The Budget-Friendly Samsung Frame TV Alternative You Can DIY In A Day

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Framing TVs has become a popular trend in recent years. Not only can it integrate a TV seamlessly into a room, but it can also serve as an art display while you're not engaged in a show. Samsung, the pioneer of the Frame TV, has several options available on its website, with prices ranging from around $1,500 to over $3,000. If you want the bezel (frame) only, you can expect to pay between $99 and $200. According to the reviews on its website, the frames are fraught with quality issues, though. There is a way you can DIY an alternative frame to create the look in your living room for a fraction of the cost. This budget-friendly TV frame project is straightforward and requires minimal time. All you need is a few pieces of decorative wood trim, wood stain and a paint brush, a screwdriver, a drill, wood glue, a saw, four flat corner braces, and hook-and-loop Command strips, which will attach your complete decorative wooden frame to the bezel of your TV. 

This project eliminates the need to spend money on a Samsung Frame TV or a decorative bezel. The supplies you use should total less than $50. This is assuming, of course, that you already have the tools. Not only is this a relatively inexpensive, quick, and easy project, but it's also customizable. You can measure a frame to fit almost any flat screen, Samsung or otherwise, as long as it has the bezel around the screen. From the trim style to the stain you choose for the molding, your frame TV can look exactly how you envision it. 

To make the frame, start by measuring the width and height of the screen. Be sure not to include your TV's built-in frame for these measurements. Cut each trim piece to the appropriate length at 45-degree angles with a miter saw or miter box handsaw. The short side of the mitered trim pieces should equal either the height or width of the screen to keep it from covering any of the picture. Now, stain the pieces of trim, and allow them to dry for the recommended time. Then, apply wood glue to one of the angled edges, and press on the matching edge of an adjacent trim piece to form a 90-degree corner. When the glue has dried, screw in your corner brace to the backside of the frame to keep it hidden. Repeat these steps for each corner to finish building the frame. Finally, apply your Command strips to the TV's existing bezel. Wait a day for them to fully adhere, and then attach the frame.

Before applying the Command strips, determine the location of the remote sensor on your TV's bezel so you don't put one on top of it. You can look in your TV's instruction manual or use your remote close to the TV in several spots to locate the sensor. To make sure your DIY frame doesn't block the sensor, drill a hole in it over that spot. If you're wall-mounting your TV, you can cover the gap between the frame and the wall by nailing or gluing finished strips of wood to the back of the frame.