A large flat-screen TV monitor is great for when you want to watch the big game or your favorite show. But when the TV isn’t on, that big blank rectangle on your living room wall can be a bit of an eyesore. Here’s an idea: conceal it behind a handsome homemade TV cabinet. This is a straightforward project that involves cutting down a single bifold closet door and building a simple frame.
A bifold door consists of two panels joined by a bifold hinge. Doors are sold by width, including both panels, and come in stock sizes—typically 24, 30, or 36 inches. To find the right size for your TV, double the width of the door and compare it to the actual width of the TV. The doubled width of the door should be at least several inches wider than the TV.
For example, a 24-inch bifold door will create a cabinet approximately 48 inches wide (not counting the ⅛-inch gaps between panels). Depending on the thickness of the TV’s frame, that may fit up to a 46-inch TV. Larger TVs will likely require a 30- or 36-inch bifold door.
Once you’ve purchased a correctly sized bifold door, here are the next steps to take.
Step 1
Step 1: Cut the door panels
Cut the bifold door in half to get two shorter ones. Remove the hinges and lay the door halves side by side and facedown. Using a combination square, mark the cut lines on the rails to create four equal-height panels, with a rail at the top and bottom of each.
Set a circular saw blade on the line and place a speed square next to the saw’s shoe to get a true 90-degree bearing. Cut along the lines to create four panels of equal height that will make two bifold doors.
Step 2
Step 2: Attach the hinges
Hold the two panels back to back and on edge. Mark the edges of the doors where the hinges will be installed so that the knuckles sit 4 inches in from the top and bottom. Drill pilot holes and screw the hinges in place. Repeat on the second door.
Once the hinges are installed, you should have two bifold doors with the knuckles on the TV side of the doors.
Step 3
Step 3: Cut the frame pieces
Lay the doors flat, with a ⅛-inch gap between them, and measure the width. Add 1½ inches for the thickness of the two side boards (3/4-inch each) and, depending on the overall size and look you’re going for, 6 to 8 inches for an overhang on either side.
Using a miter saw, cut the top and bottom frame pieces to length. Measure and cut the side pieces to the height of the bifold doors plus ¼ inch to allow for a ⅛-inch gap at the top and bottom. This way, the doors can swing without binding.
Position the frame’s top board so that it hangs over the edge of a table, and clamp it in place. Bevel the front edge with your circular saw set at a 45-degree angle, making sure to keep the cut as close as possible to the front edge.
Repeat on the ends of the boards, using the speed square as a fence. Leave only the wall edge unbeveled. Cut the frame’s bottom board the same way.
Step 4
Step 4: Mark the location of the sides and assemble the frame
Abut the top and bottom boards lengthwise. Using a tape measure, locate and mark their midpoint on the larger face, long point to long point. From the center to each side, measure half the distance of the doors’ overall width. Using a combination square, draw a line at each mark, then transfer it around to the inner face, where the sides will join.
Arrange the top and bottom boards so that their bevels angle inward toward the center of the frame and sandwich the frame’s side boards. Line up the side boards’ outside edges with the transferred lines, and make sure all four sides of the rectangle are flush along the back.
Using the lines on the outer faces as references, drill two evenly spaced pilot holes just inside the lines and sink 1½-inch screws through and into the side pieces.
Step 5
Step 6: Attach the doors and magnets
Measure from the face of the cleat to the front edge of the side board and cut eight spacer blocks to this size. With the frame lying on its back, stand the blocks on the cleat and crosspiece at each door-panel junction. Lay the doors in the frame so that the ends are flush with the sides. Center the doors top to bottom to get an equal gap above and below.
Position the hinges an equal distance from the top and bottom of the doors, leaving about 4 inches at either end. Mark the edges of the doors and sides, drill pilot holes, then screw them in place.
Install a door magnet’s metal plates to the back of the center doors, fastening them at the top of the centermost stiles. Close the left bifold door and stick the left side of the magnet catch to its metal plate. Drive a screw through the right side of the catch, into the top board. Open the left bifold and secure the opposite side of the magnet catch. If you have a particularly wide cabinet, install magnet catches where the door panels meet on each side.
