Materials for media walls: what do you use to build a media wall?

Guidance on choosing materials for media walls.

If you’ve only ever seen a media wall in pictures and you’re trying to get some inspiration for building a media wall in your home, you might be wondering what are the best materials for media walls. What should the wall be built from to get the look you want?

Unlike fireplaces in which fuel is being burned, there are a lot more options available when choosing a media wall to house an electric fire. And the good news is that the options cover all price points and styles.

A media wall is essentially a stud wall that is designed to look like a chimney breast. As such, most people opt for similar materials to those typically used in a stud wall when building a media wall.

What to think about when choosing materials for media wall

There are some key considerations to keep in mind when you're selecting media wall materials.

Cost

From MDF through to quartz stone, your choice of media wall material will have a big impact on price. For that reason, it's worth considering how much a media wall will cost using the materials you have in mind.

Appearance

Some media wall materials create a different aesthetic than others. Keep in mind the style of media wall you want to create and how your chosen materials can complement that vision.

Versatility

Think about the intricacy or complexity of your media wall design. Some materials are easier to work with than others. Equally, some are easier to replace if there's a breakage or something goes wrong.

Best materials for media walls

There is a wide selection of materials to choose from when building a media wall. Some of the best options include:

• Plasterboard
• MDF
• Venetian plaster
• Engineered stone

Let's explore all of those options and more media wall materials in more detail.

Plasterboard media walls

The most common material with which to build a media wall is probably plasterboard. This can be easily fixed to the wooden frame, just as you would with a stud wall, plastered and then decorated in your own style. This is a very affordable and quick way to build a sturdy media wall with smooth surfaces to work with.

MDF for media walls

Perhaps the second most popular of the materials for media walls is MDF. Again, it’s affordable and very easy to use. It’s just a case of getting the MDF cut to size and fixing to the wooden frame of your media wall.

Primed MDF for media walls

Following from MDF, you might prefer to opt for a primed MDF so that your media wall is ready to paint. This media wall material is used in our self-build media wall kits. All of the materials needed to build the wall arrive boxed and primed for finishing.

These flat pack media walls offer a cost-effective building material for media walls. They also take away the hassle of planning and sourcing materials at all — it's just a case of opening the box and getting started with the parts provided.

Venetian plaster for media walls

A popular option for creating a marble-style finish without having to carry out stonework is Venetian plaster (also known as polished plaster). Depending on your choice of plaster, you can achieve either a highly-polished finish or a rugged, textured look for your media wall. The price will be higher than regular plaster, but significantly cheaper than marble or a similar stone.

Quartz for media walls

If stone-inspired plaster isn’t going to cut it, you could pull out all the stops and build a media wall from stone or engineered stone, such as quartz. This can create a spectacular finish, although it probably goes without saying that this is by far the most expensive of the materials for media walls we’ve featured.

What material will you choose for your media wall?

As we said at the outset, there are lots of options available to you when choosing media wall materials. We’ve covered some of the most popular options and hopefully given you some inspiration, but that needn’t restrict your imagination.

If you’ve got an idea for the perfect finish for your media wall, the chances are it will be suitable as long as you’re able to construct with it or clad it to the supporting frame.

FAQs

Can I build a media wall myself?

Yes, building a media wall is a simple job for any competent DIY-er. If you don't want to spend the time or effort starting from scratch, you can build a media wall in just a few hours using a self-build media wall kit.

Can I mount a TV on all of these media wall materials?

It's worth double-checking when buying any media wall materials that they can withstand the weight of your TV. But generally speaking, yes, all of these materials are commonly used in media wall and can have TVs mounted on them.

This is usually achieved using a TV bracket, so that the TV can be recessed within the wall and pulled out when access is needed.

What is the best material for a media wall?

The best material wall material will vary depending on a host of factors. These include your budget, the size and design of your media wall, and the look you want to create. In most cases, either MDF or plasterboard are the most suitable options. 

Some free advice

Choosing materials for media walls is not the only thing you’ll need to consider to get the look you want. For a full overview of all the things you need to think about when creating a media wall, feel free to download our media wall ebook.