Completed Entertaiment Center w/ Pics

[Mike Vermeil]

Here's some pics of an entertainment center I recently completed for a customer. Their design tastes run decidedly Pottery Barn/Crate & Barrel, hence the design. I tried for a couple weeks to talk the customer out of the color, but they held strong, and in the end it turned out pretty nice.

The carcasses are all birch plywood, the face frames poplar joined with pocket screws, and the black material in three of the doors is speaker fabric. The long narrow door above the TV covers the center channel speaker – so the fabric was a natural choice. The customer was worried it would look funny on only that door, and decided to add it to the other two doors. Again I was concerned, but now that it’s complete, the look isn’t bad.

It’s actually four separate cabinets. The side cabinets are mirror images of each other with storage drawers on the bottom, door-covered storage on top, a stereo cabinet fitted with slide-out, adjustable shelves in the middle of the right, and adjustable book shelves on the middle left. The lower center cabinet which houses the TV has no floor so that the rear-projection big-screen can slide in. The face frame then attaches with spring clasps to the sides of the cabinet, holding it firmly against the face of the TV giving a complete built-in look. The upper center cabinet is more storage with standard doors.

The customers love the PB/C&B distressed look, so I sprayed everything with two coats of tan-tinted, oil primer, followed by two coats of gloss, oil topcoat. Once the topcoat dried, I sanded through many of the edges, exposing the wood-colored primer beneath. I then topped it all off with one coat of satin, water based poly to seal everything in, knock down the gloss and make it easier to keep clean. It’s a bit hard to see in the pics, but the look is really nice. The oil-based gloss paint gives a rock-hard shell, but then the satin poly gives a soft, muted look to the finish – much like the fuzzy filters they shoot all the older actresses through on TV.

I included a close-up shot of the brackets that Rockler sells to attach the Accuride full-extension slides to standard adjustable shelf brackets. Disassembled, the brackets seemed a bit flimsy, but once everything is put together, they’re very stable and work great. Combining the full extension slides with the adjustable shelf standards provides easy access to the rear of the components as well as full height adjustability for future A/V component changes.

All in all, it was a fun project. The sheer size (about 9' x 9' when assembled), however, made working on it in my small shop very difficult. I finally dumped over one of the side cabinets just prior to painting, and put a big dent in the face frame. Thanks goodness for Bondo!

Thanks for looking. Hope you enjoy.

Mike

[John Branam]

That is some great work. I agree with you on the color.

[Don Baer]

Great work and nice design. Can't say he same for the color. I guess the customer is always right.

[Jim Becker]

I think it looks great...even that color. There is nothing wrong with being bold if that fits into the design motif!! It's not for everyone, however. As to the cabinetry...outstanding!! Now...I just hope they put some seating in that actually lets them watch without putting their necks at a 90º angle...hee hee

[Roy Wall]

Mike,

that looks good - nice work!!

Please tell me what sprayer you have - I'm looking for one (interior doors) and any suggestions.....

Really looks sharp! But I can't see the TV because I'm seeing RED!!!! Whatever the customer wants............

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Mike, that sure does look great! I wouldn't have that color in my house, but I can see how someone would love it. This is a great example of pleasing your customer! Great job!

[Gail O'Rourke]

Mike, I love this piece, it has a really great look, it is very sturdy looking and the finish looks nice and even. I wish I could see your distressed look more in the pictures. Are your raised panels MDF?

I like the color (it's refreshing to see something different, people are migrating so much much towards neutrals in their home), I think what I don't like is the rug in front of it.

Yes, big for a small shop. Good job.

[Mike Vermeil]

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

As to the color, the customer has other pieces, walls, etc of the same color in an adjoining room & wanted to continue it into this room. I don't know if I'd paint my own furniture the same color, but it does look better in person than in the pics.

Jim - the angle for viewing is actually just about perfect. Many ent centers put the TV too high for my comfort. Also, in this case the TV is rear projection (read extrmely heavy), so the most logical design is to leave the TV on the ground and work around it so to speak.

Roy - I have the Wagner HVLP conversion gun that's been discussed around here so much lately. I love it: http://www.gleempaint.com/hvcongunnew.html

Gail - The raised panels are MDF - which of course raises its own set of problems sealing the milled surfaces. In this case, I sanded the raised portions very smooth, then applied about 5 coats of oil primer by brush, sanding roughly every other time. I did this after the doors were assembled, but prior to spraying the entire door assy with primer. For convenience, in the future I'll probably do the sealing prior to gluing up the doors. As for nuetral color selection, you don't know bland until you've lived in desert area tract homes! Before moving to PHX, I didn't realize beige was actually a color pallete all it's own. I enjoy color in my own house also, but usually limit it to the walls & fabrics.

Mike

[Peter Stahl]

Mike,

Great looking cabinet. Ever since my wife saw a cabinet simular to that she's wanted one. A couple questions: How do you get the TV in and out of the cabinet, does the face frame come off? How do you get access to the wires behind the TV? Really like the color too. I think my wife would take pink if I would just build it for her.

Pete

[Tony Falotico]

All in all, it was a fun project.

Nice Mike, I even like the color as long as it's in someone else's house.

You said it all, All in all, it was a fun project.

After all, isn't that what it's all about !?

[Sam Blasco]

Good job. I don't think the color is all that bad. You did a nice job with the finish, too. Gotta love that HVLP! One question, did the client request a stand alone piece instead of a "wall to wall built in" with scribed fillers (piece could have still been moved in the future with finished sides if planned for.) Not only would they have gotten more interior space, they wouldn't have to try to clean in the two crannies.

[wallace chapman]

Great looking piece. The color was a shock at first, but I can see it in some homes.

I had the same question as Sam, was the piece meant to be moved in the future?


Like Gail, I would like to see more pics of the distressing, barely noticeable in the photos, but would be an excellent touch to this piece.

Wallace

[Mike Vermeil]

Good job. One question, did the client request a stand alone piece instead of a "wall to wall built in" with scribed fillers (piece could have still been moved in the future with finished sides if planned for.) Not only would they have gotten more interior space, they wouldn't have to try to clean in the two crannies.

Sam,

I drew the unit up both ways, stand alone and built-in, and the customers chose stand alone. They also wanted virtually every inch of space used in both directions, hence the slightly "tall" design. I prefered to leave more space between the top of the unit and the ceilling, but the customer is always right...

[Mike Vermeil]

Like Gail, I would like to see more pics of the distressing, barely noticeable in the photos, but would be an excellent touch to this piece.

Wallace

Sorry, I forgot to take close-ups of the distressing. It's subtle; nothing over the top or excessively "chabby chic." Basically, I just hit about 75% of the corners with sandpaper to expose the tan primer. It's actually noticable from where the pictures were taken, but didn't show up in the pics. If I have reason to visit the customer again, I'll try to get some pics.

Thanks,
Mike