Baby-proofing the Cable Box - diy

Eliana loves to play with electronics!

ipads, cell phones, remotes....and the cable box.

The only problem is that the cable box can't be moved out of her reach.

We also keep a basket full of puzzles to the right of the cable box - so it is often times very tempting to push the buttons on the cable box as well.

So we improvised and made a cover for the cable box so that she can't reach it, but the remote still can :-)


I was excited to start this small diy project because I got to use two of my brand new tools!

I used my new Kobalt 10 inch Compound Sliding Miter Saw and power sander!!!  So excited!!!!

So I first built the basic box using 3/4" plywood that we had leftover in the basement from another project.  I measured the cable box and ledge it was sitting on so that we had a good fit.

The box essentially was a shell that was going to slide onto the cable box

I cut three pieces - two sides and one top.  It was 20" wide x 16" deep x 7" high

When choosing the height, I took into account the height of the cable box, space I had on the shelf and I also wanted to leave some space above the box (a couple inches) so that it could "breathe".  The vent on the cable box is located on the top so I needed to leave room for air circulation.

Here is a side view. 

I attached the sides and top with pocket holes (I used a Kreg Jig for this).

The pocket holes are nice because you can't see any of the screws from the outside top or sides.

 I painted the box an espresso brown so that it almost matches the piece of furniture it is sitting on.

 Eliana tested it out to make sure it was sturdy :-)

And then we tested it in the family room to make sure we liked the size and color.

Testing the color and size before adding the finishing touches - you can see the vent on top of the cable box with a couple inches of room between it and the new box we built.

I found decorative sheet metal at Home Depot.

We cut the metal sheet to the size we needed (to fit on the front of the box) using metal sheers.

While cutting, it worked best if I rolled the part I was going to throw away

We then painted the metal screen a metallic golden brown color.

I used upholstery tacks to attach the screen to the front of the box.

The Finished Product!

The finished product in use.