Industrial Media Console Part 2

Do you like this World Market Book Shelf?  What about his Media Console from Overstock.com?

Those two items were the inspiration for my new center I built out of a garage shelving unit.

For part one I previewed the new industrial center I was working on for the MEGA-TV that Andy and I brought home. The original shelf unit was purchased from Home Depot for around 80 bucks. You can construct the shelf into two mini shelves and make a work bench. The trouble with this is that the two mini shelves are a little tall for a 60” TV. It felt as though we were sitting in the front row at the movies. The solution? Cut that baby.

If you have a saw-saw or a miter saw, consider yourself lucky. We own a 1970’s beige and orange Black and Decker jigsaw (it was free dudes.) So we high-tailed it to Lowe’s and picked up a jigsaw metal blade. At home we measured where we wanted to cut. It took two of us to do this job. One person to hold the piece of metal on the wood I had laid across my saw horses, the other to cut. First cut one side, don’t try and go all he way through with the jigsaw, it will only go freaking crazy. Flip and cut the other. If the blade comfortably moves through and cuts the curve where the two sides meet, good! If not, then bending the metal will snap it. Then take a file and file down any sharp edges you might have on your newly cut metal. Dab the top with some black paint and you’re good to go. So you have all the metal brackets assembled and it somewhat resembles a media console.

A problem with this particular shelving unit is the shelving inserts are frugly. The inserts are 2” x 4’. So we found a sheet of ¾” thick birch and had the guy at Home Depot cut it down. At home I took 150 grain sand paper to each side and then followed it up with 220 on each side. I used Miniwax Provencial to stain them. I would brush on and wipe off in a minute. I didn’t want the color to be dark at all since the floors in my house are pretty dark. I coated the sides that would be seen with a second coat the next day leaving on for about two minutes and then wiping off. After I let the shelves hang out in the garage for a week, I hit the side that would show with a coat of water based poly in satin and let it dry over night. The second day I sanded it with 220 and then applied a second coat of water based poly.

Come Sunday afternoon, this was happening in my living room, and please don't make mention of the splotchy blue paint job, I know the wall needs a second coat.  Also plans to switch out a lampshade.