Painted Entertainment Center/ Armwoire

I was commissioned to build a free standing armwoire type unit to house a TV and VCR/DVD player. She had an existing mass produced faux oak and glass unit made of particle board and veneer, and wanted something that would better compliment the living room, as her house has an open floor plan, and the unit is visible from most of the house. During the discussion with the customer about how she wanted it to function and look, she mentioned that she wanted storage space and she wanted it to match an existing chair she had.

I used poplar and a beaded 1/4 plywood (from a local home improvement box store ) for the construction of the cabinet, doors, and drawer fronts. I used plywood for the drawer construction. I borrowed the chair to help me get the finish as close as possible. When I took the chair to my paint store, I found out the finish actually consists of an oil based paint for the base coat, followed by a wash coat of dark walnut stain, and a topcoat of waterbased poly.

The customer was extremely happy with the final result.

-- Duane Kohles