False Chimney Breast with Flush Mounted Plasma and speakers - Examples Please!

[Tyler Durden]

Hello,

I am considering a slight change to my current set up.

I would like to centralise the install, and was considering building a false chimney breast at the same time, and mounting the screen and speakers flush into it. I would buy an new upright stand and move the components to the left corner. The sub could either go next to the components or into the corner on the right.

Any thoughts or examples on how to go about this would be great.

Thanks in advance.

[adamboote]

I'm looking to make my own fake chimney breast install when I move house, hopefully soon, so any advice would be helpful. There isn't a link in the FAQ to fake chimney breasts. Surely this is a popular subject.

The main things that I need to investigate are, can you just rip out the old chimney surround? the wall wont fall down or anything will it? do I need to get someone in to block the chimney up afterwards?
What wood should I be using to create the fake chimney breast
Once I have built it, plasterboarded it and got it skimmed, how do I get to any wires at the back of the tele if anything goes wrong?
Im assuming that If I put my AV cabinet at the side of the new breast or anywhere else in the room, the best thing to do is take the floorboards up and run cables along there? ie from the tele and front speakers to the amp, so that no wires are showing?
Again, for the rear speaker is it best to run cables from my cabinet under the floorboards chase the wall out up to the speakers and then get it skimmed?

If I decided to put a fire in the bottom of the new fake surround what is the best option

[adamboote]

I'm not trying to hijack your thread Tyler It just sounded like we are both after the same info

[Tyler Durden]

Not really after the same things as I am building a false chimney breast on a currently blank wall, not ripping our anything.

[Tyler Durden]

Well I guess I'll start with some of my own findings.

I'll need one of these or something like it.

Mount it on my current wall then build round it.

Measure the size of my screen (or the bit just behind the bezel) and make a frame on the wall which is the same size plus the size of the plaster board.

That should fit like this:

(thanks The_Wizard)

Then build frames in a similar way for each of the 3 front speakers, like Playrider has done here:

[Dave H]

heres mine.

links to how I did it
Installing Pioneer 508 Xd on fire place (not a simple job)


Dave.

[Adamp81]

My install

Link to my thread

[Smurfin]

Take a look at my thread, it's on the first or second page on this forum. Done exactly the same, although I've gone with a 50mm gap all the way round to a. help with heat dissipation (my plasma gets hot), and b. have halo lighting all the way round it

[albriscoe]

try this

then this

and this

and this

backlight the speakers as well as the panel