Turning a Dresser into a TV Stand

I’m so excited to share how to turn a dresser to tv stand for your farmhouse style living room. (We removed some of the drawers and made them into shelves for the electronics!) Then I’ll show how to give your painted furniture an antiqued finish with furniture glaze that also deepens the color for a unique painted finish. We also refinished the top in a fresh wood finish!

Get more furniture makeover ideas here!

9 Drawer Dresser Before getting turned into a TV Stand

This is what it looked like when we brought the dresser home from a local estate sale.

When we found it, it was worn out, scratched all over and dinged up furniture that you can find on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, yard sales etc.

I love to flip furniture and make it new again by painting it and sometimes even recreating what its purpose is. This time it was a dresser that I was turning into a tv stand and painting navy blue.

Inside of the middle cabinet were 3 drawers that were about to have a different purpose.

I wanted to turn the dresser into a TV stand and needed a place to put the electronics that always go with a TV. This was the perfect place to make shelves.

When needed you could close the door to hide the cords and cable boxes. But they would be easy to get to.

Table of Contents

Supplies Used for Turning a Dresser into a TV Stand

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Old Dresser
Thin Plywood
Wood Glue / Brad Nail Gun and Brad Nails
220 Grit Sandpaper
Large Drill Bit
Inked Behr Paint turned into chalk paint
Paint Sprayer
Black Glaze
Baby Wipes
Dark Walnut Stain
Water-Based Poly

How to Turn a Dresser into a TV Stand

We removed 2 of the drawers and their tracks (the wooden things in the middle that help the drawers open and close properly.

Then we added thin plywood to the bottom and sides of each cubby to create a space for the electronics. We used brad nails and glue to hold everything in place.

Drawers removed from a dresser and plywood in place for shelves

I also drilled holes into the back of each of the shelves with a large drill bit. This just makes it easy for the cords to go back behind the tv stand.

Remove Old Finish and Stain Top

First, we stripped the old finish off of the top so I could restain it with a nice deep stain. Stripping a flat surface like this is super easy!

Plus, if it’s made with a wood veneer, it’s easy to sand straight through the thin veneer and into the wood underneath. If that happens, the wood underneath usually takes the stain differently and makes the finish spotty.

So I’ve learned the hard way to just strip off the old finish with a chemical stripper instead of sanding it off. Read this post to see the best way to remove stain from wood.

Then I stained the top in dark walnut, let it dry completely, and then taped it off so the blue paint couldn’t get onto it.

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Paint TV Stand Navy Blue

I painted the bottom of the dresser in a really pretty navy blue called Inked with our favorite little hobby paint sprayer.

*Update: We have since used many other paint sprayers and have put together a list of the best HVLP paint sprayers for furniture here!

I made the Behr Paint into homemade chalk paint using this recipe.

Our Wagner paint sprayer made the painting go super quick, and it left us with a brush-free finish! Something my customers and I love!

Learn more about painting furniture with a sprayer here. But don’t worry, if you don’t have a paint sprayer, you can still get a brush mark-free finish using this little trick!

After painting the new tv stand in navy blue, I took off the plastic on top and distressed the edges and some of the blue paint with sandpaper. Here are more distressing furniture techniques.

Dark Stained Top Blue Painted Dresser Birds Eye View

To seal the chalk paint I used my very favorite water-based polyurethane that gives it a durable long-lasting satin finish.

Learn ALL of my tips and tricks on how to spray polyurethane here! And learn all about the best topcoats for painting furniture here.

Blue Dresser turned TV Stand Being Painted outside

I take my furniture outside in the yard with plastic and 5-gallon buckets underneath.

The overspray stays on the plastic and the buckets help make it taller so I don’t have to bend over while painting as much. Learn more about how to prevent overspray when painting furniture here!

Then I put the door and hardware back on and thought I was done.

TV Stand with Door open to show shelving

Now here’s the twist. You’ll see that the last image looks like it’s a different piece almost! I promise, it’s the same piece. But here’s what happened.

My customer contacted me after seeing the navy blue tv stand on Etsy (the one above). She loved it, but was worried that it would be too bright for her home.

After messaging back and forth, we came up with a way to create a deeper, darker finish without having to repaint the whole thing with a darker color.

comparison of brown glaze and black glaze over blue paint — I sent this sample to my client to show her the difference between the brown and black glaze, as well as what it looks like without the glaze.

Glaze Painted TV Stand

So we glazed the whole thing with black glaze, and then sealed it all up again for extra durability.

This was such a better alternative to repainting the piece completely over, which would have been almost like starting from the beginning.

With the glaze we were able to create a deeper finish in less time, and create a unique finish at the same time. Check out my comparison between glaze vs wax over chalk paint to learn more.

Furniture Glaze Tips

It’s always best to have a coat of poly on your paint before glazing so the glaze doesn’t soak into the chalk paint, making it impossible to work with.
Let your painted finish start to cure for at least 24 hours before beginning to glaze.
Then brush the glaze into the details of the dresser with a cheap chip brush.
Work in small sections, and work quickly.
Wipe off the excess glaze with wet baby wipes, making sure to wipe in the same direction every time.
Let the glaze dry. If you want it darker, go back with another coat of glaze.
Seal the glaze with water-based poly for the best protection.

(Learn more about how to glaze over chalk paint with this tall blue painted dresser.)

To finish it off, I kept the original hardware on this tv stand, but painted it to look like rubbed bronze.

A short while later we shipped our customers new tv stand to her, completely across the country. It arrived safely and she LOVED it!! Yay!! Check out how to ship furniture across the country here, plus how to offer free shipping and still make money here.

So if you’re looking for a TV stand to put in your living room, check out your local listings or thrift stores to see if there is a dresser that you can makeover! Learn how to make money painting furniture in this post, and check out how to price flipped furniture here.

Get more upcycled old dresser ideas here to give your thrifted piece a unique look. For more repurpose furniture ideas, here’s our list of repurpose tall dresser ideas.

Which way do you prefer the navy blue tv stand?? With or without the black glaze?

More Before And After Makeovers

Click any of these “before” photos below to view the “after” of that makeover.