How to Build a TV and Fireplace Media Wall

Media walls are a great way to improve the aesthetic of your living room by incorporating your TV and fireplace into a partitioned wall that resembles a chimney breast. It creates a seamless and elegant way to house your media units and source of heat whilst hiding all those ugly cables and other unsightly electronics. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the step-by-step construction process, provide a materials list, and share valuable tips for how to build a media wall. Starting with the crucial planning stage, I’ll help you ensure that every element fits perfectly for a flawless and aesthetically pleasing result.

Planning Your Media Wall

Before you get started, it’s important to sketch out your design and think about what components you will have within your media wall. In this example, I will be sharing a media wall that I built to my customer’s requirements and specifications. They incorporated a large TV, an electric fireplace and I’ve hidden their TV Freeview box within the wall. Here’s a quick sketch we drew up before continuing.

If you’re looking to replicate this design, which is suitable for most interiors, you can find my full step-by-step instructions, detailed plans, diagrams and 3D interactive model in my shop.

---

What Depth Does a Media Wall Need to be?

We discussed a depth of 25 or 30cm but decided on 25cm to keep the wall from protruding into the room too much. This would still allow us ample space for mounting the fireplace and TV bracket.

You can determine the minimum depth for your wall by measuring the depth of your TV, the mounting bracket and the mounting bracket fixings. You should also allow for a wooden board ~30mm which will be fixed to the wall to support your TV mounting bracket. I used a piece of scaffold board for this which was 35mm thick. You could also use a piece of 22mm MDF board or something similar.

TOP TIP: Buy your TV, mounting bracket and fireplace before starting the build. This will allow you to measure accurately the total depth of your setup.

Here is a link to the fireplace used in this build:

How Much Does it Cost to Build a Media Wall? (2024/25)

Excluding the cost of the TV and fireplace this media wall will cost in the region of £400. This includes the cost of all the materials and about £200 to hire a plasterer, which should be more than enough. Below, I’ve included a list of materials required to complete this build and some links to where you can buy them.

Material	Quantity	Cost
CLS studwork C16 2.4m – 50mm x 75mm (finished size 38x63mm)	12	£36
Plasterboard 12.5mm – 2440mm x 1220mm	2	£25
70mm x 4m wood screws – pack of 160	1	£21
38mm Drywall screws – pack of 200	1	£12
40mm x 4mm wood screws – pack of 250	1	£8.50
Red Rawlplugs – pack of 96	1	£3
Skirting board (to match your own)	1	£20
Paint of your choice – 2.5L	1	£25
Hiring a plasterer	1	£200
TV wall mounting bracket dual arm	1	£45
TV Freeview Box mounting kit	1	£8
TOTAL		£403

Don’t forget the cost of the TV and fireplace which will be in the region of £1000.

If you are hiring someone to build this wall for you then you should also take into consideration the labour costs. I charged about £200 for this build which took a total of 10 hours to complete.

TOP TIP: Ensure you buy a dual-arm TV mounting bracket. These are far stronger than single-arm brackets and will ensure your TV remains straight and level once mounted into the opening. Here is a link to the one we used which was perfect for this job.

Here is the TV we used for this project. It was almost identical in width to the fireplace which made for a nice tidy installation.

How Big do the Openings Need to be?

The opening for your TV will need to be about 5-10mm around each side. measure your TV and add 20mm to the width and height of the opening. In my example the TV measured 124cm x 71cm, Therefore the finished opening needed to be 126cm x 73cm.

The fireplace is slightly different. We want to ensure the opening gap is no more than 5mm larger than the appliance. In this case, the fireplace measured 123cm x 46cm so the opening was made to be 123.5cm x 26.5cm.

TOP TIP: Think carefully about each of these openings, as the TV opening will need to be finished neatly on all sides, whereas the fireplace has a magnetic cover which overlaps onto the finished wall, so it doesn’t need finishing on all sides. (I’ll explain this section in detail in the step-by-step guide below.

