Ideas for hiding TV /AV cables…

[steveoelliott]

Hi Folks,

 

A while ago I hung our 65 inch LG gallery TV with a B and O soundbar but for quickness just hid cables in decorative trunking.

 

As we think about decorating now is the time to consider hiding these. I have 3 HDMI cables, USB extender cable and power cable going through the trunking; the sound bar just has a single HDMI in and out.

 

The wall is an external solid brick wall (not dot and dabbed) and not in a place I see it as it faces a field to the side of our house.

 

I see my options as follows:

 

1) Go external with all the wires using suitable conduit outside and bore three holes in the wall where cables need to go in and out. Not exactly the most elegant but would work.

 

2) Chase out the wall and bury the wires in conduit , with 3 outlets and fill over.

 

3) Build some kind of media wall, clad the wall in something like nature wall and hide wires behind or have some false MDF panel screwed on the wall and make a feature of it with LED surround lights etc.

 

Just keen to know others inputs or solutions?

 

Edited February 11, 2023 by steveoelliott

[Andehh]

What's the wall made of, if its a single sheet of plasterboard you MIGHT (probably not though...) get lucky with the dabs and be able to squeeze cables down behind plasterboard?

 

if not, multi cutter to cut a channel all the way down of plasterboard & clip cables in, then bury in plasterboard or chase wall out deeper & fit a duct? 

 

Or easiest....paint the duct to match the wall s& that'll get you half way there for 30mins work.

[Conor]

Stud it out, put sockets at TV height, inset storage. That nook is made for it .

[Nickfromwales]

11 minutes ago, Conor said:

Stud it out, put sockets at TV height, inset storage. That nook is made for it .

100%.

 

Defo don't go outside. That'll cause all sorts of problems.

[steveoelliott]

35 minutes ago, Conor said:

Stud it out, put sockets at TV height, inset storage. That nook is made for it .

Thank you… Would you leave the TV affixed to the solid brick wall or just stud out wall entirely (with storage and opening for TV). Question is having good fixings for heavy TVs and not relying on plasterboard!
 

Guess I could ensure there are plenty of timbers within to screw to.

[RichardL]

I would avoid a media wall - things change size/shape requirements over time (even if you persuade yourself they wont)

Best option looks like putting the TV on the unit in the foreground - the wires will naturally be hidden by it.

[Conor]

28 minutes ago, steveoelliott said:

Thank you… Would you leave the TV affixed to the solid brick wall or just stud out wall entirely (with storage and opening for TV). Question is having good fixings for heavy TVs and not relying on plasterboard!
 

Guess I could ensure there are plenty of timbers within to screw to.

We did it on an internal block wall- studded out 50mm to allow for sockets etc, then brought the surround out around the TV another 200mm. Put a sheet of 18mm ply on the TV recess so just screwed the TV mount to it with 30mm screws. Don't need much to hold a modern TV on a flat mount. Made the TV recess a good bit bigger than needed to to cover any change of use in the future.

[steveoelliott]

1 minute ago, Conor said:

We did it on an internal block wall- studded out 50mm to allow for sockets etc, then brought the surround out around the TV another 200mm. Put a sheet of 18mm ply on the TV recess so just screwed the TV mount to it with 30mm screws. Don't need much to hold a modern TV on a flat mount. Made the TV recess a good bit bigger than needed to to cover any change of use in the future.

Good shout on the 18mm ply as you should get a decent fixing onto that and even if you change brackets with different screw holes / positions it will accommodate.

 

Have you got any pictures?

[Nickfromwales]

1 hour ago, RichardL said:

I would avoid a media wall - things change size/shape requirements over time (even if you persuade yourself they wont)

Best option looks like putting the TV on the unit in the foreground - the wires will naturally be hidden by it.

Boring!!  Where's the fun in that? If the TV changes then it's same size one-off-one-on, simples. A media wall is a great place to lose the front / FL / FR / soundbar etc and look 'cool'. We like cool. A TV on a cabinet is what I expect to see when visiting an elderly relative.

[Declan52]

You could use the wooden slot boards and mount a TV unit on the wall. 

Much easier than a media wall with none of the issues of you fancy upgrading the TV to a 75 inch unit!!

