Young House Love

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Thrift Store Find: A Dresser We’ll Make Into A Media Cabinet

We’ve been on the hunt for a new media console for our living room since, well, as long as we’ve lived here almost. That “hunt” is mostly defined by periodic stops through our favorite furniture-rich thrift stores to see if anything grabbed us. We were probably a couple of months from giving up entirely. But then I got this text from Sherry.

TVConsole 1 Text

Sherry had run into Diversity Thrift while I stayed in the car with Clara. This is how discouraged this hunt had become… I didn’t even get out of the car anymore. Here’s the pic Sherry sent me, which was enough for me to get my butt out of the driver’s seat and check out Mia in person.

TVConsole 2 Image From Phone

She fit the criteria we were looking for in a new unit – which mostly consisted of “just be bigger than our current piddly little guy” – which you can see below from this post about our new TV (which further dwarfed it). A bonus would be more storage. Six drawers or more were on our wish list.

TV 6 After From Ottoman

So we brought Mia home. We were eager to put her directly into the living room, but she had some wobby leg issues (as we were warned on the $59 price tag). As in, every leg was wobbly. Which probably explains why a handsome clean-lined dresser like this sat at the thrift store for over a month (the tag indicated that it had originally been $79, but after going unsold for a month it was dropped down to $59).

Wobbly legs can definitely be a deterrent because they go to the heart of that item of furniture. You know, it’s not something that a little paint or some stain can fix. It’s filed under “structural integrity.” But Sherry and I examined all the drawers (which slid easily and were made solidly) and checked the rest of it for any functional damage and found none. So we decided not to let those wobbly legs scare us off…

TVConsole Loose 1 On Side

I hadn’t ever fixed wobbly legs before, so I was going into it a bit blind. But I figured I could just identify what was loose and hopefully tighten it. For instance, this center brace shimmied back and forth waaaay too easily.

TVConsole Loose 2 Removing Middle

In fully removing it (which I did before reattaching it) I discovered an old screw on the side that was supposed to hold that leg in tight. So with a quick replacement screw, I was already making progress.

TVConsole Loose 3 New Screw

When I reattached the brace with more new screws, the center section got significantly better.

TVConsole Loose 4 More New

And having discovered the secret leg-screw (wait, that sounds wrong) I was on my way to tightening all of the wobbly legs. But In some cases I found that merely replacing the screws and getting them in there nice and tightly wasn’t enough to stop the wobble completely (although it was a huge step in the right direction). So thanks to some Googling, I read about the suggestion to add some wood glue around the joint. I used the end of a paperclip to really work the glue into the seam as well as possible. Then I used a moistened rag to wipe off the excess glue around the outside so it didn’t look all messy like it does in this picture (this was taken pre-wipe):

TVConsole Loose 5 Glue

Once all of the legs were glued and screwed (again, my wording is less than stellar here) Sherry helped me turn the piece upright and – resisting the temptation to test its wobbliness – we let the glue dry for a good 24 hours. The next day we went in and gave it a gentle shake.

It was AWESOME. No more shaking or shimmying at all.

Unfortunately Mia, even with her new solid legs, isn’t quite ready to come inside to the living room. She needs a good cleaning – and possibly some refinishing or painting, depending on how well the cleaning goes – before we let her in. You can see her bumps and bruises pretty well in this photo taken back in the thrift store…

TVConsole 2 Image From Phone

… so we’ll be back with the updated & cleaned up Mia after we’re done scrubbing her down, bringing her into the living room, and getting the TV all set up (we anchor it to the wall to keep things kid-safe). Sherry’s actually scrubbing away on it right now so as soon as she finished up, takes pics, and writes the post we’ll be back with that info. In the meantime, how do you guys find furniture? Does one of you run in while someone else stays in the car? Are the photos texted back and forth? Do you accidentally end up naming things thanks to text typos? We can’t be the only ones…

Psst- Clara shared a few more holiday-fun-ish details with her penpal in Germany over on Young House Life.

Comments

  1. Genevieve says

    This is awesome! I did the same thing (turned a thrift store dresser into an entertainment console). http://turnedtodesign.blogspot.com/2012/10/going-back-in-time.html

    No entertaining story of how I found it (although I do feel like I need to name it now), but you can check out how I transformed it if you’re interested. Fresh coat of paint, new hardware, etc. For the area where the equipment belongs I simply removed the drawers and turned them into shelves.

