Concrete TV Stand: How to Cast a Concrete Top on Branch Legs

Picture movie night. The lamps are low and the TV glows on the wall. Under it runs a long, cool gray concrete top on legs of twisted honey-colored branches.

A bowl of popcorn sits next to a stack of books. Your neighbor runs a hand along it and says, "Wait, you made this?"

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Yes, you made it yourself. That's the concrete TV stand from our video: a concrete top on two bundles of branches. Each bundle stands in a small concrete foot. You can build it over about a week, mostly waiting for concrete to cure. Two bags of countertop concrete make the whole stand, and the branches can come from your own yard.

When a concrete stand video goes around, the comments ask the same things. Won't it snap without steel? How heavy is it? How did she ever move it? Every answer is below, with 7 steps and a picture for each, plus the five mistakes that make a concrete stand fail.

Jump to a section

• How the Concrete TV Stand Goes Together
• What You Need, and What It Costs
• Step 1: Cut, Peel and Sand the Branches
• Step 2: Set Each Bundle in a Concrete Foot
• Step 3: Build and Oil the Form for the Top
• Step 4: Mix and Pour the Top, With Mesh Inside
• Step 5: Level It and Let It Cure
• Step 6: Take Off the Form and Flip the Top
• Step 7: Glue Down the Top and Seal It
• The Mistakes That Make It Fail
• Keep It Clean: Spills, Sealer and Dust
• FAQ

How the Concrete TV Stand Goes Together

The top is cast on its own, with wire mesh inside, and glued onto two branch legs. Each leg stands in a concrete foot.

1. The top is 60 inches long, 14 inches deep and 1 1/2 inches thick, cast upside down in a smooth form. It weighs about 105 pounds.
2. Each leg is three branches about 20 inches long, standing 3 inches deep in an 8 x 8 x 4-inch concrete foot.
3. The legs stand 8 inches in from each end. A bead of adhesive holds the top on, and the whole stand is about 22 1/2 inches tall.

Unlike in the video, the branches never go into the wet top. Wood soaks up water from fresh concrete and swells, and in a top only 1 1/2 inches thick, that can crack it.

What You Need, and What It Costs

• Countertop concrete mix, two 80-pound bags. One bag makes about 0.6 cubic feet.
• Six dry branches, 2 to 3 inches thick, from a fallen hardwood that has dried for months.
• Melamine shelf board, 3/4 inch thick, 15 3/4 inches wide and 8 feet long, for the form.
• Galvanized wire mesh, about 1/2-inch squares, a piece at least 58 x 12 inches.
• Concrete sealer for indoor countertops.
• Construction adhesive and a caulking gun.
• Clear silicone and a can of form release spray.
• Scrap 1×4 boards for the two foot forms, plus 1 5/8-inch screws.
• Waterproof gloves and safety glasses.
• Tools: hand saw, drill, level, mixing tub and hoe, rubber mallet and trowel. Add a straight board, sandpaper and a dust mask.

What it costs: about $170 to $240 in all, with free branches. We checked these prices at US stores on October 14, 2026. The concrete mix is about $55 of it, and the sealer is about $35 to $70.

Two buying tips:

1. Buy countertop mix, not regular concrete. It flows into corners and cures smoother, and its maker rates it at 5,000 psi or more after 28 days.
2. Gather the branches first. Fallen wood that's been drying for months won't shrink and crack after it's set in concrete, the way fresh-cut branches do.

Step 1: Cut, Peel and Sand the Branches

1. Cut six branches to 20 inches, with both ends square.
2. Peel off any loose bark with a putty knife.
3. Sand them with 80-grit paper, then 120, until they feel smooth.
4. Brush a coat of clear finish on each branch, so the wet concrete doesn't soak into the wood.

Watch out: the bottom ends must sit flat and square, or the legs lean once they're set in concrete.

Step 2: Set Each Bundle in a Concrete Foot

1. Screw scrap 1x4s into two open boxes, 8 x 8 inches inside, and set them on plastic.
2. Stand three branches in each box, strapped together, and check them with a level from two sides.
3. Mix about a third of a bag, fill each box to the top, and smooth it with a trowel.
4. Leave them for a day, then unscrew the boxes and tap them off.

Watch out: check the level again after you pour. Once the concrete starts to stiffen, a leaning leg stays leaning.

Step 3: Build and Oil the Form for the Top

1. Cut the shelf board to 64 inches for the base. Cut strips 1 1/2 inches wide from the rest for the sides.
2. Screw the strips to the base so the space inside is exactly 60 x 14 inches.
3. Run a thin bead of silicone into each inside corner, and smooth it with a fingertip.
4. Spray a light coat of form release inside.