Media Wall Step-by-Step Build Instructions

Let’s jump into this build with the first task, removing the existing skirting board.

Step 1. Remove the Existing Skirting Board

Using a utility knife, scraper, claw hammer or a skirting board removal tool, gently pry the skirting board away from the wall. Start by scoring the top of the skirting board, where it meets the wall, with a utility knife. This prevents the caulk from ripping off the paint and makes it easier to insert the removal tool.

Step 2. Building the Outer Frame

For this part, we will use the C16 timber.

Step 2.1 – The Floor Frame

• Measure, cut and join three pieces to form the base of the frame
• Place the frame on the floor in your desired location
• Drill holes in the floor, insert Rawlplugs and screw the frame to the floor (fix in four points)

TOP TIP: You can build the frame directly onto any existing hard flooring. If you have carpets or vinyl flooring then it’s a good idea to cut this out before you start. You can use a utility knife to cut around the C16 timber frame.

Step 2.2 – The Wall Frame

Now it’s time to secure the timber pieces to the wall.

• Measure and cut two pieces to fit either side of the frame.
• These pieces can be secured to the wall by drilling holes and securing Rawlplugs. Use a spirit level to ensure they are perfectly lined up.
• I used the 70mm screws to fix these pieces in place.

TOP TIP: Hold the vertical piece against the wall and adjust it using a spirit level until it’s perfect. Then drill the four holes with a wooden drill bit that is just long enough to go through the wood and mark the wall. You can then remove the timber and drill the wall in the marked locations to insert the Rawlplugs. I find that a 6mm masonry drill bit is the perfect size for these red Rawlplugs.

Consider a laser level. You might also consider a laser level for aligning your timbers. A laser level can help you position each piece without the need for a spare set of hands. They are highly accurate and simplify the build process. Grab 10% off this LasGoo 3D green laser level on Amazon with code: RMHXNOCN

Step 2.3 – Complete the Outer Frame

Now we can complete the rest of the outer frame before building the individual sections.

• Measure and cut the other vertical wall piece and secure in place as above.
• Measure and cut two vertical front pieces and the three top pieces. (See below image)
• Secure these pieces to the frame. You can use a pocket hole system to secure the top two shorter pieces to the vertical wall pieces.

TOP TIP: Pocket hole jigs are a great way of securing two pieces of wood together when access is not possible from the other side of the wood. I’ve used a Kreg Jig and clamp to accomplish this. You can find the Kreg Jig and Kreg Clamp here:

Step 3. Building the Apertures (or openings) for the Appliances

The first opening that we need to make is that of the fireplace. This opening can be made ~3mm wider than the actual unit. That will give us a little wiggle room to ensure the fireplace fits in the gap nicely.

Step 3.1 – The Fireplace Aperture

• Measure the fireplace width and height. Add 3mm to each side. In my example, the fire place measures 460mm x 1230mm. Therefore I will be making the aperture 466mm x 1236mm.
• Measure the height from the floor as to where the bottom of the fireplace will sit and mark either side of the frame.
• Measure the thickness of the timber and cut two upstanding support pieces and the support piece.
• The pieces can be secured in place from the sides and pocket holes can be drilled to secure to the base timber.

• Now measure 466mm and mark the side pieces as to the height of the fireplace.
• Secure a cross piece in place at either side and cut two side support pieces.
• Measure the width of the fireplace and secure the two side supports in place. 1236mm.
• Measure two pieces to support the top frame piece as pictured.

• Measure the distance from the top of the fireplace to the bottom of the TV opening. In this case we decided on 190mm.
• Mark either side of the frame and cut the horizontal piece and two upward support pieces as pictured above.

Step 3.2 – The TV Aperture

This opening differs in that it will be finished on the inner edges as pictured here:

To calculate the aperture for the TV there are a few distances we need to be aware of.

