DIY Samsung Frame TV
Updated: Sep 15, 2022
I'm so excited to share this DIY with you today! Last week when I shared the gallery wall in our bedroom I knew it needed a little something...
I wanted to see if I could make the TV blend in just a bit more. That's when I remembered the DIY Frame TV I had seen Cass Makes Home create a few months ago...I knew that would be the perfect project to put my own spin on! Before we get into the DIY I want to share with you exactly what I've done here- I took my regular smart TV (it's Samsung brand, but not the Frame TV) and figured out how to display a "photo" on the screen, although my photo is actually a photo of a piece of art. You can actually download the same art right here- it's a public domain piece which is free to download and use for anything (you can learn more about pubic domain art and how I use it in this post here)! Once I had the art displayed on the screen I built a simple frame to go around the TV and then used command velcro strips to attach the frame to the edges of the TV. It is a super simple project- let's get into it!
You will need:
- a smart TV (any smart TV should be able to display a photo as art)
- measuring tape
- (2-3) 6' or 8' pieces of molding (how many you need will be totally dependent on how large your TV is so make sure to measure that before you head to buy molding)
- miter saw (I don't have a miter saw so we purchased this cheap miter box that came with a hand saw too)
- epoxy or a super strong glue
- staples and staple gun
- sandpaper
- paintbrush (or rag)
- antique gold rub n' buff (or paint in whatever color you want your frame to be)
- (10-20) command strips (this will again depend on the size of your TV/frame)
Let's get into the tutorial!
The first thing I did was hold the molding up to the TV and marked the corner. I wanted the frame to sit right where the black frame of the TV was and I wanted to get it just right so instead of measuring I held it up and marked where the corner ended with a pencil. Where the corner ended is where my husband Kris cut the first mitered edge. Remember you want all of your edges to come inward towards the place you marked the edge.
I don't have a miter saw so I purchased this miter box, that came with a little hand saw. Using this to make hundreds of cuts would be super annoying, but for this project it was perfect!
After making every cut I brought it inside to make sure everything was sizing up nicely and to mark the next cut. After doing this for all four corners I had a frame!
Next it was time to attach everything. I used E6000 to glue the corners together, which did hold nicely, but took a very long time to set. If I had to do this project again I would recommend trying to find a glue that sets a bit faster. I glued each corner one at a time and then used the 90 degree angle clamp to hold the corners in place. I ended up clamping my corners together for about 6-10 hours before my glue cured enough to move on to the next corner, which is how this project ended up spanning an entire weekend.
Once each corner was dry I flipped it over (while the clamp was still in place) and added in 2-3 staples to give each corner some extra security. I stopped about halfway in because the molding I was using was super thin on that side and I didn't want my staples to go through the front (yes, I learned that the hard way).
Once everything was glued and stapled all nice and snug, I took it inside and made sure it fit around the TV perfectly and it did! So then I was on to the rub n' buff, but first a good sanding to knock down any splintery areas.
For the Rub n' Buff I experimented with both a rag and a paint brush and because my frame had so many grooves to get the finish into I preferred the paintbrush. It was much faster.
This was actually my first time using Rub n' Buff and I have to say I really loved it!! I used the color antique gold and the finish was so much more authentic looking than gold spray paint. I'm going to want to use it everywhere now, I have so many projects in mind! Once I finished painting the front I flipped it over to get the back.
I knew that most of this part would be covered up by the TV, but I didn't want any raw wood edges showing from the back. Then it was time for the exciting part- attaching the frame to the TV! I decided to give Command Strips a try because it was the easiest/fastest thing I could think of. I was worried it might fall, but it's been hanging on for over 24 hours now and still feels super secure, so I'm confident this was a good choice!
I used 20 strips total- 10 fronts and 10 backs. I attached the velcro to itself first then peeled off one side, stuck it to the frame, and repeated this for all 10 sets (three sets on the top and bottom and two sets per side). Once they were all stuck to the frame then I peeled off the other side and could then line it up perfectly with the TV to stick it into place (that way I didn't have to line up my velcro on my frame with separate velcro on the TV, it was already all stuck together and I could just worry about getting it into position on the TV).
Each strip is supposed to hold twelve pounds so this was probably overkill, but like I said it feels very secure and that's what I was going for. It turned out perfectly!
Now let me back up a second because I know what you're thinking- how did you get the art displayed on your TV? So this is where it gets a little tricky because this process is going to be different for every smart TV, it also can be different if you are using apple TV, roku, or a firestick. This is a great article that shows several different methods depending on what equipment you are working with. If all else fails google "how to display photo on ____ TV". Once I was able to share my photo with the TV I set it up to be the default screen and for it to never transition to a screen saver.
The difference between this and a real Samsung Frame (which we have in our living room) is that I have to manually take the remote and turn the photo on, it doesn't automatically turn to art everyday unless I specifically set it to do so. So while I love our real Frame TV, this was thousands cheaper- I'll take it!
I'm so happy with how it turned out and it blends seamlessly into the gallery wall- really brings the whole project full circle!
Update: This video is from when I did a similar build for the fireplace in our living room and I actually prefer the method I used here, it's essentially the same, but I used brackets instead of staples and no clamping. I just used glue and then screwed the brackets in immediately- much faster and easier!
Want to see the entire process of our bedroom?