    And a side note… the first time I read the comment about “Wife-Sherry” I thought it said “WifeY-Sherry” and thought it was fitting with the text message. Haha. Love reading your blog! Holla!

    Reply

  4. Kristina says

    Omg I love how that many other people thought of Sister Wives. I thought the same thing. As for naming things after text typos, my brother named me after one. My nickname is Stina, and he meant to type that, but his phone autocorrected it to Stubs, which is my new name, unfortunately.

    Reply

  5. Short, Sweet Season says

    Can we see more pictures of Sherry’s new bangs? They look so fun and modern! Since it gets so much attention from us readers, I think Sherry’s hair should get its own tab at the top of the homepage. :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, it’s so funny how one instagram pic of bangs have piqued so much interest! I’m working on doing a DIY tutorial on cutting them so maybe in a few days we’ll share more pics?!

      xo
      s

  6. Elaine says

    I can’t wait to see how it ends up!

    Your method is similar to how I bought my car! I already knew what I wanted, so my husband went inside to see what they had available while I waited in the car. He texted me colors and price – I said ok and then all I had to do was go in and sign!

    Reply

  7. Janelle says

    “Wife – Sherry.” I’m trying to figure out if there are multiple contacts in John’s phone that he refers to as “wife” or multiples that he refers to as “Sherry.” :D

    Reply

  8. Cher says

    I discovered a MCM buffet a month ago, and even though it wasn’t something on my “Do sooner rather than later” list, I HAD to pick it up. It needs to be sanded/refinished/etc so I can’t wait to see what you do to yours (pretty much so I can copy the process onto mine. Here he is: http://instagram.com/p/TFQOgONWeD/

    Reply

  9. Donna says

    Great find, Sherry! I am hunting for a similar piece myself, and having no luck. The drawer space is going to be great for you guys. Kid videos can go in one drawer, smaller toys in another, baby diapers in yet another… no pressure, of course :)

    Reply

  11. Leslie says

    Yes… I have ICE, relationship and name… it makes for a strange contact list… but all the ICE are together and you know you’re calling sister or fiance or whatever :) just helps a bit in an emergency, I would HOPE.

    Reply

  12. Jen says

    Oh, I feel your pain! We have been on the hunt for a TV console as well, to fit into a very specific space, so it had to be just the right size. I looked for one for three days during my Christmas vacation from work. Old ones, new ones, antique, vintage, you name it. Finally, Craigslist to the rescue! Found an awesome Mission style sideboard in just the right size, for $200, which was a site better than paying $450 for a new one which I had been considering. I love it so much I want to marry it. Can’t wait to see what you do with this one!

    Reply

  16. Laura says

    Oh man, I love that console! It’s perfect! And I think the legs kind of make it, so I’m so glad you guys were able to make the original ones work. :)

    Reply

  17. danielle says

    um…seriously just bought a fella named Mo that looks almost exactly like this! Or at leas as if it were inspired by this (or vice versa) Okay, fine, his name is not Mo. He actually didn’t have a name before this exact moment, but I think that our two TV-holder-upers are long lost siblings and Mia and Mo sound cute together. Seriously, check out the pic I took of my mid century dude in the store: http://instagram.com/p/T6mKo8L_Kw/
    I had resigned myself to the slightly banged up look of him though, calling it well loved. Can’t wait to see how you guys clean Mia up…Mo may be soon to follow suit!

    Reply

  18. bethblntn says

    Ok, so I have to ask, how do you find a way to get these things home in your little car?! I’ve been reading your guys blog for like a year now and I can’t believe I’ve never thought to ask this before. Yesterday, My hubby and I found an amazing wing back on the side of a dumpster with nothing but a broken leg (even good fabric, though not my taste, and working leg rest!) but after trying and trying to fit it in the back of our car, it was just not going to happen. Good thing it was only two blocks from our house, my awesome hubby carried that sucker all the way home! <3 This isn't the first time something like that happened. Found the PERFECT dresser at a thrift shop for… TEN DOLLARS, even bought it thinking we could lay the back down and squeeze it in. Nope. Had to get our money back and walk away :(. SO HOW do you do it without owning like a big mini van!?