1. The total TV width and height. 1240mm x 710mm
2. The thickness of the plasterboard. 12.5mm (X2) = 25
3. The thickness of the plaster. ~5mm (X2) = 10
4. Allowance for a small gap around the TV once in place. ~10mm (X2) = 20

So the height of the TV aperture needs to be 710 + 25 + 10 + 20 = 765mm

The width of the TV aperture needs to be 1240 + 25 + 10 + 20 = 1295mm

Now we can complete the opening timber frame as per the above dimensions.

I’ve added centre pieces of timber to allow fixing the plasterboard. This is because a single sheet of plasterboard isn’t wide enough to cover the front of this wall. That’s why I added two pieces of plasterboard.

I’ve also added some side supports to strengthen the whole frame.

Step 4. Finishing the Frame Ready for Plasterboard

For some added support around the TV aperture, I added some pieces of timber in the corners so that I could easily secure the plasterboard in place.

Step 5. Adding the Plasterboard Sheets

The plasterboard can now be cut and secured to the frame. To achieve this I:

• I held a piece of plasterboard against the frame and marked the two apertures from inside the frame. The plasterboard was held against the centre point of the wall.
• Cut the plasterboard using a sharp utility knife. The off-cuts can be used for the sides so don’t throw these away.

• The plasterboard can be secured in place using the 38mm drywall screws. Try spacing them out by about 250mm as above image.
• Repeat this process for all sides.

We can now finish the inner sections of the TV aperture. For this, we can use all the off-cuts from the openings.

Step 6. Over to the Plasterer

With all the plasterboard securely fixed to the timber frame it’s time to call in the experts to complete the plastering. They will be able to accomplish a tidy finish with beading around all the edges.

You could try this part yourself but I prefer to leave this to the professionals. It takes time and patience to plaster to a good level.

I didn’t manage to get a picture of the plaster at work but this is the finished wall once painted.

You can just make out the finished sides of the TV aperture and the unfinished aperture for the fireplace.

Step 7. Fitting the TV and Fireplace

Step 7.1 – Fitting the Fireplace

The fireplace is the easy part. This simply slides into the opening and is secured to the timber frame from the inside panels. Four screws are all it takes, and the outer frame simply sticks (with magnets) to the front to hide the untidy plastered finish. If you’re still looking for the right fireplace, you can shop black friday fireplace deals at Fireplace Distributor.

See the full fireplace installation instructions here:

Step 7.2 – Fitting the TV

The slightly complicated part is fitting the TV in exactly the right place. The TV needs to be mounted on a swinging arm to allow easy access.

Before I started this I wanted to ensure the TV mounting bracket had a good solid backing to fix to. I decided to fix a 35mm piece of scaffold board to the wall first. (alternatively use a piece of 22mm plywood). This was secured to the wall in 10 locations.

• Cut a piece of scaffold board roughly 700mm in length
• Mark out roughly where the bracket will fix on the wall. To do this, lay the TV flat on the floor (on a soft blanket to avoid scratching the screen) and fit the mounting bracket. Now measure from the top of the screen to the top of the bracket. This will indicate where the bracket will sit on the wall.
• Hold the scaffold board on the wall so there is plenty of room for the bracket to fix to the board.
• Whilst holding the scaff board on the wall, drill 10 pilot holes into the board so that the drill bit just reaches the wall and will mark it. Start with the four corners and then in 6 other equally spaced locations around the board.
• Drill 6mm holes into the wall and insert 10 red Rawlplugs.
• Now secure the board to the wall using 70mm screws

TOP TIPS:

• Check the wall for live cables before drilling. I use a Bosch Truvo wall stud and cable detector which is a great piece of kit.
• I have been working on a drylined wall. (Plasterboard stuck to a brick wall with adhesive). Rawl plugs are ideal for this application.
• If you are securing your TV to a stud wall then I’d recommend securing the scaffold board to the studs (where possible) and then use a cavity wall fixing for the other locations. Studs in most cases will be spaced 400mm apart. (In some cases 600mm)

