DIY guide · TV stands & media units
Low benches, floating units and media walls. How wide and how high for your screen and sofa, where the cables go, and plans made to your wall.
IllustrationWhere to start
A weekend
An open box with a shelf, and legs screwed underneath. Cable holes at the back, and no doors to hang or adjust.
Two weekends
Slatted or push-to-open doors in front of the equipment, a drawer for remotes, and air at the back.
Two to four weekends
Cabinets hung on a cleat, or shelves and cupboards wrapped around a wall-mounted screen, with the cables inside the wall.
Types of tv stands & media units
IllustrationLong, low and open, on short legs. Room for a soundbar, a console and a basket of cables.
See the plan
IllustrationHung off the floor, so the room looks bigger and the floor is easy to clean. The wall does the work.
Design yours
IllustrationCupboards and shelves wrapped around a wall-mounted screen. The TV becomes part of the room instead of its centre.
Design yours
IllustrationA low cabinet with towers either side and a bridge over the screen. Books, speakers and games in one piece.
Design yours
IllustrationCompartments 330 mm square for vinyl, the turntable on top and the amplifier behind a door.
Design yoursPlans
Each one becomes a 3D model, a cut list, drilling maps and step-by-step instructions, at the size you need.
Size it to the screen
Set the screen size and how far away you sit. See the size of the screen, how wide the unit should be and the height that puts the picture at eye level.
For 16:9 screens. Distances follow the usual 30 to 40 degree viewing angle; sit further back for HD.
Before you design
The middle of the screen should sit near eye level when you are seated. For most sofas that puts the top of the stand between 450 and 600 mm. Make the unit wider than the screen so the screen doesn’t look perched.
Consoles and amplifiers need ventilation. Leave equipment bays open at the back, or add slots. Remote controls need a line of sight unless the device uses radio.
Decide where the power socket and aerial are before you design. A cable hole behind each device and a route between bays is easy on the plan and awkward after assembly.
A wall-hung unit carries the cabinet, the equipment and anyone who leans on it. Fix into studs or masonry with fixings rated for the wall type.
Hardware
What makes a media unit different from any other cabinet.
Two strips cut at 45°, one on the wall and one on the cabinet. Lift the unit on and its weight pulls it tight to the wall.
Saw set to 45°, spirit level
A hole behind every device, lined with a grommet. The cables drop out of sight and the back stays strong.
60 mm hole saw
Concealed hinges with a push latch, for a clean front. Leave a slot for the remote's signal, or use radio remotes.
Hinge-cup bit, push latches
A shallow drawer for remotes and controllers, on full-extension runners.
Runners and a fitting jig
Materials
| Material | Cost | Stiffness | Edges | Finish | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birch plywood | €€€ | Layered edge: show it off or band it | Oil, lacquer or paint | Carcasses and shelves under heavy equipment | |
| Oak or walnut veneer | €€€ | Band with matching veneer | Hardwax oil or lacquer | Long tops and slatted doors | |
| MDF | €€€ | Smooth, paints well once sealed | Paint | Painted media walls | |
| Solid oak | €€€ | Solid wood, no banding needed | Hardwax oil | Tops and legs on a low bench |
Tools
Enough for every first-build plan here.
No saw? Most timber merchants cut sheets to a list. Take the cut list from your plan and pick the panels up ready to drill.
Each one opens up a new kind of build.
Safety
A floating unit carries the cabinet, the equipment and anyone who leans on it, and a tall unit with a screen on top can tip. Fix both into something solid.
Something else in mind?
Say it the way you would to a carpenter. Caminu draws it, checks the spans and writes the guide.
Questions
High enough that the middle of the screen sits near eye level when you are seated. For most sofas that puts the top of the stand between 450 and 600 mm.
The unit holds equipment. Whether the wall holds the unit depends on the wall: fix into studs or masonry with fixings rated for that wall type, and mount a heavy screen to the wall itself.
At least 200 mm wider than the screen, and up to one and a half times its width, so the screen doesn't look perched. The TV size check on this page works it out for your screen.
For a 4K screen, sit about 1 to 1.6 times the diagonal away; for HD, 1.6 to 2.5 times. At 2.5 m from a 4K screen, around 75 inches fills your view.
From the blog
Keep going
Show Caminu your room and describe the piece. You get the 3D model, the cut list and the assembly guide.
