How To Turn Your Garage Into A Home Theater

Turn your garage into a home theater

- Tom Dvorak

A TV turns a garage into a gathering spot, the perfect informal place to watch a game with friends or binge on a miniseries. But garages aren’t always TV-friendly—sawdust, spray paint and flying balls are threats. Protect your electronics by building this handsome cabinet.

This cabinet began as basic, utilitarian protection for a garage TV but became much more. It has space for other electronics like speakers and gaming equipment, and the finished product is attractive enough for any home theater. “Looks too good for a garage!” is the reaction I hear again and again.

This is a huge cabinet but an easy project. If you can accurately slice up plywood parts and screw them together, you can do it. All the parts dimensions are in the Cutting List, and Figure A shows how they fit together. Sized for a 75-in. TV, the design can be altered to suit other sizes. Plywood makes up most of the cabinet and most of the cost. Depending on the plywood you choose, your materials bill might be $100 less than mine, which was $600.

1 ASSEMBLE THE CABINET

I tacked the parts together with brad nails just to hold them in place, then added trim screws for strength. Don’t forget to position the parts so that the best-looking veneer faces outside or up where it’s most visible.

2 BUILD THE VALANCE

Assemble the plywood parts of the valance, then wrap the front and sides with 1x4. I couldn’t get long enough stock at a home center, but I found nice pine 1x4s at a traditional lumberyard.

3 FILL THE EDGES