False Wall from MDF

[craynerd]

Hi guys,

I had a thought last night while in bed. Basically i want a small false wall to just encompass my tv with about a foot to either side and well, the deapth of my tv! . BUT i`m not bad at diy but i really dont want the hastle of false walls and plastering, plus i dont want to make it necessarly a perminant fixture. Let me also say however, this is a new appartment, so by no means do i want it to look tacky!! However i had a thought, what about a simple mdf frame, as a truely FALSE wall!. So i got a piece and painted it with some wall paint i have. And u know, with two base coats, it paints perfectly and standing it against my current wall, there is no difference between textures.

So my plan is extreamly simple.

Mount the tv and find its position on the true wall. Then obtain a LARGE piece of mdf (this will be my biggest problem, as this will be the wall face.) and measure it out, the height of my ceiling exactly and the width i want it. THEN, v v precisely, will take time and a lot of shaving, make a hole for the tv frame, so it fits flush, then use a simple but joint with side pannels the width of the tv, for the side of the fake wall. GLUE the side pannels to the main mdf front. Maybe a screw at both far top and bottom. Then, if the size of the wall is perfect and tight from roof to ceiling, it should just butt up and push tight against the wall!!!!

IF not, then it will be a simple case of fixing it to the wall with some brakets screwed to the inside!! Infact this may be better anyway to make sure it is steady and stable!

Some nice insulation inside to maintain a nice sound! and its done!

Will this work, has anyone tried it ? or anyone any improvements to the plan.


Chris

..or basically same idea as a stud wall but with mdf and paint straight on, therefore no need for plastering and much simpler!!

[johndon]

Good idea but, if the sheet of MDF is going to go from floor to ceiling and it's going to be the width of wall are you not going to have problems getting it through the door, assuming that you can get a sheet that size in the first place?

John

[martin.p]

Exactly what I did, We have 8 foot ceilings so I just used 2 sheets of 8 by 4

[mattym]

mdf should be availabel in 8x4 sheets, quality isnt always what you would expect though, so beware, Your local DIY chain or Jewsons should deliver a board like that for you for a small fee, well worth the hassle. If your an audiophile then make sure you get the fitting nice and secure, fill any gaps with silicon to prevent acoustic issues, it could behave like 1 giant resonator! Ive seen a room where despite recommendations, the wall was made using mdf sheets with a small gap between boards and a nice gap behind.......hmmmmm

when you finish the MDF, watch the edges, you will need to rub the cut parts with a fine grade paper first then prime it with MDF primer, then rub down again before painting, i would prime it all in sealer, some cheaper mdf can go 'fluffy' when you paint it, and it takes a hell of a lot of rubbing down and recoating to get it nice!

Sounds like an excellent idea though!