Watch out: the slick melamine face becomes the top of your stand, because the top is cast upside down. Any scratch or drip on it shows up in the concrete.

Step 4: Mix and Pour the Top, With Mesh Inside

Wet concrete can burn skin, so follow three rules:

• Wear waterproof gloves, long sleeves and safety glasses. The video skips the gloves; don't.
• Wash any concrete off your skin right away with clean water. Its burns may not hurt at first.
• Wear a dust mask while you pour the dry mix into the tub.

OSHA explains how wet cement burns skin and how to protect yourself.

1. Mix the rest of the concrete, about 1 1/4 bags, with the water the bag calls for. Stop when it looks like thick oatmeal.
2. Fill the form halfway, and lay in the mesh, cut 1 inch smaller than the form all around.
3. Fill the form to the top.
4. Tap the sides with a rubber mallet all the way around, to bring the air bubbles up.

Step 5: Level It and Let It Cure

1. Pull a straight board across the sides to scrape off the extra concrete.
2. Smooth the back with a trowel. Nobody will see this side, so flat is enough.
3. Cover the form with plastic.
4. Leave it covered and untouched for 2 to 3 days, as the maker's instructions advise.

Watch out: don't move the form while it cures. Even a small bump can crack a slab this thin.

Step 6: Take Off the Form and Flip the Top

1. Unscrew the side strips and pull them away.
2. With a helper, turn the top onto its long edge on a moving blanket.
3. Lay it face up on the blanket, and sand the sharp edges lightly with 120-grit paper.
4. Wash off the dust and let it dry.

Watch out: the top weighs about 105 pounds. Turn it on its edge, never lift a flat slab by one end, and always use two people.

Step 7: Glue Down the Top and Seal It

1. Set the two legs where the stand will live, 44 inches apart center to center.
2. Run a bead of construction adhesive on top of each branch.
3. With a helper, lower the top onto the legs, centered, and leave it to set overnight.
4. Brush on the concrete sealer in thin coats, as the can directs.

If small children live or visit, anchor the stand to the wall with an anti-tip kit. Do the same for a TV. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says most kits cost under $20 and take under 20 minutes to install.

Then set out the books and the bowl. That first movie night in front of it is the moment it stops being a bag of concrete.

The Mistakes That Make It Fail

These five come up again and again under concrete stand videos, and each one has a simple fix:

1. No steel inside. People are right: a long, thin top can snap. Lay wire mesh in the middle of the pour.
2. Branches pressed into the wet top. The wood swells and can crack it. Cast the top on its own and glue it on.
3. Moving it alone, or too soon. Wait 2 to 3 days, turn it on its edge, and get a helper.
4. Bare hands in wet concrete. It burns. Wear gloves and wash off splashes fast.
5. A stand that can tip. A heavy top on two legs needs a wall anchor if kids are around.

Get those five right, and you get the stand in the picture above: cool gray concrete on warm wood. It's solid enough to stay put for years.

Keep It Clean: Spills, Sealer and Dust

• Spills: wipe up oil, wine and coffee right away. Concrete stains fast, even sealed.
• Coasters: use them under drinks and plants.
• Sealer: when a drop of water darkens the concrete, it's time for a fresh coat.
• Feet: stick felt pads under the concrete feet, so they don't scratch the floor.

Then dim the lights, set the bowl on the top and wait for the first guest who asks where you bought it. For the rest of the room, our cozy winter decor ideas pair well with warm wood and gray.

Watch this build, and the next ones, on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.

FAQ

How Heavy Is a Concrete TV Stand?

This top, 60 x 14 x 1 1/2 inches, weighs about 105 pounds, and each foot about 20 pounds. Plan on two people to move it.

Do You Need Rebar in a Concrete Tabletop?

Use wire mesh instead. Thick rebar is too big for a top 1 1/2 inches thick. Mesh laid in the middle of the pour holds it together.

What Concrete Is Best for a Tabletop?

Countertop concrete mix. It flows into corners, cures smoother than regular concrete and is rated at 5,000 psi or more after 28 days.

How Long Before You Can Use a Concrete Top?

Leave it covered in the form for 2 to 3 days, as the maker advises. It reaches full strength in about 4 weeks, so treat it gently the first month.

Can a Concrete TV Stand Hold a TV?

Yes. If small children live or visit, anchor both the TV and the stand to the wall.

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