How to Build a TV Nook

Measure the dimensions of your TV with a tape measure in order to create a frame large enough to encompass the set. Take the height, length and depth of the TV.

Find a position on a non-load-bearing wall to place the nook. Run a stud finder over your walls to locate a wall cavity without any pipes or wires running through it. Using a non-load-bearing wall avoids the need to reinforce the nook opening to redistribute the ceiling weight. Non-load-bearing walls normally run along with the floor joists. For safety, have a structural engineer identify the non-load-bearing walls within your home to avoid costly repair costs should you cut into a load-bearing wall.

Use boards of the same depth as your TV for building the frame of your nook. For example, for a 6-inch depth TV, use 2-by-6-inch boards for creating the frame. Add 2 inches to the height dimension and 4 inches to the length measurement. Cut two boards to match each adjusted measurement with a circular saw.

Join the boards into a rectangular frame, placing the height boards between the length boards with the ends flush to one another, creating a 90-degree angle at each corner. Drive 8d nails through the length boards and into the height boards with a hammer to create the frame.

Place the frame onto the wall at the desired nook location. Place a carpenter’s level on top of the frame and adjust the frame so that it’s level. Mark the outline of the frame onto the wall with a pencil and then set the frame aside.

Cut through the drywall or plaster covering the wall surface along the marks with a keyhole saw. Remove the cut section of the wall covering.

Use a reciprocating saw to cut through any of the wall studs running through the opening area at the edges of the opening. Remove the studs.

Measure the distance between the cut studs and the adjacent wall studs. Cut 2-by-4-inch boards to match the spaces. Set the boards into the wall between the studs with the top of the boards even with the cut tops of the studs. Nail the boards into position, face nailing through the cut studs into the ends of the board and then nailing through the boards into any still hole studs at the sides of the cavity. This creates a ledge running through the cavity along the top and base of the space to which you can attach your nook frame.

Slide the frame into the cavity, setting it between the top and bottom ledges. Adjust the frame so that its edges are flush with the edges of the opening. Secure the frame in place by nailing through the frame and into the ledge boards, every 4 inches along the top and bottom frame boards.

Cut wood trim to match the opening dimensions. Make 45-degree mitered cuts on the edges of the trim so that it fits together as a frame. Place the trim over the gap in the drywall between the drywall and the nook frame, overlapping the frame by about 1/2-inch. Use finish nails to nail the trim to the frame, placing a nail every 5 inches around the frame.