusion.  * Note that this cabinet is designed for the TV Lift Mechanism which works with most 40″ TV’s.  Modify the dimensions and lift mechanism as needed for your needs.  You can find additional lift mechanism sizes from tvliftcabinet.com.

TV Cabinet

For the cabinet I used pocket holes to combine two 1×8 oak boards to make the bottom and the sides.  I then used pocket holes to attach the sides to the bottom.  The picture below is of the bottom of the cabinet.

And here is one of the side pieces.

I used clamps to align the sides with the bottom and attached using wood glue and 1-1/4″ pocket screws.  If you are using hardwood like oak be sure to buy the fine thread pocket screws.

The back is 3/4″ plywood and was attached with pocket screws.  The top front board is attached with pocket screws but the back board is not because it lifts up via a hinge to allow the TV to rise out of the cabinet.

Center Shelves

I wanted shelves in the center because this TV stand is pretty large and if I did doors on the entire front they would have been huge.  I designed a 3 shelf cubby that slides into the cabinet for extra storage/display.  It was constructed with 1×8 oak boards, pocket screws and the back is 1/4″ oak veneer plywood that was attached with brad nails.

Since this cubby slides into the cabinet it needed to be slightly shorter than the inside of the cabinet.  However, I didn’t want the bottom side of the top board to extend below the face frame so I planed 1/16″ off of the top board to allow it to easily fit.  If you don’t have a planer you could use a sander.

Here is a view from the bottom.  I put the pocket holes on the top of the cubby because you’ll never see them once it’s installed.

Face Frame

The face frame is made from 1×2 oak boards and assembled with pocket screws.  This is what the backside of the face frame looks like.

And the front side (exposed side)…

Doors

For the doors I used two pieces of 1×8 oak.  Below is a picture of the two doors and the top board that will attach via a hinge.

The backside…  I used a Concealed Hinge Jig so that I could use concealed hinges.

I test fit the doors and face frame prior to applying finish.  Playing cards are super useful to ensure consistent spacing.

One thing to note about using concealed hinges on this build is that you will need some blocks behind the face frame to install the hinges.  I used scrap pieces of 1×8.

Legs

I wanted a metal look for the legs but I don’t know how to weld so faux metal was my only option.  Since I was spray painting the legs I went with pine 2×4 boards to reduce costs.  The legs are constructed with pocket holes and I also drilled pocket holes to attach the legs to the cabinet after they were spray painted.

Legs looking from the bottom up. 

Legs looking from the top down.

I used DAP Plastic Wood to fill in any voids in the wood and get a smooth finish so that it looks more like real metal.

Here is one more look at the legs.  The one on the left is showing what the leg looks like on the front of the cabinet.  The one on the right shows what the backside of the legs look like where they attach to the back of the cabinet.

Test Fit for Proper Pocket Hole Placement

If you haven’t noticed already, this build uses a lot of pocket holes.  Be sure to test fit the pieces and mark where to drill pocket holes so that you don’t drill into another screw.  Test fitting everything prior to applying the finish is also very important to ensure that everything fits properly.

DIY TV Stand Finishes

I wanted the same modern industrial look as the rest of the furniture that I’ve built for this room.  Below are links to other builds that match this TV Cabinet.

• DIY Modern Industrial Desk
• IKEA Nordkisa Nightstand Hack
• DIY Oak Wall Shelves
• DIY Laptop Stand

Wood Components

For the wood parts I first sanded each piece with 120 and 240 grit sand paper.  Then I applied one coat of  early american stain.  Lastly, I applied 3 coats of semi gloss polyurethane sanding with 400 grit in between each coat.

“Metal” Components

For the faux metal legs I used Rustoleum spray paint and lots and lots of it!  Whenever I’m spray painting something a faux metal finish I always start by applying a flat black primer.  The Rustoleum 2X works really well.  It covers great and goes on smooth.  I applied one coat of the primer.

After the primer had fully dried I applied 3 coats of soft iron spray paint by rustoleum.  It’s important to use light coats and allow them to fully dry.

Also, I would totally recommend a spray shelter.  It’s a life saver for someone like me who doesn’t have a separate shop for finish work.  I just set it up in my garage and then I don’t have to worry about any dust or debris ruining my sprayed pieces as they dry.

Assembly Tips

Removable Front

I probably won’t ever need to get to the TV Lift mechanism but just in case I need to uninstall it at a later date I made the front of my TV stand removable.  The center shelves and the face frame are attached to the cabinet with corner brackets.  If you want to permanently attach these that would be ok since you could always remove the back piece (assuming you don’t use wood glue).  I’m not a fan of removing pocket screws and then installing them again though. They just don’t have the same bite the second time.

Hinges

I used two 12″ piano hinges to attach the top board that rises when the TV lifts out.  The manufacturer of the lift recommends using piano hinges.

Installing the Lift Mechanism

Installing the lift mechanism was very simple.  It probably took 10 minutes.  Only thing to note here is that the screws that were provided are too long so you’ll need shorter screws to attach the two plates to the back board.

Installing the TV

This part should have been super easy.  That said, apparently I have a weird TV.  The anchor holes on the back of our TV are much lower than most and if I raised the lower support to get the holes to align on the lift mechanism the TV didn’t fit all the way in the cabinet and therefore the top didn’t close.  I had a quick solution to this problem though it just involved a trip to the hardware store.

I used two straight metal brackets that I bought at Lowes and some spacers to adjust the location of the attachment.  This worked perfectly.

DIY TV Stand With Hidden TV

I am so ecstatic with this build.  It’s honestly my favorite piece of furniture that I’ve ever built.

I’m so thankful to have been able to partner with tvliftcabinet.com on this project.  If it weren’t for them I would have never even thought to build a TV stand with a hidden TV.  This thing is seriously SO COOL!

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If you have any questions about this build let me know in the comments!