Mar 7, 2022

When we first started building our house, where the TV was going to be was a huge debate. With such an open floor plan I didn’t love the idea of seeing a TV from every angle in the room. But #lee (my sweet husband for those new around here!) was adamant that we would want one not just in the basement. So we were met with a dilemma – how to mount a Samsung Frame TV above a mantle that makes sense from a design and function perspective.

EDITED 1/22/23 – the project is officially finished! Speed on down to the bottom if you are looking for the lessons learned and how the project looks finished.

Why can’t you just hang your TV above your mantle?

Well, you can. And a lot of people do.

The issue is a lot of times the TVs are hung so high on the wall to clear the mantle that it can become uncomfortable to watch TV while sitting on a couch. So not the worst problem to have by any means, but it felt silly to us to spend so much on a TV (Samsung Frame TV’s are notoriously pricey) and not enjoy some passive screen time at eye level.

The best way to start this project is to prepare for it. Knowing what we know now, we would have blocked inside our mantle for the TV and even create a recessed area so the TV could fit completely flush against the wall. If, however, you are like us and starting with walls that have drywall on them, it’s fairly simple to correct – just a bit messy – and the Samsung Frame TV will only be about an inch off the wall in the end.

Supplies to Mount a Samsung TV Above a Mantle

• Mantelmount MM340
• Samsung Frame TV – the size will depend on the size of your fireplace or mantle! We went with the standard 2/3 rule – so your tv should be 2/3 the size of your mantle/wall. ou can use other TV models for this of course, but the Frame TV built in motion sensors we felt like it was worth the splurge.
• Recessed Media Box
• Power Drill
• 10″ Plastic tubing – we found these at our local hardware store
• 10″ metal rod – we found these at our local hardware store

Steps

First things first – the TV. The Samsung Frame TV needs to be large enough for the Mantlemount. We found that the 55′ Frame TV fit on the MM340, but that any TV smaller than 65″ will end up showing a small fraction of the recessed box when raised. Luckily, it’s really simple to just plaster over the recessed box once you have everything installed – it won’t block the arm from moving up and down.

To begin we started prepping our wall. Again, this highly depends on where you are starting. New walls with framing? Hurray you don’t have to cut through drywall!

#lee made an outline of the RB100 Recessed Box shape on the wall (blue square). He also made a quick sketch of the shape of the top brackets on the MM340 (red square). This is so that the Frame TV can sit as close to the wall as possible when raised. The closer the TV is to the wall the more it looks like a photo!

The next step was figuring out where the TV box will go.

Often, people hide the Frame TV box and subsequent cable clutter in built-ins around their fireplace, which is a great solution. But we have french doors around our TV, so we needed a space behind the TV versus a space around it. Enter the recessed media box. We traced the shape of the media box in a space behind the TV (white box), cut it out, and dry fitted it.

By cutting out the drywall for the bracket, we were able to get our TV an inch off the wall.

Once all of the cuts had been made, we added structural wood supports for mounting the MM340. The Mantelmount comes with really straightforward directions and is easy to install.

The final step is making it easy to bring the Frame TV down off the wall. You don’t want to pull the TV off the wall by the frame. Just pulling on the TV could damage it and adding the handles that come with the TV make it quickly look like a TV.

#lee quick fix was simply running a ~10″ metal rod with 10″ plastic tubing to cover it through the bottom rung on the Mantelmount. By doing this we are able to safely pull the Samsung Frame TV off the wall, while it stays completely hidden.

Luckily with the art mode native in the Samsung Frame, the TV swings from entertainment to piece of art easily.

This is definitely not a cheap DIY. Though it does give a space a customized feel with the best of both worlds!

Project update: The following photos are the final result of the project. Meaning #lee painted the Mantelmount MM340, recessed RB100 box, and all of the added lumber white. My husband also created finished drywall edges.

A big lesson learned – the project didn’t exactly turn out like we had both hoped. Of course painting everything to match the walls helped tremendously, but in the end we couldn’t come up with an easily feasible idea to cover up the bottom part of the RB100 box. (It’s not an easy feat based on the fact there was nothing to anchor the drywall to when it crosses over the box.)

The solution? Well, luckily, there are a couple:

1) We could purchase a larger TV to help hide the bottom of the RB100 box. Unfortunately, and in my husband’s opinion the recessed box is just too large. Every other component works beautifully together and we both have remained impressed with the function of the TV.

2) Create a larger TV frame! I kept the TV frame simple with a customized bezel. But I’ve slowly come around to having a larger, more traditional looking picture frame – like this one.

Building a Frame for the TV

It’s been two years since we started this infamous Frame TV project and it’s been quite the road with some great lessons learned along the way. With the last update we were left at a fork in the road – hide the recessed RB100 box OR create a frame for the TV to help hide it?

I eventually admitted I just didn’t love seeing the recessed box, even though it was minimal. I really wanted the TV to look like a piece of furniture and with the recessed box showing it just… didn’t.

Building picture frames for TVs has become increasingly popular over the last few years. No doubt the majority of people enjoy having an aesthetically pleasing space that doesn’t appear to be pointed at a TV. However, there were very few picture frame tutorials that featured a wall mount that effectively hid the power cords, Connect Box, AND was able to be pulled down off the wall.

A few issues we had to address when building this type of picture frame for a Frame TV:

1) Since our Samsung Frame TV is moveable and not affixed to the wall, the picture frame needs to extra secure to the TV itself.

2) Providing access to the motion sensor despite being blocked by the large picture frame.

Luckily the building of a frame is no more than a few simple steps.

Building the Picture Frame

This can be easily be started by following any number of TV Picture Frame tutorials. My favorites are from @JennaSueDesign and @CassMakesHome.

Measure and Cut Your Materials

Accurate measurements are crucial to ensure that the frame fits snugly around your Samsung Frame TV. Start by measuring the dimensions of your TV, including the thickness. Using these dimensions, cut your wood or composite materials accordingly. Opt for a durable wood, such as oak or pine, to ensure that your frame is sturdy.

Depending on your budget you can simply go to your local hardware store and purchase moulding like we did. Or you can also purchase picture moulding online. Both ways work – one saves your budget, the other saves you more time.

Assemble the Frame

Once you’ve cut the pieces to size, it’s time to assemble. Use wood glue and screws for lasting durability. Start with the outer frame and ensure that all corners are square using a 90˚ corner clamp. This will prevent any warping or misalignment that could occur during the assembly process.

Where our tutorial deviates is you want to add the blocks at the top of the frame so it can hook over the top of the TV. These ensure a disaster free experience when we pull down to a comfortable viewing height.

Simply measure the back of your TV in order to create a custom wood block to clip over your TV. A scrap 2×4 works great for blocking and you only have to measure the detailed profile once if you simply cut the block in half. A table saw comes in handy for this stage!

Create Openings for Sensors and Cables

A notorious issue with these DIY frames is the large bezel ends up covering the TV infrared sensor. Luckily, the Samsung Frame TV remote does have Bluetooth capabilities, however, it’s touchy at best. We will eventually

Finish the Frame

After your frame is assembled, it’s time to give it a polished finish. You can paint, stain, or leave it natural, depending on your personal style and existing room decor. A coat of polyurethane can add a nice sheen while protecting the surface from scratches and dust.