Useless Hole over Fireplace (1 Viewer)

[Bill*L]

My current HT setup consists of one of those TV "cubby holes" above a gas fireplace, which is not big enough for a wide screen TV (IMO a 30" HDTV just doesn't cut it)... The "hole" has all the wiring necessary, so, what I would like to do is replace the cabinet doors with a solid hinged door on which to mount a flat-panel plasma TV. With this setup, I can hide the wiring and still have access to the space behind the door…

Does anyone have any suggestions on how exactly to accomplish this? My main concern is making sure the door is sturdy enough to support the TV, which is approx 80 lbs.

Thanks,

 

[Tim K]

I probably wouldn't do it. You likely won't find any cabinet hinges that could support that kind of weight.

 

[MikeHerbst]

I'd just "frame" around the opening with 2x4s and mortise in a set of regular "door" hinges. These are meant to hang doors often as heavy as 80lbs, so I'd think it would be fine here. Obviously whatever you use for your cabinet "door" should also be suitably stout. A good latch will also help.

FWIW, I feel your pain, we have a similar useless niche, and worse, its not even centered, so you're looking at it from an angle even in the best seat in the house...

Ours is a bit bigger than yours, but its still going to stink when it comes time for an HD setup...

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Are you sure you want your display that high? I think most people prefer them to be pretty close to eye level.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[MikeHerbst]

If his room is anything like mine, he may not have a choice. My TV niche is offcenter, and way higher than optimal. Its also the only space in the room unless we remove the dining table from the combo LR/dining room or reduce seating to a single loveseat.

Small houses make for interesting problems...

 

[RobertMc]

Bill & Mike

Can you post any pics of your respective rooms to demonstate the problem? I'm intrigued by your problem and the actual height of your TV's in regards to seating positions etc.

I have a family member over here who has some similar dilemas in terms of height and position of the TV.

Rob.

 

[therealmcclain55]

I think contractors are starting to realize the futility of these over-the-fireplace TV nooks, but many homes built in the last 20 years have them.


the moment we decided to get a TV larger than 27" we needed to come up with another plan.


Our nook is big--36' wide x 28' tall x 26" deep. finding mounts to work around that is difficult and expensive. what i did instead is brace the nook with 2x4s on either side and then placed 2 2x6 crossbeams in between. then we just stuck the mount on the crossbeams and hung our 60" Vizio on it. so far, so good.


damn nooks.