 

[Nickfromwales]

57 minutes ago, steveoelliott said:

Have you got any pictures?

Wall stud framed and TV bracket mounted. 

 

Lower studs were cut and altered to fit the sub box hidden enclosures. And rear wall was cut and recessed to allow flush fitting speakers in the TF of the house. 
 

Left and right sub boxes installed. Nice. 

The two sub boxes are where the two locator holes are. Centre in between those, and FL and FR are either side of TV recess. 
Atmos in the ceilings and away we go. 

 

This is for my current clients MBC TF PH build and we’re doing turnkey, so included a cinema room. Because why wouldn’t you if you could? 👍👌😎. 

[Nickfromwales]

Just now, Declan52 said:

You could use the wooden slot boards and mount a TV unit on the wall. 

Much easier than a media wall with none of the issues of you fancy upgrading the TV to a 75 inch unit!!

 

Nice. 

[steveoelliott]

5 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Wall stud framed and TV bracket mounted. 

 

Lower studs were cut and altered to fit the sub box hidden enclosures. And rear wall was cut and recessed to allow flush fitting speakers in the TF of the house. 
 

Left and right sub boxes installed. Nice. 

The two sub boxes are where the two locator holes are. Centre in between those, and FL and FR are either side of TV recess. 
Atmos in the ceilings and away we go. 

 

This is for my current clients MBC TF PH build and we’re doing turnkey, so included a cinema room. Because why wouldn’t you if you could? 👍👌😎. 

Looks sweet! I’m envious. So the vesa mount here us screwed to ply I presume? Looks like it.

[Nickfromwales]

13 minutes ago, steveoelliott said:

Looks sweet! I’m envious. So the vesa mount here us screwed to ply I presume? Looks like it.

I cut into the green AT plywood and inserted pieces of 5"x2" where the TV bracket needed the most strength. I then put the off-cuts back in, screwed them to the timbers, and AT taped everything back up.

 

That's an opening that is to take a 65" TV with a 6mm shadow gap all around, when the TV is pushed in flush to the wall ( after cabling up ). Should look the Dachshunds danglies when done. Should sound awesome too.

 

Ignore the bunch of white cables, they're for the various cinema / living / dining / kitchen and landscape lighting, controlled via Quinetic WiFi + RF receivers which are to be hidden up inside the TV wall ( so I can access them for service / replacement etc ). Seemed a good place to put them as the TV can be pulled in / out with ease on that lovely German bracket  

Edited February 11, 2023 by Nickfromwales
I can't spell after one beer ffs

[steveoelliott]

9 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

I cut into the green AT plywood and inserted pieces of 5"x2" where the TV bracket needed the most strength. I then put the off-cuts back in, screed them to the timbers, and AT taped everything back up.

 

That's an opening that is to take a 65" TV with a 6mm shadow gap all around, when the TV is pushed in flush to the wall ( after cabling up ). Should look the Dachshunds danglies when done. Should sound awesome too.

 

Ignore the bunch of white cables, they're for the various cinema / living / dining / kitchen and landscape lighting, controlled via Quinetic WiFi + RF receivers which are to be hidden up inside the TV wall ( so I can access them for service / replacement etc ). Seemed a good place to put them as the TV can be pulled in / out with ease on that lovely German bracket  

It’s very nice. If you fancy coming to Kettering and pricing mine up let me know lol… sure you’re busy enough!

 

Certainly got a lot of ideas.

Edited February 11, 2023 by steveoelliott

[Nickfromwales]

Just now, steveoelliott said:

It’s very nice. If you fancy coming to Kettering and pricing line up let me know lol… sure you’re busy enough!

 

Certainly got a lot of ideas.

I'm on site at Melton Mowbrey and Lutterworth ATM. If you can wait until 2024 we may have a chance lol. The self-build world has exploded. Not enough hours in the day atm!!

[crispy_wafer]

I'm trying to plan a media wall at the moment, unfortunately I'm about 9 months away from buying a tv to fit in it.  There's some lovely crisp/clean looking ideas on google images, without the obligatory fire undeneath (not a fan tbh).  Openings either side for shelves if you want, with some LED strip lights for a bit of mood lighting etc etc.  Makes a nice feature I think.