How to Build a TV Recessed Home Theater

Home theater rooms bring together a home's audio, video, gaming, and Internet entertainment systems. As high definition technology and Internet-connected devices drive more connectivity, homeowners often build home theater rooms as a way of maximizing their entertainment investment. Home theaters require a significant amount of wiring. To accommodate all the electrical needs, the best option involves building a wood framed partition wall that creates a small service area behind the equipment. By planning ahead, you can simplify the installation and diminish the work required to service or replace the gear.

2-by-4-by-96 inch wood stud dimension lumber
Hammer
16D sinker nails
7 1/4 inch builder's saw
Measuring tape and pencil
Carpenter's quick square
Cordless drill and assorted drill bits and drill driver bits
All-purpose, coarse thread screws, 2 1/2 inch long
Electronic stud finder
Wall finishing materials that match the room décor
Baseboard and ceiling that matches the room décor
Cedar or pine shims
48-inch level

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the width of the room. Cut two lengths of wood 3/8 inch shorter than the width of the room. These pieces are used as the wall's upper and lower plates. If your room is wider than the length of a single piece of wood, use multiple pieces of 2-by-4 for the top and bottom plates.
- 2
  Nail wall studs between the top and bottom plates to create a freestanding stud wall. Measure and place the wall studs 16 inches on center apart from one another. If you have a large projection television, plan a space in the middle of the wall that the TV will slide into. Build the wall so that the total wall height is 1/4 to 1/2 inch shorter than the height of the room.
- 3
  Stand the wall up. Position it 20 to 24 inches into the room, away from the existing wall. This wall becomes the new wall of the room, and the dead air space behind the wall is the service area.
- 4
  Place the cedar shims between the upper plate and the ceiling, and between the sides of the room and the studs at the ends of the new wall. Tap the shims in place so that the wall is held firmly, but not so tight that the wall can't be adjusted. Use the hammer and level and tap the wall to make sure it's vertical, or plumb.
- 5
  Anchor the wall in place using the 2 1/2 all purpose screws. Drill these screws down through the bottom plate into the floor. Drill them through the top plate into the ceiling, and through the studs at each end of the wall into the existing room walls. Use the electronic stud finder to find the existing wall and ceiling studs. Attach the new wall into the existing studs if possible.
- 6
  Install the wall finishing treatments to match the existing room. If the room has drywall walls, apply 1/2 inch drywall over the walls, then mud the new wall into the existing walls. If the walls are paneled, install matching paneling over the new wall. Install wood trim and paint the wall to match the existing room decor.

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