New home, new cinema ideas... hopefully!

Sephiroth0000

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Ok need everyone's input on this so all/any comments are welcome!

Have just moved into a new property and my misses has decided what wall I am allowed to work with. That being the wall opposite the sofa. I have pratically no DIY experience but want to really make a go of this and so far this is my idea... am I aiming too high lol?

I would like to have a raised piece of wood/plasterboard coming away from the wall with a backlight ambilight sort of effect going all around the wood/plasterboard along with the 42' LCD (which I think has to be connected to the actual wall behind it does'nt it?), LS, RS, CS (rears going behind sofa) and the rest of my AV equipment being placed on this stand from Ikea... IKEA | TV solutions | TV solutions for tube TVs up to 25'' | LACK | TV bench WALNUT EFFECT

What would be the best way of achieving this? I would like to have the TV frame level with the wood/plasterboard. But then would I be best to try and attempt to put the x3 speakers behind the wood and having them level also? It has also come to my attention that the wall might not be concreate but since its only wood/plasterboard and the TV being the real weight would that present a problem?
Anyone got a dummie's guide on how to do this?

(Exact measurements I will provide later, accidentally left them at home)
 

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It may be unavoiadable, but you may have your screen and speakers too high - tweeters should ideally be at ear level and the centre of the screen should ideally be at eye-level (both when seated).

Make sure you get a blackout blind for that window behind you too - ikea do some, very cheap and very effective.

Good luck. :)
 
It may be unavoiadable, but you may have your screen and speakers too high - tweeters should ideally be at ear level and the centre of the screen should ideally be at eye-level (both when seated).

Make sure you get a blackout blind for that window behind you too - ikea do some, very cheap and very effective.

Good luck. :)

I do intend for it all to be lower and meeting eye/ear level. Just trying to give an idea on what I would like to achieve. Hoping if enough room is left at the top I might be able to pull off a projector.. won't tell the misses about that yet though :rolleyes:
 
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Ideally I would just like someone to be able to tell me the exact wood I need, size screws/bolts, etc that I need and more importantly where to place it on the wall. If someone can do that then I have faith in being able to do it.... its when im left to my own devices I become dangerous :devil:
 
Hello

What sort of sound do you get when you tap your knuckles on the wall?
A hollow sound = bad.

Is there a picture hung on the wall so the missus wouldn't moan/notice a test drill/screwing. If it sounds hollow let me know, check a few places, there should be less hollow sounding areas...

Gluck

Kevin
 
Hello

What sort of sound do you get when you tap your knuckles on the wall?
A hollow sound = bad.

Is there a picture hung on the wall so the missus wouldn't moan/notice a test drill/screwing. If it sounds hollow let me know, check a few places, there should be less hollow sounding areas...

Gluck

Kevin

I do not get a hollow sound but in the next room I have a cupboard which connects to that wall and if its quarter a foot thick its alot. Don't know if I am better to get longer bolts and take them right through to the cupboard wall for added comfortable as I have kids running around and last thing I want to walk into aswell is my LCD on the floor.
 
May be overkill, but if you've space behind the cupboard for a plywood plate to take the bolts, with big washers too or fair sized steel plates instead of plywood then great.

I installed 10 50" plasmas in a hospital's thermalite (rubbish) walls where we couldn't bolt through and after test runs in our own blocks found the 10 number 12mm 3" bolts that came in the mounting plate box to be the most effective, very grippy in big grey rawlplugs. We drilled the holes at different angles, down at the top, out at the sides and level at the bottom. a healthy application of grip fill was used on the back of the mounting bracket just to be sure.
I swung from one myself.

If it was me I'd build a timber frame. a good strong one and attatch that to the wall comprehensively with a generous number of good bolts, going through if you can, rear plating.

Then simply attatch everything else to that. The framework would have to take the depth of the telly and the position of the speakers into account and be woodglued and screwed together, filled and sanded on the edge you'd see by the door, ready for paint. 2 pack woodfiller is best.

It'd be an idea, before you put this on the wall to chase out a channel, fix and plaster a bit of pipe in with an angle on each end that'll allow you to pass your cables through. Providing there'll be a gap between the base unit and the floating wall of course.