I then returned to the TV to take some more accurate measurements. I wanted to ensure the TV was mounted perfectly in the centre for my customers, leaving equal gaps at the top and bottom. This is how I did it:

• I used a set square pushed up against the top of the TV whilst it was lying flat.
• I secured the mounting bracket to the back of the TV using the correct spacers provided with the kit.
• I measured to the exact milimeter the distance from the top of the TV to the top of the bracket.
• I then marked on the wall the same distance minus 5mm. This would indicate the correct place to fix the bracket.
• I removed the bracket from the TV and held it in place.
• I started by securing just one 40mm screw into the bracket. This would allow me to fine-adjust the placement with a spirit level before securing the bracket in 7 more places.
• I took a final measurement before lifting the TV onto the bracket.

Step 8. Fitting the Skirting Board

It is possible to reuse some of the old skirting board but you’ll need an extra 600mm or so for the additional length added.

This skirting board was a 94mm bullnose board which can be found at most hardware suppliers. I cut the pieces using a mitre saw which made the job so much easier. I glued the pieces to the wall and finished it off with some caulk.

And there we have the final product. A sexy media wall finished to perfection!

Once the construction of your TV and fireplace wall is complete. It’s time to decorate and design to tie the room together. Look at these media wall ideas for some interior inspiration.

---

---

Conclusion and Q&A

Most of you will be able to build this media wall with a bit of patience, basic materials and a few tools. You might need to leave the plastering to the professionals but the rest is easily achievable. You can also get creative with your media wall by adding some shelving, drawers, cupboards, a sound bar or even a surround sound system. The only thing I would recommend is to invest in a new TV.

TOP TIP: It’s seriously worth considering investing in a new TV for your media wall project. Remember that it’s going to be very difficult to change the size of the aperture that the TV sits in and finding another TV with the exact same dimensions could be extremely challenging. Therefore, investing in the latest technology should see your media wall out for 10 or more years. I’ve written a great guide on what to look for in a new TV here:

We also recommend getting your hands on a testing kit from the asbestos samples direct website before you make any potential structural changes or need to work across your property.

---

---

DIY Media Wall Q & A

What is the Cheapest Way to Build a Media Wall?

You could potentially save some money by swapping the plasterboard and plastering for MDF boards. these will be cheaper but the finish won’t be quite as good. Any joins between boards will be noticeable once painted. You could potentially reduce the cost by up to 35% using this method.

You could also learn how to plaster a wall yourself. Watch some YouTube videos and practice before taking on this job.

B&Q voucher codes can also help you save on building materials.

What Kind of Wood Should be Used on a Media Wall Frame?

I’d recommend using the above C16 CLS timber which measures 50mm x 75mm (38x63mm finished size) and comes in 2.4m lengths. You could opt for a thicker CLS timber but I don’t see the need unless you are looking to support some significant weight.

What is the Best Material to Use for a Media Wall?

In my media wall construction, I used a 2×1″ timber frame covered by plasterboard and finished with a skim of plaster for the perfect smooth finish. This method ensures an exact replication of most interior walls for UK houses. It becomes a seamless transition between the media wall and the existing walls, making it look like it was always meant to be there. I believe this to be the best material for media wall construction.

Many people ask: “Should I use MDF or plasterboard for a media wall?”. MDF is a good alternative material to use for this application but in my professional opinion, I don’t feel like it provides the best finish due to the issue of joining the boards. MDF can be a cheaper alternative to plasterboard and can be finished with a few layers of paint but joins will be noticeable. Joins can’t easily be blended like they can when plastering plasterboard. If you want to use MDF to build your media wall, I’d recommend designing the wall to have zero joins, making the most from the maximum 8×4′ board size. Try incorporate shelves or ledges within your design to hide joints between MDF boards.

Does a Media Wall Need Ventilation?

Most media walls will not require any ventilation as the TV with a ~10mm gap around the edge should provide sufficient airflow. As for the fireplace, these specific models are designed to be fitted into sealed enclosures so you won’t need any additional ventilation. Always check the manufacturer’s requirements to be sure about ventilation requirements.

