Building a Custom TV Stand: What You Should Know
So you finally have your brand new flat screen sitting eagerly in your living room, waiting for an occasion to display its color depth and image quality. Your wife says you can’t leave it sitting on the floor like that. What to do? You could buy a stand for it - nope, you’ve already spent enough money on that thing as is. You could mount it on the wall - nah, you’re wife is 8-months pregnant and all of your buddies are out of town this weekend, who would help you get it up there? Well, I guess you could always build one - I mean, you are pretty handy right?
Before you get out that circular saw and duct tape, here are a few things to consider when building your own TV stand.
1. Start with a Guide
Often the instinct is to start measuring and create a design from the measurements. This is problematic in many ways, but suffice it to say that you would be better off starting with a some sort of template or guide. If you have schematics for the TV stand you want to build, perfect. If not, find a set of plans that are close to what you want to build. Then measure and make modifications to those plans based on the measurements of your specific media system. Sites like buildeasy.com and diynetwork.com have free plans of commonly built items, as well as tips on how best to approach the project.
2. Purchase, Rent, or Borrow the Correct Equipment
Having the right equipment can make a project easy or extremely difficult. Consider trying to tighten your bicycle wheels without a torque wrench - it may well be impossible depending on the type of bike you have. For instance, trying to cut wood planks evenly with a hand saw is much more difficult than when using a circular table saw. And trying to paint without using an appropriate grade of sand paper first will leave you with less than stellar results. Do a bit of research online or at your local hardware store to find out what tools are needed for your project. If you cannot purchase them outright, inquire about renting them or ask your brother-in-law to borrow his. Attempting to build a custom TV stand with just a hammer, nails, and few two-by-fours could leave you frustrated and less a few hours of your life.
3. Ask for Help
Don’t be a hero. In projects like this, where something of value is being built that will be a visible element of the family home, pride is always involved. Often the builder hopes to work in secret, under cover of night, to construct a masterpiece to be unveiled at a ceremonial time of his choosing. Well, you can certainly do that, but you risk much. Especially if this is one of your first construction projects, seeking advice or assistance from others more experienced at this type of work could pay off significantly. Another hand for steadying a wood beam - another eye for ensuring a proper cut - these are indispensable in emerging with piece of furniture you can be proud of. And even with the help, people will still know who thought of it 
The Proper Care and Feeding of your TV Stand
Ok, well feeding may be a bit extreme, but proper care is certainly appropriate when discussing the piece of furniture housing or hosting your pride and joy - a 40-inch High Definition Television Set. Often much thought is put into what sort of TV to purchase, and some significant thought is even put into what type of entertainment center to put it in, but rarely do people consider how best to care for the stand itself. Here we will address a few common topics of concern that will keep your television stand looking as awesome as the TV sitting on it.
Tidying Cables
We have a love-hate relationship with cables. They are necessary, but no one wants to see them. I long for the future where everything is wireless, but I digress. Keeping cables organized and out of the way is common to owners of electronics everywhere. One thing to keep in mind when searching for a way to deal with the rats nest is that you need be able to add and remove cables at will. Don’t go for a rigid solution which is difficult to adjust later. You will certainly have a cable go out or need to add your son’s new game system just after you get everything situated. With that said, you might want to try Zip ties. You can get them at Wal-Mart or your local hardware store in a case of 50 or more. They are easy to implement, hold cables together well, and you can replace them easily when you have to add or remove something from the cable structure. Another option might be to use a PVC pipe to run the cables from the set to the power supply or other devices. You can get PVC in colors that may blend with your TV stand, and you could even slice down the length of it for easy access. If neither of those work, try looking at a specialty shop, like the Container Store, for cable ties or similar items.
Dusting
Another common concern amongst TV owners is the dust that inevitably collects on the TV stand, particularly if it is made of a tempered glass material. Accumulating dust in unavoidable, as the television creates a static charge which draws in dust like a magnet. One solution may be to wipe the screen down with a dryer sheet to neutralize the static, and leave your TV with a fresh clean smell 
Next, wipe the stand down with a damp cloth or a swiffer duster. This way you are not just throwing dust back into the air for it to land again on your TV set.
Cleaning Glass
Finally, as most media centers include something made of glass, we must address glass cleaning. To clean the smudges causes by fingers and such, try using a solution of one cup each of rubbing alcohol and water, with a tablespoon or two of vinegar. To fix a chip in the glass, try one of the auto windshield repair kits. They use a resin which seeps down into the chip and seals it off, often appearing completely unnoticeable.
Why Buy? Fixing your Current TV Stand
It happens. You have a perfectly good TV stand you are perfectly happy with, and one day out of the blue “BANG” - your pet Rottweiler chases your little kitten Snowball through the plate-glass doors and into your expensive stereo equipment. After you rescue Snowball from the pool of blood and glass, you take a breathless look at the centerpiece of your living room, begin to tear up, and start evaluating your options. You can toss your wrecked furniture in the trash (gut reaction) and go buy another one (expensive endeavor), or you can attempt to fix it (bold move) and go on a cruise with all the money you saved. Well, assuming you chose to take the road less traveled, here are some tips on repairing the more common issues with TV stands.
Broken Glass
In the scenario we outlined above, you have been left without glass doors on the front of your entertainment center - not the best look. In order to replace the doors, your first place to look would be the manufacturer of stand in question. This is going to be your cheapest option and will result in a perfect fit - no measuring required. Most manufacturers will have replacements available for order on parts - such as glass - which may break or wear out over time. Your second option, though significantly less desirable, would be to contact a local glass company. You should be able to locate one through a web search or the phone book in most urban areas. When you co-opt a company to replace your glass doors, it is critical that you get the measurements exact, in all dimensions. Let them come out and measure if possible. You will also want to keep the metal hardware from your broken doors, such as the hinge pieces and the magnetic plates, so you can reattach the doors when your glass arrives.
Cleaning Spots
Another common ailment affecting TV stands over time are spots and stains. Particularly on a wooden stand, some spots can be very difficult to remove. Your first option would be to use a stain remover. On wood, try a combination of linseed oil and salt, or for tougher stains try 1-part petroleum jelly and 2-parts turpentine. Remember to test your mixture on a small hidden area before use. If that doesn’t work, more drastic measures must be taken. You can opt to strip and re-stain it. This will leave the wood grain in place and make your stand look brand new. You can also choose to go darker with the stain, though lighter may be more difficult. Remember to sand thoroughly before you attempt to refinish it. If that seems like too much work, you could always paint it a color darker than the spot. This will not be nearly as elegant, but for a game room or spare bedroom, it may be all that is needed.
Scratches
“What if my media center is just scratched?”, you ask. Well, there are several ways to fix a scratch depending on its depth. For very small surface scratches, try rubbing the meat of an oily nut (walnuts or pecans) on the scratch. The oils will coat the scratch and lessen its appearance. For shallow scratches, apply paste wax with a No. 0000 steel wool pad. For deeper scratches, try using one of the wax sticks you can buy at your hardware or furniture store specifically for patching wood furniture. If neither of the options above work for you, it may be time to look at doing a full refinish job.