Building an outdoor TV cabinet isn’t hard at all. And the result is more than worth the effort. Best of all, you’ll be able to watch the game — or anything else — while dining or lounging on your deck or patio.
Materials
- Half-inch treated plywood
- Pressure-treated 2-by-6s
- Coated deck screws
- TV mount and hardware
- Drill
- Level
- Wood glue
- Galvanized nails
- Fence boards
- Gate hinges
- Peel-and-stick roofing starter strip
How to Build an Outdoor TV Cabinet
Before you attempt any woodworking project, always wear safety glasses. In addition, take necessary precautions to ensure a hazard-free project area.
1. Install the back. Start with a piece of half-inch pressure-treated plywood. This board attaches to the fence or wall on the back side and it’s where you’ll install the TV mount on the front side.
This plywood also forms the back of the cabinet’s ‘box.’ The piece’s dimensions are determined by the size of the TV. Just allow a few inches of extra space on each side.
2. Install the sides. On either side of the plywood, attach pressure-treated 2-by-6s by driving coated deck screws at an angle into the fence. These 2-by-6s serve as the four sides of the outdoor TV cabinet. However, a deeper TV may require wider material.
3. Screw in the TV mount. Install the TV mount on the plywood, as directed on the mount’s package. Allow space for the TV to hang on the rails.
4. Build the cabinet doors. We’re making cabinet doors from pressure-treated fence boards. This will mimic the pattern of the fence behind the cabinet. The boards overlap each other by about an inch. We’re using waterproof wood glue and galvanized nails to secure everything together.
5. Add reinforcement. On the back of each door, we attach a horizontal piece at the top and bottom, with a diagonal piece running between to add strength.
6. Install hinges. Attach the doors to the cabinet using ordinary gate hinges.
7. Add water resistance. To keep out the rain, we apply peel-and-stick roofing starter strip to the top of the cabinet. Make sure it overlaps the front edge. Then we cover that edge with a strip of the fence material to create a shed-style roof for the cabinet with the scraps from our fence boards. Again, we use 1-inch overlap patterns.
8. Stain it. Once we coat the cabinet with stain to protect it, we’re ready to mount this outdoor TV cabinet and begin enjoying it!
Watch the video above for step-by-step directions
