Photo: Thomas Loof
Just because you rent, that doesn't mean you can't own the living room. It does, however, mean you can't punch a trillion holes in the wall to mount your TV. Solution: Make your own wall and puncture the hell out of it. Here's a recipe for a rock-solid fake wall that should hold a flatscreen of up to 50 inches—without destroying your landlord's precious plaster.
//www.youtube.com/embed/jBozLzlb8Ck
Project Difficulty:
__Time Required:__About four hours
Total Cost:$196
Materials Required:
- Drywall
- Lumber
- Screws
- Paint and spackle
- Sandpaper
- TV mount
Tools Required:
- Drill/driver
- Hole saw bit
- Circular saw
- Clamps
- Eye protection
Step 1: Cut
Good news: You can buy drywall and plywood pre-cut to the right size. Better news: The two-by-fours will need trimming. Using a circular saw, cut two at 48 inches and four at 89 inches.
Step 2: Screw
Make a sandwich: Drywall on top, then the plywood, then the two-by-fours. Screw the two short two-by-fours along the top and bottom edges. Screw the four longer pieces vertically between them. Space them equally, 16 inches apart, just like the studs in your walls.
Step 3: Paint
Smear some spackle over the screw heads and along the edges of the wall. Wait for it to dry, then sand it smooth. Wipe the whole wall with a damp paper towel, then paint it the color of the living room walls (or something awesomer).
Step 4: Mount
Attach your TV mount like you own the joint: into the studs of your fake wall, where the support is greatest. Don't attach the TV yet.
Step 5: Drill
Using a hole saw bit, drill where your TV, DVR, and streaming-media boxes will go. Run the cables—power, HDMI, and so on—between them.
Step 6: Wall, meet wall
Find a stud on your actual wall. Using 4-inch drywall screws, attach the fake wall to the real one. Cover the screw holes with spackle and paint.
Step 7: Hook it up
Now mount the TV and connect everything.
Step 8: Kick back
You deserve it.
Diagrams: Brown Bird Design; Additional labor by Nick Stockton
- ### The Age of Invisible Design Has Arrived
