How to Make Television Stands Out of a Dresser

Measure the height, width and depth of your television. The inside walls of your dresser need to be bigger than your television.

Remove the drawers from the dresser. Some dressers have a platform that each drawer rests on, and most dressers have rails. If there are platforms, use a flat-head screwdriver to pry them up and remove. Cut out the rails using a handsaw or jigsaw, depending on which tool will fit within the space. Do not cut out the bottom rails of the dresser or remove the bottom floor of the dresser. If your dresser is much larger than your television and space allows, leave the bottom drawer in the dresser. This drawer will provide a place to store movies and remote control devices.

Install a floor inside the television stand if there is no bottom to the dresser. Measure the inside bottom dimensions of the dresser. Trace the dimensions onto scrap plywood, and cut out using a jigsaw. Insert the floor into the bottom of the dresser, and nail it to the existing rails using finishing nails. If you removed stable platforms between the drawers, you can use one of them for the dresser floor.

Turn your dresser with the back facing you. Measure 2 inches from the sides, 2 inches from the top and 2 inches from the bottom of your dresser. Use a yardstick as a straightedge to mark this measurement around the back of the dresser wall. Lay the dresser on it's front. Drill a 1/2-inch hole into the dresser back, just inside the traced line. Insert the blade of your jigsaw into the hole. Cut out the back of the dresser along the traced line. Removing the back provides adequate airflow for your television and a place to run your cords and wires.

Sand your television stand. Paint or stain the inside and outside as desired.