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Do It Yourself with Dan: How to Frame Your Flat Screen

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Hello again. If you’re like most of us you spend more time staring at your television that you do at any other home appliance. I'm not saying that the dryer on the spin cycle can't be mesmerizing but still..... So how can I help you to make the appearance of your TV just a little bit more attractive and make it a focal point of your home décor too?

Let's do this, let’s put a picture frame around your television! High definition TV is the best picture quality we have ever seen so why not frame your TV as if it were art itself. And you can do it. Welcome to the latest installment of "Do it Yourself with Dan".

In this episode we will tackle a really simple project that you can enjoy with even the simplest of wood working skills and transform that ho-hum TV into something that really reflects your own sense of style and personality. I will help you with the basics but it will be up to you to decide what the final look will become. Simple, fancy or even extravagant, it is all up to you. The "trim section" of your local hardware or home center is chocked full of all kinds of wonderful wood working trim pieces. Some are very ornate like crown molding and others are simple and yet elegant like the trim used around doorways and windowsills. We are going to re-purpose those trim pieces to make your television's picture frame.

Please take the time to watch the enclosed video on how to do it and then let your imagination run wild. This is a fun project and can easily be accomplished in just a few hours.

First let's measure the picture screen of your TV, (I said picture screen and NOT the overall dimensions of the TV....we just want to frame what your eyes are looking at and not the entire "cabinet" of the TV.

By the way whenever you buy a television they always list the "size" of the TV with a diagonal dimension of the screen size and not a measurement from left to right or up and down. Have you ever wondered why they do it that way? Simple math and marketing actually.......the measurement from the lower left hand corner to the upper right will always be a larger number than if they just measured it from left to right at the top or bottom. The bigger number is more impressive and that's why ALL Television manufactures do it....sneaky fellows.

Ok so measure your screen size from left to write and write it down...now do the same for the measurement of the screen size from top to bottom and do the same thing...write it down.

Those measurements will become critical when you go to make your frame. They will become the "inside" measurements of your frame. The outside measurement will be decided on what pieces of trim you decide to use and at this point doesn't even matter. In the video I chose to use a decorative molding that is readily available at most home centers but on my own TV in the "Dan Cave" I used some left over barn siding that I found years ago from a 200 year old colonial barn here in Pennsylvania. It sat in my workshop for years just waiting for something fun like this. The process is exactly the same no matter what you choose.

Once you have your measurements you will have to purchase your trim pieces, some wood glue, a few small finishing nails and what is called a framing clamp. The framing clamp will hold your pieces of trim at the right 90 degree angle as the wood glue dries. In the video, I have four of them but just one will work but you will have to allow additional time for each corner to dry before moving on to the next three...... a little fine grit sandpaper and some stain and polyurethane or spray paint and you’re ready to begin. You will also need to pick up a single piece of lumber called a "one by one"...it is just a piece of pine that will hold the top of your new picture frame and allow it to rest on the top of your TV. I'll get to that later.

You will need to cut the four pieces of your frame at a 45 degree miter so that they will make a perfect square in the corners of your viewing screen.....a "miter box" or what is called a "chop saw will do this nicely for you. Make sure that the measurements for the width equals the inside or smallest dimension of the first trim piece you cut. Do this for all four sides and you can begin the gluing process. Be liberal with your glue and a wet paper towel can wipe away any excess....place one side and either the top or bottom into your framing clamp and allow it to dry overnight. Do this again for the other pieces until you have a square picture frame for your TV.

You will then attach the "one by one" piece of pine to the back of the top of your frame on the back side so that it will rest on top of your TV and hold it in place...you might need to have someone hold the frame in place so that you can draw a line on the back of your frame for the proper positioning. Glue that piece to the back of the frame (I used wood working clamps but pieces of tape will do the same thing for you).

One last step in assembly...most TV's use and infra-red remote to change channels and control volume.....your new frame will most likely block that sensor and your remote won’t work. Look for it at either the lower left or right hand corner of your screen. A simple hole drilled in your new frame will allow the remote to communicate with your TV and you are ready to sand it and either paint or stain your new frame as you desire.

There you have it. Another do it yourself project that you have completed and you can sit back watch TV and admire your own workmanship too. That's a good feeling. Enjoy it.