"Launched in 2005, Home-Dzine was created to realise a dream; to express my love of home DIY and decor and share with other South Africans. As a non-commercial website I am free to express my own opinions and pass on valuable information to readers.
I feel that more people can benefit by being able to DIY home improvement and home repairs. And we're not talking about major DIY home repairs, but those that anyone with a bit of DIY savvy can do themselves."
Plasma or LCD TV stand
I have been designing and making projects for the DIY for Divas and DIY vir Divas books that are due to launch shortly. The TV cabinet was one of the first projects that I tackled but being a typical woman, I changed my mind and made another one!
Here are the step-by-step instructions to make this plasma or LCD TV stand for yourself...
You will need:
16mm supawood cut to the following sizes
[2] 400 x 1000mm – top/bottom
[2] 400 x 450mm – sides
[2] 380 x 450mm - uprights
[2] 400 x 450mm – doors
[4] 100 x 100 x 50mm pine blocks
[2] 6mm glass 350 x 400mm
[50] 4 x 30mm half-shank wood screws
[16] 3 x 12mm wood screws
[8] glass clips or [8] glass corner brackets
Wood filler
Wood glue
180-grit sandpaper
[4] standard hinges
Rust-Oleum polyurethane spray varnish
Prominent Paints Sheen – black
Tools
Bosch Drill/driver plus assorted drill and screwdriver bits
Countersink bit
Corner clamp
Bar clamp
Tape measure and pencil
Steel ruler
Bosch Jigsaw and clean cut jigsaw blade
Foam roller and paint tray
Buy everything you need at your local Builders Warehouse.
Optional: Dremel Trio or Router
Here's how:
1. Start off by assembling the frame.
Use a corner clamp to hold one edge of the top and one side firmly together. Drill a pilot hole through the top into the side with a 2mm wood bit. The pilot hole should be no less than 30mm from the top edge and not too close to the side edge of the board.
When drilling the pilot hole at the bottom edge check that the boards are still aligned before drilling a pilot hole 30mm up from the bottom edge and not too close to the side edge of the board.
Use a countersink bit on all pilot holes. The countersink depth only needs to be deep enough to hide the head of the screw below the surface of the wood.
Repeat this process for the attaching the other side to the top, and follow the exact same procedure to attach the bottom to the sides.
DIY Tip:
Corner clamps are a great help if you are doing this project on your own, and be sure to work on a flat, level surface.
2. Use a tape measure to measure 380mm in from the sides and mark on the inside at the top and bottom with a pencil. This is where the uprights will be inserted.
DIY Tip:
It is essential to measure both top and bottom to allow for any discrepancies on the sides. Even a 2mm variance can make a big difference.
On the outside top and bottom of the box, measure 396mm in from each side and mark at the top and bottom. This measurement includes the 16mm thickness of each side.
Take one of the uprights and place along the inside of this line, positioned accurately against the pencil marks you have just made. Take a pencil and draw a line on both sides of the board. Do this for both the inside and outside lines. This line will allow you to drill accurately to fasten the upright inside the box.
You will need an extra pair of hands to hold each upright in position as you drill a pilot hole – centred in the lines that you have just drawn – through the top and bottom and into the upright. Countersink the holes and then screw from the top or bottom into the upright.
3. Fill all holes with wood filler. Leave to dry and then sand to remove all traces of wood filler, except that over the hole.
DIY Tip:
A small amount of glue on top of the screw head before filling in with wood filler will ensure that the wood filler stays firmly set in the hole.
4. Use a tape measure and pencil to measure and draw a 50mm border around both door boards.
Use a 10mm wood bit to drill a hole on the inside of the drawn rectangle.
Position the drill bit about 20mm away from the line and drill a hole at each corner.
5. This hole allows for easy insertion of the jigsaw blade to cut out the centre section.
Use the jigsaw to remove the remaining bits close to the drilled holes.
If you do not have a Dremel Trio or Router, you will be using corner brackets to hold the glass in place on the back of the door.
Optional
If you have a Dremel Trio or Router use to create a 10mm rebate to a depth of 8mm around the cut out section.
This will allow the glass to be fitted snugly to the back of the door.
5. Sand and paint
Use 180-grit sandpaper to go over all the edges on the frame, uprights and doors. Sand until the edges appear polished, as this will provide a much easier surface to paint.
Use a foam roller to paint the entire frame, uprights and doors. You will need to apply several coats of paint for an even finish. Be sure to let each coat dry for an hour or so before applying the next coat.
Using a foam roller provides a much nicer finish. Cover the roller with paint, roll up and down the tray a few times to evenly distribute the paint and remove excess paint and apply to the surface of your project. As you roll on the paint you will notice small air bubbles. As you spread out the paint and continue rolling these air bubbles will disappear and leave a smooth finish.
6. Attach hinges and finish door
Each door will have a hinge at the top and bottom, both placed 50mm from the top or bottom edge. Attach the hinges to one side of each door using 3 x 12mm wood screws, making sure that the pin (centre section) if the hinge overlaps the edge of the door.
Hold each door against the frame, allowing a 3 to 4mm gap between the frame and the edge of the door for the hinge pin (centre section), place the hinge flat against the cabinet frame and use a pencil to mark where to drill holes.
Drill 2mm pilot holes before placing the hinge against the door and screwing into position with 3 x 12mm wood screws.
To fit the glass panel to the door you will place the door face down, position the glass over the opening and attach corner brackets to each corner to secure in place.
OPTIONAL: Using Dremel Trio
Where you have used a Dremel Trio or Router to make a rebate in the back of the door, simply pop in the glass and finish off with glass mounting pins around the frame.
7. Attach the feet
Paint each block of wood, leaving the top unpainted so that you can apply a wood glue to attach to the underside of the bottom of the cabinet. Let the cabinet stand on the blocks overnight while the glue dries.