4 Creative DIY Ideas That Disguise Your TV in a Flash

New York City design influencer and author Chelsey Brown chose to take her Samsung Frame TV to the next level by installing fluted detailing immediately adjacent to her screen. This wall treatment is completely temporary and renter-friendly and is a great way to create extra visual interest.

To make a fluted wall treatment, you’ll need:

Step 1: Paint the foam dowels

Select a color and paint over the foam dowel (put them on construction paper to avoid making a mess.) Brown recommends applying two coats of paint.

Step 2: Adhere picture hanging strips 

Wait at least five hours for the painted dowels to dry, Brown says. Then, adhere three strips to the back of each dowel.

Step 3: Hang dowels on the wall

Use a level to ensure that the dowels are placed evenly. Brown chose to hang her dowels vertically to complement her TV; however, you can display the dowels in a horizontal or diagonal configuration.

Canvas paneled art

Home decor and DIY blogger Kate of House Mix was looking for a budget-friendly solution for hiding her television while ensuring it was powered off when not in use. She used a premade art print to create an aesthetic panel cover that kept her flatscreen out of sight. For more details, her blog outlines full instructions for building a frame to hide her 70-inch TV.

To make canvas paneled art, you’ll need:

Step 1: Measure the television

You want to make sure that your canvas frame is larger than the television. Use measuring tape to get the TV dimensions and figure out the frame dimensions, which should be slightly larger than the TV. 

Step 2: Cut boards for the frame

Once you have your frame dimensions, measure and cut the wood plank boards to size using a miter saw.

Step 3: Assemble the frame

Place one screw in the center of the 6-inch board, and use trim screws and a drill to connect the boards and to create the box frame. 

Step 4: Prep the frame for doors

Add four 2-inch pieces (lips) to the top and bottom of the front of the frame box for the doors to rest on. The 2-inch-wide boards are used as an attachment to the wall studs in the back.

Step 5: Customize the frame

Spray-paint or stain the wood to transform the frame from raw to polished. 

Step 6: Create panels with the canvases

Create panels by stapling (and also nailing) two canvases together into one vertical strip. Use caulk to fill in any gaps between the two canvases. Repeat until you have four panels. 

Step 7: Select and print the artwork

This project used art from Etsy, which was then printed as a large-format four-color poster via OfficeMax. 

Step 8: Adhere posters to canvases

Spray adhesive to the canvas, then wrap the poster. Use a staple gun along the sides to secure. 

Step 9: Attach panels to the frame

Join the panels together and attach them to the wood frame using piano hinges. “These allow the doors to fold back on themselves,” Kate explains.

Step 10: Mount the frame over the TV

Using wall studs and lag bolts, attach the frame to the wall over the TV. 

A wood trim TV frame

DIY influencer Laura Burkhalter was inspired to create a frame for her flatscreen and managed to do so for just $20, using basic materials from the hardware store. This piece can easily be customized with paint—simply select the hue that speaks to you.

To make a wood frame, you’ll need:

Step 1: Cut the trim

Set miter shears to a 45-degree angle. “Remember to measure so that the inside corners of your TV are also the inside measurements of your frame,” Burkhalter says.

Step 2: Secure the frame

Use the L-shaped brackets, screws, and a drill, and connect all the pieces of trim into a rectangle.

Step 3: Caulk and paint

Caulk where the corners meet. Spray-paint your frame in the color of your choosing.

Step 4: Hang the frame

Use scrap wood to make L-shaped brackets to hang your frame over the TV. Alternatively, you can attach the frame to your television using Velcro strips, Burkhalter notes.