How to Frame a TV on the Wall

Thank you to Bulbrite for sponsoring this post!

A few weeks ago, our friend gave us his old TV. It was a joyous occasion because we’d lived for 3 months without a TV! We put it up on the record player and it worked like a charm. But it didn’t look good. I knew that I’d want to frame it the moment we put it up. Why? Just because you have a TV doesn’t mean it has to be an eyesore. Here’s how to frame a TV on the wall.

before

SMART LIGHT BULBS

Before I share the tutorial for how to frame the TV, I wanted to tell you about another big update we did in our home! We switched all of our light bulbs to Bulbrite’s Solana Smart LED Bulbs. These are pretty great because you don’t need a new light switch or hub to work these- just screw them in!

I especially like these bulbs because they’re pretty! They look great if you have a glass light fixture. Plus they’re LEDs so they’ll last longer than traditional bulbs. 

To work the light bulbs, you just need to download the Bulbrite Solana app. Once the app is downloaded, you can easily connect each smart bulb via your wifi.

Once the bulbs are connected, you can assign them to groups. I use groups as a way to control all the bulbs in one room. For example, the two night stands in my bedroom are in a group so I can quickly turn them on and off at the same time or from bed- it’s bliss! Then in my living room, the sconces, floor lamp, and desk lamp  are in a second group.

Now that the bulbs are in groups, I can further customize the settings with Scenes. What this means is that you can set the temperature and brightness of the bulbs for exactly what you need. For example, I love my nightstands on a warm dim setting for right before bed.

In my living room, I have two settings for the group of light bulbs. One is for cleaning- where each bulb is on the lightest and brightest it can be. The second setting is for TV watching where just the sconces and lamp are on, but they’re on a warmer and dimmer setting. We also have the TV watching scene set-up to turn off at 11:15- aka bed time!

The Bulbrite’s Solana Smart LED Bulbs are so customizable- you can even set your bedside lighting to slowly turn on at a certain time in the morning to gradually wake you up. Isn’t that so cool?!

If you’re away from home and you forgot to turn off a light bulb, you can simply pull up the app and turn them off. We have these bulbs in our front porch light fixture. They’re set to turn on and off every day on a schedule for when it’s dark outside. For travel, this will be nice because our front porch light draw attention to the fact that we are away. So it’s a bit of a security feature too!

The thing I really appreciate about these is that they’re pretty affordable too! You can click here to buy Bulbrite Solana Bulbs on Amazon!

how to frame a TV on the wall SUPPLIES

• Trim for the front of the TV frame. We got 16′ for our 55″ TV
• Wood for the sides of the TV frame. We got 20′ for our 55″ TV
• Screws to attach the TV frame together. 1 package will be plenty
• Wood Filler
• White Paint in eggshell 
• Caulk
• TV Mount
• Extension Cord

step 1

Start by mounting your TV on the wall. Use the instructions included with the TV mount and make sure to attach it to studs.

After the TV is mounted, it’s time to start measuring and cutting the trim to go on the TV. This will differ from TV to TV. To get the measurement for your frame, measure the width of the TV then add the width of your side boards which in our case is 1.5″ (3/4″ x 2). Repeat by measuring the height of the TV then add the width of your side boards.

For my 55″ TV, the top and bottom pieces of frame were 50 3/4″ and the side pieces of frame were 30″. Each TV will differ, so make sure to measure your TV with the formula above.

To get the measurement for the side pieces of wood, you’ll use the same measurements that you found above. So the length of the side piece of frame is the same as the front frame. Then for the top and bottom piece, it’s the same measurement as above, just subtract the width of your side boards.

For us, the top and bottom pieces of trim were 49 1/4″ and the side pieces of trim were 30″. Each TV will differ, so make sure to measure your TV with the formula above.

step 2

Next, assemble the cut trim side boards. Use screws to attach the pieces of wood together.

step 3

Once everything is assembled, bring the frame to the TV for a dry fit. This is when you’re going to want to turn on your TV and make sure the remote still works with the wood over the TV. Note, we don’t have anything holding the frame onto the TV. It’s such a tight and snug fit, it isn’t going anywhere. 

At the bottom of our TV was a Samsung emblem. That was causing issues with our frame so my husband sanded it down with a Dremel.

step 4

And now, use wood filler to fill the holes from the screws. Let the wood filler dry for a few hours and then sand it down. Next, you can paint. I went white so that it’ll blend in with the rest of the room.

I didn’t fill the front pieces of trim on the mitered cuts so those could move a bit during installation. Once the frame was on, I caulked those gaps and they disappeared.

At the bottom of the frame, we drilled a hole where the sensor for the remote is so it’ll still work with the frame on the TV.

Finally, it’s time for cord management. Part of the eyesore from before was the three cords hanging down. So my husband mounted a 2×4 board above the TV mount.

On that board, he placed our Switch and a power strip. This is what the TV and Switch plugs into. So now, the only cord coming down the wall is the white power strip cord which blends in nicely with the wall. 

Hint, if your wall isn’t white, you can paint the cord to match your wall too.

Here’s a close up so you can see how the cords are wound up and the gaming console is secured with screws. It’s these little details that make a big difference in a project! When the TV is pushed back on the mount, this shelf pretty much disappears.

after

And here is my fresh new wall!!! It looks worlds better and is super functional too!

Plus, because it’s on the mount it’s moveable. Though, mostly it’ll stay here. To make the TV look more like you’re displaying art, you can find a YouTube channel with an art slideshow like I did here. 

Side note, this chair was a thrift store find that I redid with white chalk paint and pink fabric I found on Amazon. It took awhile to paint, but I love the lines on the chair. Doesn’t the back look like a big bow?! Here’s the before-

Anyway, I am so proud of how this wall is looking. It’s come a LONG way in the past few months! Want a reminder of how far this wall has come?!

Much better! Let me know if you have any questions in the comments. Thank you for reading!

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