DIY Entertainment Unit Remodel -- Reveal!!

A month and a couple ruined shirts later, my DIY entertainment center is done!! Yay! More details can be found in my update post here, but basically we moved into this house about 9 years ago. The original owners built it with custom maple cabinets. They are really nice, but I really love a more clean look. So finally I got up enough courage to paint them.

The entertainment center was nice, but the space inside for a television was very small, and the room is so big that we really needed a bigger tv. So we decided to rip out the center section of the unit to accommodate a larger television. Our friend and DIY neighbor Brent helped us figure out a way to make hollow back on the back of the unit

{here it is half way done}

We installed a fake back, with room for all of the cables and to help hold up the upper portion of the cabinets. The right panel opens up.

Then we installed beadboard over the back with a panel that opens so we can have access to those cables.

We made a new shelf that goes all the way across the unit -- so we can put the AV components on it. And my father-in-law came up with a way to hold up the shelf with a bolt that goes through a hollow wood dowel. It works great!!

When it came to painting, I used a great ebook -- Altar'd by Mandi and Colby Morris. It has tons of great painting tips and tricks. Including what kind of paintbrushes to buy and techniques. I went with an oil-based paint and primer which will hold up better than water-based paint.

All in all, I love my new entertainment unit. It's cleaner looking and I think the beadboard really adds a lot of character to the piece.

Plus, I think the Pottery Barn White really brightens up the room. I was considering adding a glaze over the top, but I think I prefer the clean white look of the paint against the tan walls.

I also found some beautiful knobs at Anthropologie -- for half off!!

{Do you see the Girl Scout cookies on the coffee table?? LOL!}

And next up -- my Family Frame Wall and cabinets!! I decided that I needed a more neutral background to take pictures of my projects. So I am planning on painting this little nook -- Martha Stewart Arrowroot. With maybe a slight glaze over the top.