Inventive Ways To Give Your Old Tv New Life

The tax season is coming up and almost everyone is looking forward to their returns. If you're like many others, you might be considering putting some of your coming tax return towards a new tv. 
With so many bright and beautiful options in the marketplace, not to mention services like Netflix and Hulu, who can blame you? 

The real question is this: What do you do with your old TV? 
The material in your old TV can sit in a landfill for far longer than you might think. Almost assuredly it will be there longer than you had the actual TV. Given how much of an issue E-Waste is proving to be, many people are looking for other options.

What about refurbishing or upcycling it, though? Giving it new life, instead of dumping or donating it? For those of you with a crafty turn of mind, we've put together a list of projects to help you breathe new life into an old screen.

One. Fishtank
If you've got one of the older console versions, you can gut the interior bits and bobs and turn it into a fishtank. Your TV would thank you for making it so cool people are compelled to stare at it again. 

Two. DIY Information Display
Using the YBOX2, you can take your old TV and turn it into a custom info display. This could be anything from the weather to your missed messages across social media, or anything else you could reasonably think up.  

Three. Photography Light Box 
If photography is more your thing, consider turning your old LCD or LED screen into a light box. 

Four. Upscale Liquor Cabinet
If you like to entertain, consider turning your old set into an upscale liquor cabinet. Over at Reddit, user Mammakjeks took an old Tandberg and transformed it into a beautifully lit display for his decanters. 

Five. Pet Bed
The TV takes up space, and so does your pet's bed. Why not combine the two of them? With all of the beautiful inlays and carving, not to mention the nifty knobs and dials, those old sets can make a beautiful bed for one of your favorite companions. 

Six. Book or Movie Shelf 
You love the cabinet, but you don't have a use for the actual TV components any longer. Why not turn it into a media cabinet or book shelf? By taking out the TV guts, inserting a shelf (or two) and giving it a new coat of paint, you can create something entirely new, and gain more storage for your collection.

Seven. Infinity Table 
If you have a newer TV, such as a plasma, you might consider turning it into a coffee table. Over at brunalab, they walk you through how to turn one of these beauties into an endlessly entertaining table. 

Eight. Doll House or Closet 
With a bit of ingenuity, the old housing for a tv can be turned into a closet for your kids' or grandkids' toys or doll clothes. If you really wanted to go all out, you could even take some particle board and paint and turn the entire thing into a one of a kind dollhouse. 

Nine. Light Table
If you're an artist looking for a way to make transferring your designs easier, or if you're working on your own comics, you've probably looked into a light table. While it can be expensive to buy one brand new, making your own is surprisingly simple. The inventive folks over at Hackaday took an LCD TV with a cracked screen and turned it into a light table. Using an old TV even has the added benefit of having speakers already built in, so you can play audio through it while you work.

Ten. DIY Virtual Window
If you're tired of the view from where you live, or you don't have a view to speak of, you might consider a virtual window. It's possible to mount the TV and connect it to a wiimote and an IR tag to create a view of anything you want.

Of course if none of these appeal to you, that's fine too! If you can't find something that you want to make, or DIY simply isn't your thing, there is always another option. Rather than tossing out the TV, consider selling it. Here at our shop in Tucson we take in old TVs of all shapes, sizes and varieties and give them new life. From repairing them to refurbishing them, we take them all. Nick's TVs also makes a donation to a charity for every TV repaired and every refurbished TV sold. If you'd like to get a free estimate on your TV, please call us today!

Please Note: Working with old CRT TVs can be Exceedingly Dangerous. The CRT tubes can hold a charge for years even after being disconnected. You should discharge any capacitors on the circuit boards before going ahead and attempting the removal of... well, anything. We advise caution and proper safety gear at all times for your own health. If being electrocuted is not on your list of things to do, please read up on how to deal with the electronics inside these machines.