    Reply

  19. Aly says

    I love her!
    My best friend name her dog Bark, but auto correct kept changing it to Carl, so they just changed her (yes her) name to Carl to make auto correct easier :-)

    Reply

  21. Valeria says

    Nice find! My husband and I just welcomed a kitchen table into our lives that was a library table we found at a consignment shop. It was in pretty fantastic shape except for some water stains and scratches, which came out easy enough with some good polishing. It was a discouraging few months of searching though so I understand the temptation to give up the hunt!

    Reply

  22. Mindy Gallup says

    I wish we had places like this in Calgary… We probably do, but I’m yet to come across one. I need to look harder.

    Reply

  23. Theresa says

    “Wife-Sherry” …. I wonder what the other wives are called.

    I always use the word implanted instead of screwed to avoid awkwardness. I am usually putting implants (screws) in spines though, not furniture.

    Reply

  24. Momcat says

    I read this: “the secret leg-screw (wait, that sounds wrong)” and snorted coffee, thanks so much.

    Mia’s got a leg up on Angelina (well, four, actually!) I keep picturing the weird thing she did at last year’s Oscars–ugh! I’m liking Mia’s understated style so much more….

    Reply

  25. Norelle says

    Wondering if you will also anchor “Mia” to the wall? I read a heart breaking article this weekend about a 3 year old who pulled a small dresser over onto herself and died because it wasn’t anchored to the wall. I never did this with my little ones and now feel so blessed that mine survived something I never thought about. I know you are super-parents so you probably do, but just had to ask.

    Reply

  26. Mary says

    Is it out of style for your tv stand to be the same width as your tv or nearly? Or does yours bother you because it’s too low for your tastes?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think it’s a proportion thing (our TV was so much taller than the stand it was weird and looked top-heavy). It was also way too low (we were looking down on it from the sofa).

      xo
      s

  27. Kristina Gilnett says

    HA! That is so funny…my husband and I were just in there a couple of weeks ago debating over that very dresser, to use for a tv stand! :) It was still $79 at the time which was a little more than I wanted to spend. It does have totally awesome lines, so happy to see it went home to guys as cool as you!

    Reply

  28. Brandi G says

    My husband modified our sideboard find to house the TV components that were all hidden inside one section. He cut a hole in the back and installed the fan. Then he bought a sensor that connected all the components and ran to one sensor on the top. It was the only way to keep all the extras off the top and keep the doors closed. Definitely made me happy not to look at all the electronics!

    Reply

  29. Carissa says

    Cu-ute! Can’t wait to see her all done up! Thrifting is the BEST.

    Love the text exchange. Our latest text hilarity is two-fold.

    1. I always type “I love you” and it autocorrects to “I live you.” So now I just type “I LIVE WITH YOU!” which is also true. :-)

    2. My husband and I have a running joke about McKayla Maroney/not impressed, so I send him texts with pop culture updates I know he won’t care about on purpose so I can get his “not impressed” picture back via text. It’s awesome. :-)

    Reply

  30. LariatLane says

    That looks great! I found a older SOLID wood 9 drawer dresser at a thrift store. I had been looking for months, texting my husband LOTS of pictures. I was so happy when I found this one because it was EXACTLY the length and height we needed and it was on sale!! I’m excited to see what you guys do with Mia… maybe it will give me the inspiration to get started on refinishing mine!

    Reply

  31. Alicia says

    Um, can we talk about the dresser that’s under Mia in the store shot? That’s my jam! And my husband is in my phone as “Matthew Husband,” so I totally get “Wife – Sherry”. I wonder if I should switch the names up so it’s “Husband Matthew” though. Hmm…Not like it really matters, as he’s always in my top 2 recent calls, so easy enough to find.

    Reply

  33. Jamie says

    Looks almost identical to ours! It was my grandmothers dinning room hutch and the hutch was removed. We love all the extra draw space fr remotes, dvds, chargers, etc. Downfall…where to put the wii? dvr? modem? How are you planning on concealing/storing yours? I could never figure out a good solution! :(

    Reply

  34. RETROSMITH. says

    We definitely do the secondhand store stop by! Recently found our own pre loved, mid century modern piece. Ours had miss matched top drawers with the bottom four, so we took them out to create a shelf for all the TV bits and bobs. It’s in production stage too. Good luck with yours! Can’t wait to see what you do with it.

