DIY Pop-Up TV Cabinet for Outdoor Entertainment

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We already have one TV outside, but even though it swivels it’s harder to see from the hot tub because of the pergola leg. That’s fine when it’s only one person in the hot tub because you can position it where you want, but when multiple people are in the hot tub someone always has an obstructed view and the TV is kind of far away. This sounds kind of dumb and unnecessary, but we entertain quite a bit and some of our friends come over to watch TV shows like Yellowstone and Landman, so we wanted a more enjoyable entertaining experience for everyone! Plus I’ve always wanted to build a pop up TV cabinet of some sort and we needed countertop space on our back patio for when my husband grills/smokes food. Now we will have one TV facing the outdoor kitchen area and the hot tub that can also be tucked away when not in use and one TV facing the fire pit and dining table area!

Originally this was going to be a super simple project! I was just going to build a small box and decorate the outside and it was going to be able to roll around the patio on wheels and be housed near the hot tub. I was going to build 2 of these boxes to use as hot tub tables, one would be used for needed storage and one would be used for the pop up TV, like where we have these tables. (more on those table builds in the next post).

This is what I originally had in mind for this build.

But then we started talking about an outdoor kitchen and how it would be really handy to have counter space out there for when we cook outside. And by we I mean Tyler! (He makes some damn good food btw! Anyone who has ever come to one of our BBQs can attest to that!) So I figured why not incorporate the pop up TV into the cabinet so we can see that TV from the smoker too! So this project got a lot more complicated all of a sudden! I started by drawing up some different ideas so Tyler and I could be on the same page since he would be using this space more than I would.

This was my original idea, the countertop would be all one height. But when I looked at how tall it would have to be to accommodate the TV and lift system Tyler would really be the only one able to use this because it would be so dang tall! I’m 4’11 and he’s 6’4. Also, I was worried about sealing the TV in the cabinet, if it were all one level, water could run into the cabinet because the countertop would have a crack in it where the TV pops up and it wouldn’t dry out well. I’m not sure there would be a good way to waterproof it.

Then I thought that maybe I could make the whole back of the countertop bar height and we could add some bar stools behind it so people could sit there while he cooks. But then we run into the waterproofing issue again where the bar height meets the pop up TV height. Plus if Tyler is out there cooking he will 100% have the TV up and who wants to sit BEHIND a TV to talk to the cook? Also, the countertop space in front of the bar top would only be about 10in, so not much working room and a nice sized brisket is much larger than that!

The third option was to have just the pop up TV area raised. This would help with waterproofing the cabinet and give us way more counter space to work with while cooking. So that’s what I ended up going with.

I started with 2x4s for the frame instead of just building a cabinet box with plywood and pocket hole screws. The TV lift is heavy and I needed this cabinet to be able to hold the weight of that and the TV and be nice and strong. I started this build in my dining room because it was cold and rainy outside and I wasn’t sure we’d be able to easily get it from the garage to the back patio once it was built, but I measured to make sure it would fit through my back door. I got the measurements by measuring in between my pergola legs where we planned on putting this cabinet and allowing a foot or so of space on either side of the cabinet, we didn’t want it to be a tight fit but we also wanted a lot of countertop space. If you look below you can see that I used pocket holes and screws to attach the bottom and top 2x4s together. I use a Kreg Foreman for this but they make smaller cheaper pocket hole jigs like this one and this one if you don’t need to add them often or don’t want to spend the money on the Kreg Foreman.

Then once it was built we moved it outside the next day so I could get more work done on it. Plus it was beautiful outside that week!

I cut down some plywood to go on the 2x4s starting with the back since that was the most complicated piece because of the area where the TV would go. I just screwed the plywood right into the 2x4s, this doesn’t need to be seamless and pretty like the way I build indoor furniture. Plus I have a plan to cover up the screw heads. We also installed large wheels on the bottom so this could be easily moved and the wood wasn’t sitting on the ground and staying wet when it rains.

Before we added the rest of the plywood we installed the lift and TV. It’s easier this way while it’s open. We needed the back piece on to be able to secure the lift to the back wall. This lift is awesome by the way! It’s the medium sized one and it’s pretty straight forward to install.

Then we put on the TV and the Sonos sound bar (Because duh! You can’t have an awesome system like this without great sound!) and tested it out!

