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Original poster

Tvs on the wall

49 replies

spottymoo · 23/12/2013 11:53

We're looking at purchasing new sofas to get the ones we'd like we need to put the tv on the wall.
My question is what do you do with the sky box / console? Do you have them on the wall as well which IMO would make it quite cluttered but cables aren't long enough to have them elsewhere.

Any advise appreciated

OP posts:
lalalonglegs · 23/12/2013 12:16

Buy extension leads and/or longer connecting cables?

Tinkertaylor1 · 23/12/2013 12:33

Don't do it!

I hate tv on wall with a passion , so chavvy!

moondog · 23/12/2013 12:36

Tv on the wall is great-so much more space and less dust.
Some MNers were very helpful when I did this.
Don't have leads or cables trailing. If you can afford it, get them put into the wall.
I don't have anything but the tv (in a wooden frame) but you could have a wooden box or shelf lower for the other stuff or position them out of sight elsewhere.

MisForMumNotMaid · 23/12/2013 12:42

We have the boxes for surround sound and games consoles in a cupboard (on a shelf thats open so controllers work). The cables are chased into the wall so its all quite discreet. Ebay have lots of cheap long cables.

Check out bracket depths because they vary enormously and whether you need to cut out a bit of plaster for the cable ends out the back of the TV to stick out.

I think it makes the TV less of a central focus in a multi purpose room and its nice when you're sitting reading, the kids are playing or you've got friends over that your room doesn't look as though its all set up to point at the TV.

Not sure about chavvy. Unless you're going for a fake burbary tinsel trimmed frame.

I wanted to create an in chimney breast shelf for the TV to sit on and front the TV with a framed piece of glass with reflective film on it so when off it was like a mirror on the wall. Needless to say we don't have a fire. The chimney breast wasn't deep enough though.

moondog · 23/12/2013 12:46

I agree Mis.
I loathed the big set up in the corner, gathering dust.
Love my tv on the wall.

Pootles2010 · 23/12/2013 12:49

Are you in a detached? If so, fine, but if you're attached (on the tv wall) the sound carries terribly. We've just moved into new place, woman who used to live there had hers on the wall, and drove the neighbours nuts.

We haven't attached ours (don't like it personally) and they say the difference is amazing.

Original poster
spottymoo · 23/12/2013 13:11

We're a semi but we have a hall way and the chimney between neighbour. Never thought of longer cables just assumed they were all standard.

How can putting a tv on the wall make or be chavvy I don't buy into all this chavvy crap I do what works best for us as family and at present we need more seating and the only way to configure the room is to put it on the wall.

Thanks for all the great advise will also look into getting the wires put into the walls as not a huge fan of wires everywhere.

OP posts:
Pootles2010 · 23/12/2013 15:31

Sounds like the right solution for you. Never mind chavvy - letting the tv have the corner whilst there's not enough room for people to sit sounds bloody daft to me.

CallMeNancy · 23/12/2013 16:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

oldboiler · 23/12/2013 20:10

I agree with tinker. On the wall makes the tv the focal point of the room implying a low brow family who thinks I'm a celebrity get me out of here and you've been framed are the height of sophistication. Its up their with faux leather sofas and canvas pictures of flowers on the wall.

Middleagedmotheroftwo · 23/12/2013 20:19

I hate tvs in the wall too. I'm always moving the furniture round, and I'd hate not being able to move the tv too.

CookieDoughKid · 23/12/2013 22:05

Having the TV on the wall means you have better use of ground floor space. It's modern, practical and very classy indeed. Check out the following for inspiration:

www.houzz.com/photos/4183634/Holland-Ave-Basement-traditional-basement-ottawa

www.houzz.com/photos/136979/Contemporary-Family-Room-contemporary-family-room-new-york

www.houzz.com/photos/2946687/Operation-Organization-modern-living-room-seattle

CookieDoughKid · 23/12/2013 22:06

Forgot to add you can buy brackets which allows you to tilt and extend the TV in the position you want too!!

CookieDoughKid · 23/12/2013 22:08

pootles suggest your neighbour properly channels the sound output via some dedicated speakers to get around the problem of the wall sound carrier problem (although in real life, posing that to your neighbour might be tricky!!)

sixpencesings · 24/12/2013 10:42

Ditto what oldboiler said. The photos are great cookiedoughkid but tvs in those situations are not possible in my street and so look as oilboiler said.

Pootles2010 · 24/12/2013 10:43

It was the woman who lived in our house before us who had the tv on wall cookie, our neighbours were relieved when she went!

Her diy was sadly lacking - we have a string of problems to fix so not suprised she didn't do this properly!

CatsCantFlyFast · 24/12/2013 10:50

Cables should be chased into the wall but should be ran through quite a wide piece of plastic piping. This is for 2 reasons, to allow air flow around them, and to allow new cables to be added without issue. Ensure you have a long piece of thin/strong wire put through the plastic piping (at least twice the length of the pipe) and left there. When you want to add a new cable you tie the new cable to one end of the long wire and pull it through from the other end. As per before ensure there's plenty of room in the pipe for air flow and to add new cables.
Also, with cables, you get what you pay for, and cheaper/low quality ones will be more obvious if they are long (eg over 1m)

NoComet · 24/12/2013 10:53

TV on wall, boxes on top of an old fashioned writing desk, cables as neat as possible up the corner of the chimney breast.

Not perfect, but it gets a TV big enough for split screen mario carts

caroldecker · 24/12/2013 13:27

Cable quaility is not an issue with a digital signal, only analogue here

sooperdooper · 24/12/2013 13:46

I used to be against it, but our living room is small and I love it now, so much better use of space than it taking up a corner of the livingroom - I don't think it being on the wall makes it any more a focal point than a huge tv stand taking up a whole corner of your room!

We have ours on the chimney breast, the fireplace was blocked in before we moved in and the guy who fixed it put all the wires through the chimney and down through the (unused) fireplace, and a shelf across the fireplace for the sky box/dvd player etc, looks so much tidier :)

sooperdooper · 24/12/2013 13:48

Ours is pretty much like this one posted before, but imagine there's no fire, just the square hole where it would be, with a shelf at the top

www.houzz.com/photos/4183634/Holland-Ave-Basement-traditional-basement-ottawa

sooperdooper · 24/12/2013 13:49

Found this one, ours is very much like this :)

img.photobucket.com/albums/v42/paddy1077/Living%20Room/2-1.jpg

CatsCantFlyFast · 24/12/2013 13:53

In terms of cable quality I was referring to HDMI cables where quality really does matter

caroldecker · 24/12/2013 15:00

notwithoutmy merkin

HDMI are digital and cable cost does NOT impact quality here and many other places - no independent review I could find suggests digital, inc HDMI, need proper quality - it is digital, the information is either there or not, the quality of the printer cable does not impact the output of the printer, so the TV is no different

50shadesofmeh · 24/12/2013 15:26

Not sure how having a tv on the wall is chavvy, my toddler kept nearly toppling ours over and touching it so it made sense to wall mount it.
I bet the people who think its chavvy think they are the height of class with tiny 20 inch TVs trying to portray themselves as intellectuals.