How to make your own DIY Midcentury Modern TV Stand

This TV stand upcycle has been such an awesome project, that I’ve decided to revisit it! It is now nearly three years since I’ve done this project, and this TV stand is still perfect for our living room. If you can’t get your hands on an Ikea shelf to repurpose, then any tall, narrow shelving unit will do to create this DIY Midcentury Modern TV stand.

A recent clearing out and cleaning up of my house left me with a dilemma: the teak TV stand that we had loved and used for ten years suddenly didn’t go with anything in my revamped living room! While storage in any house with kids is a dire necessity, my designer training got the better of me: I needed something slick and contemporary, and since I had fallen love with mid-century inspired furniture, I needed tapered legs as well. So off to Gumtree to scour the furniture for sale section!

I spent a few days looking for things I needed, and finally found the perfect ingredients for my project: an old IKEA floating wall shelf (damaged on top, exactly what I wanted!), a box of left-over oak parquet blocks, and four vintage tapered legs.

The result is a stunning contemporary TV stand with character – here are the step-by-step instructions!

Search Gumtree for the following:

• Shelving unit or something that will be suitable as a base structure for the unit
• Tapered legs
• Parquet blocks

You will also need:

• wood glue
• sander
• 40 grit paper & 100 grit paper
• screws
• small wooden battens

STEP 1: Sand, the top of the shelving unit with the 40 grit paper, to create a rough surface. The glue will work better if it is applied to something with a bit of grip. This would also be a great time to fix up any damaged areas.

STEP 2: Lay out the parquet block in the pattern you desire – but don’t glue it down yet. We used a traditional herringbone pattern, but you can also use any of the patterns here. It takes a while to get the position right and to cut down all the smaller pieces, but take your time – this is the most important step. Measure twice, cut once! You can also getting little budding designers in on the action 😉

STEP 3: Remove the parquet blocks on one of the corners and replace them with two timber battens. Screw fix these in place – they will form the guide that you will be working from.

STEP 4: Start to carefully glue down the parquet blocks, making sure that they don’t move or slip as you carry on. When you have all of them in place, make sure that they are all perfectly positioned before the glue sets. Leave for at least 24 hours before you proceed to step 5.

STEP 5: If the parquet block that you got was new, then sand the top and edges with the 100 grit paper until everything is smooth and gorgeous – remember your safety goggles! If you bought vintage wood, then you’ll need to put in a bit of effort to remove all the grime and oil first before you can start to finish off the top. Use sugar soap and then a 40 grit paper, finishing with the 100 grit.

STEP 6: Turn the unit over and fix the legs in place.

STEP 7: Dust the top off and seal the wood with a few glugs of linseed oil. It doesn’t cause yellowing, and it brings out the natural colour variations in the wood beautifully. It smells amazing too!

I am so pleased with the result that I can hardly contain myself. If you have an idea for an upcycle, have a look through the hundreds of pieces of furniture for sale on Gumtree – you might just see something that will be perfect for your project.

Happy Upcycling!

DISCLAIMER: This post is sponsored by Gumtree South Africa