DIY Built-in bathroom TV During 2010 FIFA World Cup
Alright condo dwellers, here’s something fun that I did to pimp up my space! I would rate this project at an intermediate difficultly level, as basic construction and some experience with electronics is required.
The secret to having a pimp pad is infusing a little bit of technology with good design, clean lines, and minimal fuss. Some of you folks might have noticed LCD TV screens popping up in hip and trendy clubs and restaurants, in washrooms, hallways, or just about anywhere. There’s no doubt that TV screens keep us entertained, but they add a WOW factor whenever you see them in the most unsuspecting places.
Here is a recent project that I’ve completed.
There’s nothing cooler than having a built-in TV in your washroom. Sure, the TV could have just been mounted straight out-of-the-box to the wall using a mounting kit found at your local electronics store. But that would be boring and it just didn’t scream sexy to me. So instead, I decided to give it that built-in look. But rather than punching a hole into the wall and dropping the TV screen inside so that it sits flush, I thought it would add some visually interest to build a thin cabinet with some additional mood lighting.
Here’s a list of materials that I picked up:
- 10 small “L” brackets
- 1 piece of medium density fiberboard — MDF (main front piece, 64″ x 28″)
- 2 pieces of medium density fiberboard — MDF (side pieces, 64″ x 2.5″)
- 1 LCD TV (19″ widescreen)
- 2 fluorescent tubes (2′ long)
- 2 heavy duty picturing hanging hooks
- Mini steel chain cable (3′ long)
- Aluminum trim
- Handful of wood screws
- White paint
- Duct tape
- Wood glue
- Plexiglass
- Extension cord with 3 power outlets
First I disassembled the LCD TV. I picked up a used beat up screen from eBay for about $100. The TV was a store demo and the frame was slightly cracked. Other than that, it was fully functional.
Left over casing.
Screen with the important electronic components.
I powered it on to make sure everything was working, but I made sure to use duct tape to tape off the exposed electronics to avoid it from shorting out.
Once disassembled, I measured the dimensions of the screen and transferred those measurements to the large piece of MDF which I got pre-cut at Home Depot. Their free cutting service saves you a lot of work, so make sure you know the dimensions ahead of time. With a drill and a jigsaw, I cut the hole out of the the MDF. Because the jigsaw doesn’t produce nice clean cuts, I used some aluminum trim to clean it up to give it that finished look.
With the hole cut out, I attached the 2 MDF pieces to the sides of the main board using “L” brackets.
Once in place, I painted the unit with a nice matte white for a clean look.
Next I attached the 2 flourescent tubes to the top and bottom of the cabinet while taping down any wires with duct tape, and connected them to the extension cord so that the unit has 1 power supply.
Next I measured and cut the aluminum trim and glued it to the front side to cover the exposed cuts.
I add a sheet of clear plexiglass to give the TV a highend look, and also to protect the screen.
The screen was fastened to the unit using the existing screw mounts, piercing through the plexiglass into the MDF.
Extra screws were added to secure the components to the MDF to avoid the circuit boards from shifting under their own weight. Lots of duct tape was used to cover the exposed electronic components.
Finally a strong steel chain was screwed to the unit so that it could be hung like a picture frame.
Heavy duty picture hanging hardware was fastened to the drywall to support the weight of the TV unit.
A hole in the drywall was punched to accomodate the power supply and the cable source. Some fishing was done through the wall to the local junction box to achieve a complete clean wireless look.
Here’s a final look of the TV unit before being hung onto the wall.
Power it on with the remote control, sit back and relax.
So while some of you may be wondering why the TV is on the wall above the toilet, since you cannot watch it when sitting ON the toilet, here’s what it looks like while taking a bubble bath from inside the tub.
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