Just some ideas..?

Gluck
Kev
 
May be overkill, but if you've space behind the cupboard for a plywood plate to take the bolts, with big washers too or fair sized steel plates instead of plywood then great.

I installed 10 50" plasmas in a hospital's thermalite (rubbish) walls where we couldn't bolt through and after test runs in our own blocks found the 10 number 12mm 3" bolts that came in the mounting plate box to be the most effective, very grippy in big grey rawlplugs. We drilled the holes at different angles, down at the top, out at the sides and level at the bottom. a healthy application of grip fill was used on the back of the mounting bracket just to be sure.
I swung from one myself.

If it was me I'd build a timber frame. a good strong one and attatch that to the wall comprehensively with a generous number of good bolts, going through if you can, rear plating.

Then simply attatch everything else to that. The framework would have to take the depth of the telly and the position of the speakers into account and be woodglued and screwed together, filled and sanded on the edge you'd see by the door, ready for paint. 2 pack woodfiller is best.

It'd be an idea, before you put this on the wall to chase out a channel, fix and plaster a bit of pipe in with an angle on each end that'll allow you to pass your cables through. Providing there'll be a gap between the base unit and the floating wall of course.

Just some ideas..?

Gluck
Kev

Im not going to say all that mean't sense to me but I gather bolts are a good thing to go with and maybe I could create a floating shelf for my AV equipment (I hope thats what you mean't lol :D) if I use the wall in the cupboard to my advantage.... right?
 
Ok after constant planning, researching, etc the other half has decided she will not allow my cinema build proposal as she does not walls damaged or anything (which im sure once deciphered means ' I don't trust ya to do it without bullsing it up' ... got to love the wife)

So for some inspiration we went to Ikea and have picked out the following (hopefully being delivered today)

IKEA | TV solutions | TV solutions for flatscreen TVs up to 37" | TOBO | TV bench

IKEA | TV solutions | TV solutions for flatscreen TVs up to 37" | TOBO | TV panel

The stand is 170cm across and I only have 260cm's of wall to work with so 45cm either side should be nice for the speaker placement :)

I do still want to do the backlight effect though by placing the stand/tv board to a frame on the wall. Oblivously going to mount the LCD on the tv stand board thingy.

On a plus note though I have managed to get a projector screen/projector as compensation for not being able to go through with my idea :devil:
 
Nearly there :thumbsup:

Ok all speakers are up, LCD is up and everything is connected and looking lovely might I add (pics will be added when completely finished) all I need to do now is add wood at the bottom to hide all the cables (it will be moveable when access is needed) and add some fans at the back..... but what kind of fans do I add and how would I do it so they run via plug?

I have done afew hours testing yesterday and my equipment (Amp/PS3 in particular) get quite hot and ideally I do not want to have the cabinets open all the time...

Suggestions please :D
 
As for fans, I heard about a good idea somewhere (on this forum). Take a good quality PC fan (£10 will get you a very quiet one) which run on 12v. Then take an old mobile phone adapter whic outputs about 7v. Connect one to t'other with a little solder and insulation tape - and voila! You have a quiet (at 7v with a good fan VERY quiet) extract fan just on a mains switch.

Edit - Just having a closer look at my mobile charger, it says 5.7v. Should still do the trick fine.
 
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As for fans, I heard about a good idea somewhere (on this forum). Take a good quality PC fan (£10 will get you a very quiet one) which run on 12v. Then take an old mobile phone adapter whic outputs about 7v. Connect one to t'other with a little solder and insulation tape - and voila! You have a quiet (at 7v with a good fan VERY quiet) extract fan just on a mains switch.

Edit - Just having a closer look at my mobile charger, it says 5.7v. Should still do the trick fine.

Do you have any thread I could follow at all please?
 
Honestly, off the top of my head, no. It was in one of these DIY threads, but no idea whose. They had an enclosed cabinet/TV stand and mounted a couple of these fans in the back with old Nokia chargers. Beyond that, unfortunatly, I can't help.
Sorry:thumbsdow
 

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