Before I installed the rest of the plywood, I waterproofed around the edges with Block&Wall, which is like a liquid rubber that you just brush/roll on. I could have used cement board but it’s a huge pain to work with! Plus it’s really heavy and I didn’t want to deal with it. Time will tell how well the waterproofed plywood will hold up. I applied 2 coats to the plywood edges before putting it all together and planned to do the sides later.

Once that was dry I installed all the plywood pieces I cut to size.

I cut smaller pieces to go around the TV area and used wood glue and brad nails to secure those in place.

We planned to put our mini fridge into this cabinet, it was in the garage before and we thought it would be way more useful in this build. So I first marked where the fridge would go, drilled into the corners with a drill bit larger than my blade and used my jigsaw to cut out the rectangle.

We had originally planned to leave the bottom of the cabinet open so it wouldn’t trap moisture, but then we were worried about mice and wasps making nests inside so we pieced together a bottom for it. Then I waterproofed the edges again and we sat the mini fridge inside.

Stone countertop of some sort probably would have been smarter for this build, but I didn’t want to spend that kind of money and I was worried about the weight on the TV lift (I believe it’s rated to hold about 100lbs counting the TV). So we ended up going with butcher block. It’s easier because we can cut it and install it ourselves. I had Tyler use my circular saw to cut it down with a straight edge and get as close to the corner as he could and then I trimmed it the rest of the way with my jigsaw. This is an 8ft piece of butcher block, it’s partially how I came up with the measurements of the cabinet because this is as big a piece of butcher block as I could get from Home Depot.

When he cut the butcher block though, the blade was sticking out too far causing it to warp and cut the countertop a little wobbly on one side, I’ll show you a closer view of that later. But that’s okay, you can’t tell unless it’s pointed out. Then I sanded it all down with my orbital sander and 220 grit sandpaper and we took it in the back to install it.

The next day I stained the butcher block in Spice Brown by DuraSeal. It’s my new favorite stain color and I’m obsessed! I’ve used it on a ton of different projects now! It looks soooo nice on oak too! It’s the color I used on my bathroom build-in linen cabinet and my new kitchen island. I stained underneath the butcher block above the tv too.

And here’s what it looked like at this point. This is the part where it starts coming together and I could see how it was going to look finished!

Here’s what I meant by the edge of the countertop being wavy from the cut. The next time we cut butcher block we made sure the blade was JUST past the thickness of the wood and we didn’t have the warping problem, you can also cut it halfway and then make another pass the rest of the way.

I was brain storming what to do with the outside because as you can see below, the white looks great but up close the rubber look wasn’t cute. I considered peel and stick tile or wood planks, or even a peel and stick faux stone look but those things can be really expensive! Some I looked at would cost up to almost $1000 and I just wasn’t willing to spend that much on peel and stick anything! I couldn’t do real stone or tile because the size of the countertop wouldn’t allow for it since I wanted an overhang of the countertop like a regular kitchen, usually there is about 1in overhang from the cabinet to the countertop edge, anything thicker than a peel and stick wasn’t going to work. I asked social media what I should do and someone suggested micro cement! Then I remembered Jenna Sue did that in her rental house in the bathroom and I love the look so I went for it! I ordered the same stuff Jenna did on amazon.

When it came in I got to work mixing it up making a huge mess in the process. I also mixed in a white colorant. If you ever have to mix up cement, mortar or grout or anything like this, this mixer is a lifesaver! I’ve tried using a drill before with a mixer attachment and this is a million times easier and it’s reasonably priced!

But before I applied it I cut out the side of the cabinet where I was going to put another access door.

I started with a large metal trowel to rub it on the sides.

Then I realized I needed to remove the vent we installed on the back for the fridge to be able to get airflow. I unscrewed it and had to peel it off of that liquid rubber. It stuck really bad and took off some of the plywood too! But I wasn’t worried, I used micro cement right over it to fill those holes.

Then I tried a few other tools to apply the micro cement because the large trowel was hard to work with and wasn’t working very well for me. I ended up using a medium sized plastic trowel and that worked better. Also, this stuff is pretty messy and I got a few drops of it onto our patio and it stained it white. I haven’t tried to get it off yet but just a warning, use a bigger “drop cloth” than I did!

Once that was all dry I sanded it with a concrete sanding block just to smooth out any sharp spots. I didn’t want it super smooth because I love the uneven look.

We brought the whole cabinet back inside so that I could add a clear coat to the butcher block top and while it was inside we installed the metal doors we bought for it. Were you wondering why there was a huge hole in front of the TV? We wanted to be able to access the inside easily and use it for storage if we needed to. I installed some 2x4s on the sides to have something to attach the doors to as you can see in the picture below.

