Entertainment walls hide the clutter of electronics that go with modern TVs.
If you're a movie enthusiast, nothing beats a dedicated entertainment wall where you can have your flat screen TV mounted. In addition, you can build a small closet behind the entertainment wall to keep all the amplifiers, receivers, VCR's and other electronic equipment. This allows you to remove any distracting objects from the front of the entertainment unit. In addition, you can use the extra storage space to hang coats just by adding a bar between the room wall and the entertainment wall. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Measure the distance from the floor to the ceiling in the area you wish to install your entertainment wall. Ensure there will be sufficient space behind your wall for all your electronics and room in front of the wall for the viewers to sit at a comfortable viewing distance. Leave at least 2 feet of space behind the wall. Measure the width of your flat screen TV and ensure the wall can be at least as wide as this.
2. Cut the vertical studs 3 1/2 inches shorter than your floor-to-ceiling measurement to account for the header, footer and clearance space when you stand the wall up. To determine how many vertical studs to cut, divide the width of the wall you want to build by 16 and add 1. A 4-foot wall will require four vertical studs.
3. Cut two 2-by-4-inch studs to the width of the entertainment wall; these are your header and footer pieces.
4. Place the header and footer boards on the floor, perpendicular to each other, narrow edge down. Put the vertical studs between the header and footer, narrow edges down. Arrange the studs so one is even with each end of the header and footer forming a rectangle. Arrange the remaining studs every 16 inches in between the two end studs.
5. Secure the studs to the header and footer using two nails per stud. Nail from the outside of the header or footer into the bottom of the stud to secure it. You have now built a frame wall.
6. Stand the frame wall up in position. Check for level and that the wall is perpendicular to the room wall behind it. Nail the entertainment wall to the floor.
7. Keep the wall horizontal and insert the wood wedges between the top of the entertainment wall and the ceiling. Check the ceiling with a stud finder to locate the ceiling beams and attach the entertainment wall to the studs with the 3-inch screws.
8. Cut paneling to fit over the stud wall. Nail the paneling to the studs with finishing nails.
Tags: entertainment wall, header footer, vertical studs, flat screen, frame wall
