How to Modify an Entertainment Center to Fit a HDTV

You see these entertainment centers for sale at garage sales and on curb sides everywhere. People are getting rid of their old entertainment center because they cannot fit their new HDTV inside.

This instructable will show you how I modified my parents' old entertainment center so it looks like one of the new expensive HDTV entertainment centers.

Tools Used:
- Hammer / Mallet
- Crowbar
- Skillsaw (can use any saw appropriate for wood)
- Drill
- Wood Glue
- Finish nails (for trim)

Tools recommended but not required:
- Pencil
- Clamps
- Metal Straightedge / Level

Step 1: Remove the Top Trim and Mantle

Remove trim from top using a crowbar or hammer claw. This can be difficult because the trim is likely both glued and nailed into the top mantle piece.

Use a mallet to remove the top mantle from the sidewalls. Pound in an upward direction.

Note: Mine was glued with wooden pegs for strength, but you need to be more careful if it is attached by metal hardware (nails, screws, etc).

Step 2: Cut Down Side Walls

Decide how tall you want the new entertainment center to be and measure the base stand of your new HDTV. Good HDTV placement is so that when you are sitting in your favorite chair, your eye level meets the bottom of the tv viewing area.

Measure cut line from the top. The top of the sidewalls were level, so the top is the best place to measure from.

Choose a saw and do whatever you can to ensure the cut is straight. We clamped a metal guide rail to the sidewall then ran a skill saw along the guide. Made a very straight and clean cut.

Step 3: Re-glue Top Mantle and Trim

Bring top mantle back in and check fit. Also mark for re-gluing the wooden pegs. Drill holes in the walls that line up with the wooden pegs in the top mantle. Peg holes should be just barely bigger than the pegs themselves.

Glue and place mantle, use the mallet again if the pegs are a tight fit in the holes you drilled. Add a heavy weight on top while the glue dries to ensure a good bond. Can put your tv up there, weighs plenty.

Finally, re-attach the top mantle trim with staples, nails, glue, etc.