How to Build a Media Wall With Shelves

Here are some more media wall ideas for some inspiration. If you are looking for something a little more extravagant then something like this might be ideal for you. My customer’s brother built his own media wall and incorporated a number of shelves into the design. He also built the whole unit into an existing alcove to blend in seamlessly to the room.

More Media Wall Ideas

Here are a few images demonstrating the different designs you could consider for your media wall. If you’re looking for something unique, you could consider speaking to the experts at Auton.com, who specialise in motorised display cabinets that can help you conceal your TV in the ceiling or pop out of the floor!

How Long Does a Media Wall Take to Build?

A small media wall like the one I built will take about 2-3 days to complete. This doesn’t take into consideration the time it takes for the plaster to dry, which normally takes about 1 week. The basic frame with plasterboard took about 8 hours, plastering took about 3 hours, painting 2 hours and finishing the skirting and mounting the units took 3 hours. So in total, it’s about 16 hours.

More extravagant media walls will obviously take longer. Depending on the electrical setup, you may also need additional sockets, lighting, or wiring. In these cases, it’s best to hire an electrician to carry out the work safely and efficiently, as professional installation not only saves time but also ensures your media wall can handle all your home entertainment needs

Can You Have a Log Burner in a Media Wall?

Yes, you can incorporate a log burner into a media wall but you will need to shield the TV from the high levels of heat. You can buy a fireplace construction board which can withstand and shield temperatures up to 1100 degrees Celsius. When installed above the log burner you can help deflect and dissipate heat away from your TV or other electrical units.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Glenn Carr (@gcarr_joinery_and_building)

Do you Need a Soundbar With a Media Wall?

A sound bar is always a good addition to a TV, especially in a media wall but it might not be for everyone. Yes, you will greatly improve the sound properties and viewing experience of your media wall but it’s not essential.

When we mount a TV inside an enclosure we effectively reduce the performance of the audio and speakers that are built into a TV. We reduce their effectiveness to project into the room, as they are mounted in the back of the TV. A sound bar helps the sound project freely into a room. If you like watching films and cinematics on your living room TV then I would recommend incorporating either a sound bar into your media wall or investing in a separate surround sound system.

If you’re looking for a good quality soundbar reasonably priced, I’d recommend the Sony HT-S2000. It received a 5-star rating from What Hi-Fi, is available for less than £300 and can easily be incorporated into a media wall to boost your viewing experience.

What Tools are Required to Build a Media Wall?

Here’s a list of tools I’ve used for this media wall. You can of course select similar brands, these are just my preferences and recommendations.

Tool	Recommendation
Combi drill and driver set	Dewalt DCK266P2T Brushless twin pack 18v combi drill and impact driver
Mitre saw / chop saw	Evolution R255MS+ compound mitre saw 240v
Kreg Jig and clamp	Kreg Jig R3 Pocket hole set and Clamp
3D laser level	LasGoo 3D self-levelling green laser (10% off with code: RMHXNOCN)
Spirit level (large)	OX Pro Level magnetic 600mm
Hammer	Starwork 20oz hammer with comfort grip
Utility Knife	Milwaukee Foldable Pocket Knife
Pencil	Tracer Pro Series aluminium construction pencil
Tape Measure	Stanley 8m pocket tape measure

The Perfect TV to Compliment Your Media Wall

The perfect TV for this installation. This 4K QLED TV from Samsung makes the perfect addition to a media wall due to its outstanding picture quality and Atmos virtual surround sound. The ultra-lightweight and slim design allows for easy installation and the virtual surround sound output helps project audio into the room without the need for an additional soundbar.

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to reach out with any questions you might have and I’ll do my best to answer them. You will find a comments section below where I will respond ASAP.

---

---

If you have found this resource helpful, please consider buying me a coffee to support more free content like this. Thanks, Ben 🪚 ☕️

---

Some More Great Project from Ben @ Wood Create