How to build a media wall

Inspired by a helpful YouTube guide. We based this walk-through on the Craig Phillips video "How to Install a Media Wall". Craig Phillips has been doing UK building and renovation work on camera for a long time - the video is methodical and shows the key decisions clearly.

1. Plan the layout before you pick up a saw

Decide how deep the alcove needs to be. Most TVs need 50–80mm of recess to sit flush. Add 50mm or so behind that for the TV mount itself and cable routing. The total stud depth is typically 150mm.

Think about what goes either side of the TV recess: open shelves, cupboard doors, or a bioethanol fire below. All of these affect how you frame up the bottom section. Sketch it out with actual dimensions before you buy timber.

2. Check for cables, pipes, and load-bearing walls

Scan the wall with a cable and pipe detector. If the wall is load-bearing, you are not building in front of it - you are building a false wall, which is fine, but you must not interfere with the structural wall itself.

If there is a chimney breast, confirm that the flue is not in current use and that the chimney pot has been capped if needed. A live flue inside a sealed media wall is a carbon monoxide risk.

3. Mark up and fix the perimeter frame

Fix a sole plate (bottom rail) to the floor and a head plate to the ceiling, checking they are plumb to each other. Use a laser level if you have one - it saves a lot of frustration. Fix with appropriate anchors: plugs and screws into concrete or masonry, screws through to joists for a timber floor.

Fix vertical noggins at the sides to close the frame in. These set the overall width of the media wall.

4. Build the alcove frame

Inside the main frame, build a smaller inner frame for the TV recess. This sits proud of the back wall by your chosen depth. Fix horizontal noggins at the top and bottom of the recess. Add a shelf noggin if you want a floating shelf below the TV.

Frame out side panels and any cupboard carcasses at this stage. It is much easier to fix internal framework now than after the board is on.

5. Route cables now

Run HDMI, power, and any other cables through the frame before boarding up. Fix socket backboxes in position and bring the cables to where they need to be. An electrician needs to connect mains cables at the consumer unit - that part is not DIY.

Use conduit inside the stud cavities to keep everything tidy and future-proof. Label cables at both ends.

6. Board the frame with plasterboard

Standard 12.5mm plasterboard is fine for the face of the wall. Fix at 300mm centres into the studs and noggins. Keep fixings 12mm in from board edges.

For the inside of the recess and shelf reveals, cut boards carefully and keep edges tight. These joins will be visible, so they are worth taking your time over.

7. Tape, fill, and skim

Tape all joints with scrim tape and fill with joint compound in two stages, feathering out the edges. For a truly flat finish, skim the whole face with finishing plaster. Let it dry fully before sanding or painting.

Fill all fixings flush. A common mistake is rushing this stage - any bumps show through paint, especially with a raking light.

8. Fit the TV mount and finishing details

Fix the TV mount into the studs or blocking you added during framing, not into the plasterboard. Most mounts need two studs or a piece of ply let in behind the board. Check the mount's weight rating against your TV.

Fit shelves, doors, or a fire surround as planned. Add architrave trim around the recess opening if the design calls for it.

When to call a handyman

Building a media wall is a fair amount of work over a couple of days. The framing and boarding side is well within a keen DIYer's reach - but getting the alcove perfectly square and level, routing cables correctly, and skimming the plasterboard to a proper finish is where most people hit a wall. Richard can help with the building work in Sandwich and East Kent.