    Morgan (http://theretrosmith.blogspot.com.au/)

    Reply

  35. Karen says

    I have my husband in my phone as Name – Husband too! Like you, I thought it would be more obvious than ICE to your average joe. However, he has me as Karen – Wifelet which has now been seen by his coworkers and become an office joke ;)

    Loving Mia! Those are some nice clean MCM lines. Looking forward to seeing what you do with her! I am envisioning either white or a bright color.

    Reply

  36. Marianne says

    My husband and I just scored two matching, in great condition bookshelves at the local thrift store for $7 each! I love the thrill of finding a great piece at a great price!

    Reply

  37. Lindsey says

    I did the exact same thing with my tv! Since I couldn’t fit my long dresser into my bedroom comfortably, I left it in the living room and decided to use it as a tv console and it provides plenty of storage for all of my dvd’s and enough space on top for displaying items besides the tv.

    Reply

  38. Morgan says

    Hey $herdog and John. I was the same way with my media center, just couldn’t find anything that fit and then one day the solution landed on my front doorstep…literally! My downstairs neighbors were throwing out their kitchen cabinets. I flew downstairs, left them a note, and then an hour later they were letting me help myself to two free cabinets! Sweet! I brought them in, spruced them up(with the help of your awesome book by the way), and just got finished with the media center yesterday. http://livingywf.com/2013/01/07/day-3-mass-media/ And, yes, you should totally name yours M.I.A.

    Reply

  39. Kristen says

    There are so many “thats what she said”s in there I was laughing for almost the entire time it took to read the post!! Haha

    Reply

  40. Rebecca says

    you should turn some of the draweinto shelves. The topthree aacross or the three down the middle could look good and then there is no drawer opening or needing different equipment. You’ll still have six drawers too.

    Reply

  41. Jill says

    Two things unrelated to Mia. One: My daughter lives in Austin and is going to go get me a book. (She, however, is completely uninterested herself. They must have given me the wrong child at the hospital.) And two: Please tell/show us how you cut the bangs!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, so funny about your daughter and as for the bang thing, due to popular demand there will definitely be a post. Who knew so many folks were interested?! Haha!

      xo
      s

  42. Catherine A says

    Newbie to your blog and we just bought our first place. Would LOVE to know how you cleaned MIA. We thought about buying some furniture on Craigslist but I have no idea how to clean all the..a…former owner “goobies” away (that’s a technical term my nephew uses).

    Reply

  43. River says

    I just can’t get over the fact that Sherry is “Wife- Sherry” in your phone. I giggled at the thought of other “Wife- Lisa” or “Wife- Erin”‘s in there too ha.

    Reply

  45. Meredith Jones says

    I love her!! Mia is one fine piece of a…… I mean… one nice looking tv stand… ;)
    I feel like you guys have WAY better thrift stores over there than we do here in Seattle… maybe I need ot venture out a little further. It seems like all there ever is when I’m on the hunt in serious junk. But great find y’all!
    Also, I have my husband in my phone as Zach HUBS. Who know if a fireman or something would eve figure that out… but I likeitlikethat !!

    Reply

  47. dominique says

    What a great find! We did something similar- bought a fantastic Broyhill Sculptra piece with bifold doors in the center for $40 from our ReStore. I refinished it and we took out the 3 center drawers to use as electronics shelves- our cable box, vcr and dvd players each have their own little shelf and then we can shut the doors when we don’t want to look at them. The drawers fit our dvds perfectly!

    Reply

  48. Karen says

    Love the idea of dresser as media stand! Can’t wait to see what you do with it.

    Any reason in particular that you didn’t just remove the legs? I like them on, I was just sure that’s where you guys were going with it :P It was a major plot twist! haha It would definitely lower it a lot, maybe too much?

    Reply

  49. Gilit says

    Ummm I didn’t hear anything about the console, all I heard was “Mia” because that’s the name of my 2 month old daughter. Kismet? Totes.
    Also I lied because I did hear Johns repeated use of the word screw.

    Reply

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