HOW TO GET CHEAP TV STANDS WITHOUT COMPROMISING QUALITY
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Cheap TV stands aren't necessarily of any lower quality than those slightly or much more expensive options. If you choose models assembled from the right substrate material, with good joinery, and assemble them properly, these units can perform just as well as their more costly counterparts.
Substrate selection is a good place to start. Most flat-packed, cheap TV stands are based on either particle board or MDF. Both are dimensionally stable materials with good pressure resistance along the right axis, but their performance varies strongly in joint strength and moisture tolerance.
When possible, you'll want to avoid units employing locking tab or pre-drilled screws in their joints. Locking tabs are easy to assemble, but tend to hold tension poorly over time, while pre-drilled screws are terrible joints in either particle board or MDF.
Look, instead, for inexpensive TV stands which use either dowel, mortise and tenon, or tongue and groove joints in their construction. Dowel joints are very strong and long-lasting, though difficult to adjust for flushing if the pre-drilled mortises aren't properly aligned. Tongue and groove joints perform quite well in situations requiring two pieces of material to be held flush over a longer span.
With proper selection and some foresight in assembly, it's possible to get more than your money's worth from a cheap tv stand.
A FEW WORDS ON SUBSTRATES
Looking over common, cheap tv stands, you'll find most employ either particle board as a substrate. The manufacturer's choice of substrate material will have a greater effect on load tolerance, durability, and the strength of a tv stand's joinery.
Chip or particle board is a material made from woodchips, glued under pressure between either veneer or thin plywood. It's dimensionally stable and tremendously resistant to evenly-distributed pressure, but the chips tend to break easily. Joints in chip board tend to fail or loosen easily, though biscuit joints may perform well so long as the unit is kept carefully square.
Medium density fiberboard is another material common to cheap tv stands. It is typically brown in appearance, lacks grain, and is either painted or veneered. MDF is made from subjecting sawdust and wood fibers to pressure and stabilizing the resulting material with an infusion of glue. MDF is dimensionally stable and performs well under load, but is extremely vulnerable to moisture and will decohere if wet.
PREFERRED JOINERY SOLUTIONS
If you're saving a dollar of two by opting for a cheap tv stand, it's best to select models which employ strong, durable joining strategies.
Dowels, mated to pre-drilled mortises across the joint, are a popular option with a variety of manufacturers. If reinforced with glue and allowed to set properly, dowels will hold the joint in place extrememly well and are respectably resistant to wracking. The downside of dowel joints, however, is that there is extremely limited adjustability; if the mortis is improperly placed, it won't be possible to adjust the joint to make the material flush.
Tongue and groove joints are functionally similar to mortis and tenon joints, but are distinguished by incorporating the tenon into the material on one side of the joint. A channel is run through one side of the joint and either a rabbet or tongue on the other. Sliding the two together results in a firm joint that holds well across longer spans.
JOINERY STRATEGIES TO AVOID
Pre-drilled screw joints are only as strong as the material in which they are applied. Screw joints in chip board will fail, even if glue-reinforced, if the unit is allowed to wrack (in the case of corners) or upon taking load (in the case of a poorly-placed butt joint).
It is possible to reinforce screw joints with glue, but this is still the worst-performing strategy in either chip board or MDF substrates.
A lot of cheap TV stands, desks, and other flat pack items are shipped with locking tabs, which are basically a metal (preferred) or plastic dowel mated to a disc-shaped tensioner. The disc is tightened with a Phillips screwdriver, pulling the joint closed and locking it in place. Locking tab joints tend to loosen over time; while they are very easy to initially assemble, they don't tend to maintain tension as well as other joints.
INSTALLATION AND ASSEMBLY TIPS
Sometimes, a cheap TV stand can extract additional cost in frustration. If you keep a few basic guidelines in mind, however, assembly can be made quick, easy, and much more rewarding.
Workspace and organization are key to making it through the process un-flustered. Make sure you've adequate room and won't be distracted by kids, dogs, or other unhelpful helpers. Lay out your parts and required tools neatly and in order, and resist the urge to put things down when and wherever you're finished with them for the moment.
Your assembly surface is also important. Flat, hard floors work best, such as hardwood or linoleum. Carpets make it easier to loose components and harder to properly align case parts.
Squaring the case as you go is another, typically overlooked step which yields big returns in finished quality. Using a tape measure, compare the distance along a diagonal from top to bottom corners, on both sides of the unit. If these numbers are the same, the case is a square: much more stable and durable than if left crooked.
The best thing to understand when opting for cheap TV stands is the size of the television that you have. Since you have spent almost $1000-$1500 for the television, you need to have a stand that can support the weight of the gadget. It would be good choosing a TV stand that matches your inner furniture. TV stands are available nowadays according to the specification of the place where you are going to place it. This helps in maximizing the available space. Cheap TV stand deals can be obtained mostly from online websites rather than from local stores. If your budget is too low, you can even go for used TV stand deals available in craiglist.com.
Popular Cheap TV Stands
Updated: ()Here at cheaptvstandsdeals we have selected a top-10 list of the MOST POPULAR Cheap TV Stands available in 2010.
1. Techcraft HBL52 52-Inch Flat Panel Television Stand
2. Room Essentials Entertainment 3-Tier TV Stand
3. Convenience Concepts Designs-2-Go 2-Tier Swivel TV Stand
4. Techcraft Bernini Series BG4020 42-Inch Flat Panel TV Stand
5. Z-Line Madrid Flat Panel TV Stand with Integrated Mount
6. Techcraft Veneto Series SWP60 TV Stand
7. Allsop Camden TV Stand Large, Dark Walnut
9. Bell'O FP-9830 TV Stand for up to 32-Inch Displays (Black)
10. Z-Line Vitoria Flat Panel TV Stand with Integrated Mount