Floating TV Wall Cabinet Plans

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Free woodworking plans to build a wall mount, floating TV console cabinet that will hold cable boxes, DVD/Blu-Ray players and Movies.

My home theater equipment has been paired down considerably over the years. Where I once had multiple cabinets for a stereo system and set top boxes I don't really need much cabinet space at all anymore.  For a cleaner look and to save space I decided to build myself a TV cabinet that would mount on the wall. These DIY TV Wall Cabinet Plans are cheap and easy to build.

My television is mounted to the wall which I think is the best setup. It allows me to swivel and tilt the TV when I need to view from a different angle. This is in the room where I also have a treadmill and I like to point the TV towards it when I'm on it. TV's these days are very light and and this cabinet isn't very deep. The risk of someone accidentally knocking them over is bigger than the old, heavy CRT TVs so I would recommend getting a good wall mount. If constructed and mounted well the cabinet should hold the weight of a LED TV. If you choose to do that you take all responsibility for that decision but I would recommend using glue on all the pocket screw joints for extra strength. Using glue on all the joints is a good idea anyway.

I made my cabinet 47" long which is a few inches longer than the 46" TV it is mounted under. You may want to adjust the size of your cabinet to better match your equipment.

What You'll Need

Materials

• (1) 4' x 4' sheet of 3/4" Plywood
• (34) 1-1/4" Coarse Kreg Pocket Hole Screws (100 come in a box)
• (8) #10 3" Truss head screws

I planned to paint my cabinet so I went with the cheaper 3/4" (18mm) Sandeply from Home Depot. It's a little more than sanded plywood but smoother with a less noticeable grain. If I were staining I would use a PureBond hardwood plywood.

Tools

• Table saw or circular saw and jig (see how to cut plywood with a circular saw) There aren't many cuts so you should be able to have Home Depot or other lumber yard cut the plywood pieces for you.
• Drill 
• 1-1/2" forstener or hole saw bit.
• Kreg pocket hole jig (see which pocket hole jig to buy)
• Level
• Tape measure
• pencil
• finishing tools (sandpaper, brushes, etc)

Cut List

• (1) 47" x 15" Top
• (1) 47" x 15" Bottom
• (1) 47" x 8-1/2" Back
• (2) 13" x 8-1/2" Sides
• (2) 6" x 8-1/2"  Fronts

Cut Plan

Step 1: Front To Side Pieces

I probably could have named these a little better but there are basically 2 L shaped assemblies on either end of the cabinet that make little cubbies for DVD/Blu-Ray boxes. They're made by attaching the 2 boards together as shown.

Start out by drilling out all the pocket holes on the larger, Side piece. The front 2 horizontal holes will be used to attach to the Front. The rest will be used to attach to the cabinet later.

Carefully align the two peices and screw them together using 1-1/4" coarse head Kreg pocket hole screws.

On the inside of the L drill 2 holes on the Front piece that will be used later to attach it to the cabinet.

Step 2: Attach Back To Bottom

Prepare the back by drilling 7 pocket screw holes on the top and bottom edge as show.

Apply glue to the bottom edge of the back and align it with the bottom then screw it down.

Step 3: Attach Sides to Bottom and Back

The fronts don't come all the way to be flush with the cabinet top and bottom. Thickness of plywood varies and I cut a lot of my work with a circular saw which makes it a little less precise. It would be easier to not have to get the front to site flush with the top and bottom so that's what I did. If you want to change your design just make the side pieces a little longer. I thought it looked a little nicer being offset as well instead of looking like a big box.

Use a square to make a line from back to front that is 6"in from the edge. Use this line to align the outside edge of the side to.

Secure it to the back and bottom with glue 1-1/4" pocket hole screws.

Step 4: Attach Top

Align the top with the rest of the cabinet. 

Start by screwing the top to the back. Then secure it to the front using the 2 screw holes in the DVD cubbies. The screws on the sides, inside the main cavity, will be a little tricky because the space is cramped. Used a small drill or drive with a shorter #2 square bit.

Step 5: Drill cable holes

Drill some 1-1/2" in diameter holes where you plan to run cables. 1-1/2" is big enough to pass the head of most power cables through. 

Inside of the cabinet may be a bit tight depending on the depth of your equipment. You might want to route the cables to the sides to minimize the cables behind your boxes. Also check out my post on How to organize cable clutter to keep things looking tidy.

Step 6: Finish

I chose to paint my TV Wall Cabinet white but you can also choose to stain it. Fill in any pocket holes, sand the cabinet smooth then finish as desired.

Step 7: Mount TV Cabinet To Wall

Decide where you want the cabinet to be located on your wall. Draw a level line and center line on the wall as well as a center point on the cabinet to help you align it. Mark the stud locations and drive at least 4 screws through the cabinet into studs. 2 screws per stud and 3 or 4 studs is better.

I'd recommend also mounting a surge protector power strip underneath the cabinet towards the back. This will keep cable clutter outside of the main compartment.