He Painted the Existing TV Built-In Dark Blue and It Took on a Custom-Built Look
Wood-and-gray cabinets filled the wall around the television, with storage running above and below the screen. The built-in sat beside a brick fireplace and firewood niche, but its mix of finishes broke the TV wall into several sections.
Reddit user u/cordcarpentry built the cabinetry for a customer and used this project for his first attempt at spray finishing his own work. He later said he charged the customer only for the cost of the paint while he learned the process, and confirmed the customer was happy with the result.
Dark blue paint now covers the cabinet doors and surrounding framework, while the wood around the television remains exposed. The contrast, concealed lighting, and matching dark finish across both rows of cabinets give the wall the custom-built look, even though the fireplace and firewood niche beside it were not part of his work.
Wood Cabinets and Gray Panels Framed the Original TV
Four cabinets sat above the television and four more filled the space below it. Each pale wood door contained a gray inset panel, creating two finishes across both rows.
The television already fit inside a recessed wood surround, so the main structure did not need to change. The project focused on the cabinet finish and the frame around the screen.
Room Was Sealed Off Before Painting Began
Plastic sheeting enclosed the built-in from the rest of the living room, while protective board covered the herringbone floor. A narrow zippered opening provided access to the temporary work area.
Masking the full opening also protected the nearby walls and finished floor while the cabinetry received its new coating.
Doors Were Removed and Painted Apart From the Cabinet Boxes
Cabinet doors came off their hinges before paint went on. They were hung from a portable rack inside the protected work zone, leaving both faces and edges accessible.
The television opening, walls, floor, and nearby artwork were masked. Dark paint already visible on the doors and surrounding structure shows the existing cabinetry being refinished rather than replaced.
Dark Blue Turned the Lower Cabinets Into One Continuous Run
The gray inserts disappear once dark blue covers the doors, rails, stiles, and surrounding cabinet frame. Four shaker-style fronts now read as one bank of storage beneath the television.
Round metal knobs remain small against the broad painted surfaces. At floor level, the dark cabinetry stops above the white baseboard, keeping a clear boundary between the built-in and herringbone floor.
Upper Cabinets Received the Same Finish
Dark blue continues across the four upper doors and the trim reaching the ceiling. Painting the inset panels and frames one color removes the two-tone pattern visible in the original built-in.
Below them, the television surround takes another direction. Exposed wood lines the opening, separating the black screen from the blue cabinetry above.
Wood and Concealed Light Frame the Television
Natural wood now runs around the television opening rather than disappearing under the dark paint. Its grain connects with the herringbone floor, fireplace mantel, and stacked logs beside the built-in.
A concealed light strip follows the upper edge of the recess, casting light across the wood behind the TV. The screen sits inside its own framed section instead of blending into a floor-to-ceiling block of dark cabinetry.
Finished Built-In Connects With the Fireplace Wall
From the side, the painted unit fills its wall from baseboard to ceiling while the wood TV surround breaks up the dark center. The narrow firewood recess beside it repeats the exposed wood tones without adding another cabinet finish.
The brick fireplace, thick wood mantel, and parquet floor were left in place. Dark blue gives the built-in more contrast against the pale walls while the exposed wood ties it back to those existing materials.
Dark Blue Paint Left the Wood TV Surround Exposed
The before-and-after view shows the original cabinet layout stayed intact. Wood-and-gray doors became dark blue, while the wood around the television remained exposed.
That contrast gives the TV its own frame and keeps the dark finish from covering the entire wall.
Do you think the finished built-in looks custom, or can you still tell it was a repaint?
Image credits to reddit user u/cordcarpentry.