Mum Of 3 Saves £2000 Creating ‘Media Wall’ With A Twist
- Annette, 64, wanted a media wall but was reluctant to move her TV
- She decided to use a mirror instead and sink it in along with a wall mounted fire
- By going DIY and picking up supplies from B&Q, Wickes and Home Bargains she has saved almost £2000
Many DIYers have decided to transform their living rooms by sinking their televisions into the wall and placing features around it, such as a fire or shelving.
While these media walls are becoming increasingly popular, there are other ways to create a feature wall - and the TV does not have to be the focal point, as one money-saving DIYer has proven.
Annette Beddoes, 64 from Stafford who used to work as a kitchen and bathroom assistant and has 3 children aged 41, 39 and 35, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: ‘I have noticed that everyone is putting their fire and TV together in their lounges.
‘However this was not an option for me as my TV was already sorted on the shorter wall. Creating a media wall here was not an option as there would not be room for the fire.
‘I had bought a wall mounted fire for the main wall from Debenhams a few months prior for £250. This was a good price as I have seen similar products in stores like B&Q for over £300.
‘I had never felt happy with the placement of the fire - it just never looked right on the wall. So I decided to box it in as if I was creating a media wall. However, instead of the TV, I decided I would place a mirror there instead.
‘I already had the mirror, which was as big as our TV. It is a metal framed mirror, so I knew it would sink into the wall really well.
‘It was now time to purchase supplies. I bought the timber and plasterboard from Wickes. It was £37.50 for the framing timber and £20.40 for 2 pieces of plasterboard.
‘Next up was 2 pieces of timber for the sides, priced at £26. I also got 2 tubes of liquid nails for £8.
‘After that I went to B&Q for a roll of wallpaper which cost £22. Last up was wallpaper paste, which cost £1 from Home Bargains.
‘In total the supplies and the wall mounted fire cost a total of £364.90. The average cost for a media wall is at least £2300 so I have saved just under £2000 by going DIY.
‘I used my technical skills from being a kitchen and bathroom designer for this project. First, I drew out the design on paper and took all the measurements from the fire and mirror to see how far out I wanted to go. Fortunately, the wall was big enough to take it.
‘I had done my research with the timber and plasterboard to ensure I got the right sizes beforehand, as I wanted to reduce the amount of cutting I would need to do and have minimal waste left over.
‘During this project, there were a few challenges to overcome. For example, you have to create an identical front frame and back frame, then add bits of timber in between. You then need to check all of the joints are square and level. This took some time to get right.
‘After that I cut the plasterboard to fit and prep it for the concrete-textured wallpaper I found in B&Q. Then I finished the sides off with some timber that I painted in a contrasting colour, using paint I already had.
‘Overall I am really pleased with this project and we’ve had lots of lovely comments on it.’
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘Annette has created a truly professional-looking ‘media wall’ using a mirror instead of a television. It’s good advice to measure up on timber before purchasing to reduce cutting and wastage.
‘It’s hard to believe how much money she has saved compared with what the professional cost would have been!’
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