Then Tyler helped me install the doors. He held it still while I drilled it in to place. Then he just made sure the screws were perfectly tightened to make sure the doors were square and functioned properly.

Then I also installed the access door at the end of the cabinet using 1x2s on the inside instead of 2x4s because there wasn’t enough room for the width of a 2×4 in this space. I just screwed these in from the outside since the frame of the door would cover the screw heads.

Since this door was smaller I didn’t really have to worry about if it was square because it held its shape better. This company I bought the doors from has different styles of outdoor kitchen doors, drawers and other accessories.

Before I added the clear coat I taped off the edges and caulked everything to make sure it was watertight. I don’t use tape for painting but I do use it for caulking to get that perfect caulk line every time! Very satisfying! I mean, look at that paint peel!

This thing is huge and took up sooo much room in our dinning room for a couple days! But we were able to watch both TVs at the same time!!! hahaha

When I ordered the doors I also ordered some drawers because I was planning on putting them in the large cabinet, but when we placed it where it was going to go as a test fit we realized we couldn’t put the hole for the fridge all the way to the left because the smoker would cover it and it wouldn’t be functional. The original plan was to add the fridge to the very left, drawers beside it in the middle and the double doors to the right in front of the TV. I hate returning things through mail order so instead of sending the drawers back I made a bonus cabinet for them! Mia helped me cut down the plywood.

You can tell that she was thrilled to help me! haha, she was making faces at the camera and I had no idea until I edited the footage! She makes me laugh!

I did put this cabinet together with pocket holes since it was a lot smaller and wouldn’t be holding a TV lift and a TV!

Side note: I always get asked about what I’m using to hold my wood while I cut. This is a centipede stand and it’s awesome! It can hold up to 1500lbs and you can clamp your wood to it and it stores really small because it folds up! It’s also light weight so I like it better than using saw horses. They also make a larger one.

I cut a hole in the front of this one to make room for the drawers.

Then I installed the bottom. I couldn’t do this before the drawer hole was cut out because I wanted the pocket holes on the inside, not the outside.

The drawers needed something to support them in the back, so I used scrap plywood and pocket holed them to the sides on the bottom inside for the drawers to have something to sit on. I put one support in front and one in back. I also added some 2x4s on the sides to give myself something to attach the sides of the drawers to.

Then I did a test fit to make sure everything works. I first removed the drawers because I’d need them removed in order to secure the drawers in place.

I brought the cabinet box inside to waterproof it with Block&Wall and install the wheels.

Once that was dry I added the micro cement to this little cabinet and when that was dry I gave it a light sanding like I did the bigger cabinet.

Then I installed the drawers.

I also sealed around the edges of these drawers and I sealed around everything on the larger cabinet with a clear sealer.

I got the new piece of butcher block cut down, sanded, stained and sealed.

For the larger cabinet we screwed the butcher block on, but for the smaller one since I already sealed the drawers in to place and had no way of screwing the countertop down I just used Liquid Nails to attach the countertop to the small drawer cabinet. Instead of measuring how far it was sticking off each edge I used the girl method of measuring with my fingertips to see if it hit the same place on my fingers all the way around! lol! It worked great!

And here is how everything turned out! We have a couple more projects we have planned for this patio area and then I can reveal it to you as a whole!

Side note: This indoor/outdoor papasan rocker is so dang comfy!! It’s the perfect place to curl up on a pretty day! Or to watch a movie with Tyler while he is in the hot tub and I don’t feel like getting in!

Here’s what the inside of the doors look like. Nothing fancy at all, just functional.

And this is the smaller one. We have access to the fridge this way and we have a storage place for our towel warmer we bought that’s been super nice when it’s cold outside and we have a nice warm towel to use when we get out of the hot tub! It takes a while to heat up the towels but we are usually in the hot tube for an hour or two at a time.

Something I didn’t mention before was that I framed out the fridge area with primed 1×3 pine and painted and sealed it as well. I could have gone over it with micro cement to make it look more uniform, but I was out of it and I didn’t want to buy more just for some trim.

I used 2 different sealants for the large countertop and the smaller one, you can see below the smaller one is shiny and the large one isn’t and this made them look like different colors. I used this sealer with the large one and this sealer with the small one. I ended up going back over the large one with the same sealer I used on the small one to give them the same look, plus the slick shiny texture is easier to clean off.