In this instructable I lay out all of the material and tools you will need to build your own TV Stand. I also list step by step how to put together the table and how to finish it by staining the stand. Finally I explain how to add LED's to the stand to make it really stand out!

Step 1: Materials

These are the materials you will need to build your TV stand:

1. Three 10 ft. 2x4s

2. Three pieces of plywood

3. A box of Screws

4. A can of wood conditioner (oil based)

5. A can of Wood Stain (oil based)

6. A can of polyurethane (oil based)

7. Three separate paint brushes

8. Three paint stirring sticks

9. A sheet of 150 grain sand paper

10. A sheet of 220 grain sand paper

11. A strip of RGB LEDs (I used Supernight LEDs which come with a power supply and remote)

12. Zip Ties

13. Cable Holders

14. Tape

15. Paper towels or an old towel

Step 2: Tools

These are the tools you will need:

1. A power drill with a drill bit for drilling holes to match your screws and a bit to drill the screws into the holes

2. A Palm sander

3. A circular saw

4. A level

5. A tape measure

Step 3: Step 1 of Building

First you have to cut the boards using your circular saw to the dimensions of how you would like your stand.

The best option is to go to home depot and buy the wood from them because they will cut all of your board to the dimensions you give them for free.

1. For mine I used 4 2x4 each 3.5 feet long for the legs of the table.

2. Two 2x4 each 18 inches long for the two bottom supports.

3. Four 2x4 each 5 feet long for the supports under the bottom shelf and the top of the table.

4. One piece of plywood 5ft by 18 inches for the top of the table

5. One piece of plywood 52 inches by 18 inches for the shelf

6. Two pieces of plywood 18 inches by 18 3/4 inches for the sides of the stand.

7 One piece of ply wood 18 3/4 inches by 5 feet for the back of the stand.

Step 4: Step 2 of Building You Tv Stand

Now it is time to put the boards you just cut together.

1. Start with two legs and one 18 in support. You will place the support on the inside of the legs as seen above. I place mine approximately 4 inches from the ground. You will drill two holes at the same height through the support and the leg. Then screw your support into the legs. Do the same for the other two legs and remaining support. Use the level to make sure the supports are straight.

2. Next you have to decide how high you want your shelf to sit in the middle of the table. Mine sits at 2 feet from the ground so that it is directly in the middle. You now have to drill the holes on for the supports which your shelf will sit on. It is very important that the holes for each leg are at an even height so that the shelf is level. Just as you did for the bottom supports, your supports will go on the inside of the legs. Drill the holes first through the support and leg then screw the support into the leg. Start with one support on one side of table as seen in the first picture then do the same for the other side.

3. Next drill holes through your shelf into the supports. I recommend that you drill a hole in each end then one in the middle of the support. Do this on both supports and then screw your shelf into the supports.

4. Next you do the top two supports as you did in step two. these supports will be placed at the very top of the legs and on the inside of the legs. Just follow the same procedure in step two.

5. Next follow the same procedure in step three for the top of the table.

6. Next follow the same drilling process to attach your two sides to the stand. They should cover the side from the shelf to the top of the table.

7. Next follow the sames procedure as in step 6 for the back of the stand to finish enclosing the middle shelf.

8. Finally you will need to change your bit out to one for drilling larger circular holes. You will want to drill a hole through the back of the stand for cables to run out. Also drill a hole through the top of the table, preferably on the side where your cords run from your TV that need to be plugged into a cable box, gaming system, stereo, etc...

9. Now Sand down the entire table with the palm sander to smooth out the stand. Focus a lot of attention to the top and shelf. Also try to smooth out the edges of the top and the shelf so they are not so sharp.

Now you have successfully put together your TV Stand.

Step 5: Staining the Stand

Now its time to make your TV Stand look good by giving it that color.

1. First start by sanding down the entire table with palm sander to prep the table to be stained.

2. Next open up your can of wood conditioner. Use a paint stirring stick to mix up the chemicals. Stir in a slow figure eight motion to avoid air bubbles. Next take a paint brush and apply the wood conditioner to the parts of the table that are facing up only!!! Make sure to brush it on along the grain of the wood. After completing the application of the conditioner wait 15 minutes to two hours before moving on to the next step.

3. Now open up your can of stain. Again mix it using a paint stirring stick in a figure eight motion to avoid air bubbles. Now using a different paint brush, apply the stain to the areas where you applied the conditioner and be generous with it. It does not matter to go with the grain for the step just make sure you coat the entire area in the stain. Then after finishing, wipe down all the excess stain that did not soak into the wood with a towel. The longer you let the stain sit before wiping, the darker it will be so it is up to your preference. Next wait about 8 hours for the stain to dry or overnight to be safe before moving on to the next step.

4. Now it is time to apply the polyurethane. This will give your finished product that glossy finish. First sand down the table using the 220 grain sand paper. Wipe away the dust. Now open the can and again stir in a figure eight motion to avoid air bubbles. Use a third different paint brush for the application. For the step when applying the finish make sure to brush it on with the grain of the wood for the best look. Let it dry overnight. Next it is optional how many times you apply the polyurethane. The more times you repeat the process the glossier it will look. Every time you do just repeat the procedure in this step.

5. Now turn the table onto a different side and repeat the entire process for the parts of the table that are now face up. Keep repeating the steps until you have stained the entire table. It may seem like a tedious process, but it will ensure that the stain is spread even across the whole stand.

Step 6: Adding LED's!

Finally we have arrived at the fun part!

1. First take your cable holders and make little loops with your zip ties in them as seen in the first picture. You will need about 17 of these. It could be more or less depending on the length of your strand. The one I used was 16 ft long. The LED's will have a sticky back to them that you can use, but if you follow this method than you can easily reuse the LED's for something else if you would like to.

2. Next peel off the back of your newly made holder. You then want to begin spreading them evenly around the inside the top of the table. When you reach a corner I suggest the you place one on one side the of the corner and another cable holder right next to it on the other side. You can see more clearly in picture two how I did it. I think this gives you a smooth transition around the corners. I ended up placing 5 cable holders on the front and back parts of the table, two on each of the sides, and then because i had left over slack I placed three on the roof of the stand.

3. Next unroll your strand of LED's. Take the the side that does NOT go into the power supply and begin running it through your cable holders. Start directly over where you drilled your hole for your cables to run through this way your power supply will end right there and you can simply run it out the back.

4. Next there will be a sensor with you r LED's, so make sure you tape it to a spot where it will pick up a remote pointed at it.

5. Finally plug your strand into an outlet and enjoy!

6. For more LED fun, follow the same process above for the back of your television to provide back lighting for your television.

Now you have a snazy TV stand with great lighting!