Down the A60 to Loughborough
Loughborough is about 15 miles south of our base in Mapperley, at the far end of the A60, which starts in Loughborough and runs north to Nottingham. It is in Leicestershire rather than Nottinghamshire, but comfortably inside the 30 miles around Nottingham that we cover, and we build media walls right across the town.
Concrete, brick and new-build walls
Loughborough's suburbs were built in stages, and the walls you have depend on when your house went up. Shelthorpe was started in 1929, halted by the Second World War and resumed in 1946. Thorpe Acre grew mainly in the 1950s for Brush Engineering workers, including 100 homes built of no-fines concrete, with a newer estate following in the 1960s and early 1970s. Dishley was heavily developed in the 1970s, as were the Hazel Road and Fairmeadows Way estates, and Grange Park was started in 2006.
That matters for the fixings. A no-fines concrete or solid brick wall needs the right masonry fixings, and a wall in a newer house may be plasterboard on dabs or studs, which is not strong enough on its own for a heavy screen. A media wall gets round this by carrying the TV on its own frame, fixed securely to the floor, ceiling and structure, with solid backing where the bracket goes. Because the cables run inside that frame, nothing needs to be chased into the original wall.
Designing yours
Choose the TV and, if you want one, an inset electric fire before anything is built. The fire's installation instructions specify its opening, clearances and ventilation, and the frame is made to match. In a smaller room, a raised section with a single recess may suit better than a full-width wall; in a larger lounge, tall lit niches either side of the TV balance the screen. Add alcoves for books and speakers, a soundbar slot and LED channels as you like. Cable routes are planned inside the timber or metal frame, and all electrical connections are made by a qualified electrician. Then the wall is boarded, beaded and skimmed ready for decorating.
Contact us
If your home is in one of Loughborough's eight conservation areas, such as Ashby Road or Queen's Park, the controls mainly apply to the outside; a listed building needs consent from Charnwood Borough Council first. Call 07877 353120 or fill in the enquiry form with photos of the room. We work seven days a week, 7am to 5pm.
