Materials & Finishes for Custom Media Walls
Explore the materials, finishes, and construction details we use to build custom media walls, fireplace features, and built-in entertainment centers. See how each option looks in completed projects, compare its benefits, and find the right combination for your space, style, and budget.
Materials used in real projects
Close-up finishes and completed installations
Practical guidance for choosing the right option
EXPLORE THE OPTIONS
Explore Materials by Category
A custom media wall brings together decorative surfaces, cabinetry materials, carefully selected finishes, lighting, and integrated equipment. Explore the categories below to understand the available options and see how each one can be used in your project.
Natural Wood & Wood Finishes
Poplar, pine, and oak elements finished with custom stains, protective coatings, and clear finishes selected to complement your interior.
Paint & Color Finishes
Professional Sherwin-Williams finishes for drywall, shiplap, and architectural surfaces, along with premium Benjamin Moore coatings for custom cabinetry and built-ins.
Stone & Brick Finishes
Explore our most popular Ledger Stone, distinctive Rough Cut Stone, and Chicago-style brick finishes for fireplace walls and architectural features.
Decorative Wall Panels
Wood slats, acoustic panels, stone-look surfaces, wood-look finishes, and panels made with natural or engineered veneer.
Cabinetry Materials
Learn how painted MDF and plywood compare with prefinished melamine panels used in custom cabinets, shelving, and built-in entertainment centers.
Lighting & Electric Fireplaces
Compare continuous LED lighting, round accent lights, our standard 60-inch electric fireplace, and premium fireplace options from Touchstone.
Send us a photo of your wall and tell us which finishes you like. We’ll recommend a material combination for your project.
NATURAL MATERIALS
Natural Wood & Wood Finishes
Natural wood brings warmth, texture, and visual contrast to a media wall. We use it to create elements that feel architectural, tactile, and unique to each project.
Our primary wood options are poplar, pine, and oak. Each species has its own grain pattern, natural color, and response to stain. The right choice depends on the desired appearance, application, design style, and project budget.
Our Wood Options
Poplar
Poplar typically has a smooth surface and a subtle grain pattern. Its understated appearance works well for clean, contemporary details where the shape and finish of the element are more important than a strongly pronounced wood grain.
Because poplar can absorb stain differently across the surface, the selected stain should always be tested on an actual sample before the final finish is approved.
Appearance: Smooth and subtle
Best suited for: Clean profiles and understated wood accents
Finish options: Custom stain, clear protective finish, or paint
Pine
Pine has a warmer and more expressive natural character. Its visible grain, color variation, and occasional knots can create a relaxed, traditional, rustic, or transitional appearance.
Stain can emphasize the natural pattern of pine, but the finished color may vary between different areas of the same piece.
Appearance: Warm with visible natural character
Best suited for: Mantels, shelves, and decorative wood accents
Finish options: Custom stain and protective clear finish
Oak
Oak has a distinctive, highly visible grain that gives the finished element a substantial and refined appearance. It is a strong choice when natural wood is intended to become an important feature of the design rather than a subtle accent.
Different stain colors can enhance the grain while coordinating the wood with flooring, furniture, cabinetry, and other finishes in the room.
Appearance: Defined grain with an elevated architectural look
Best suited for: Feature elements, mantels, shelves, slats, and premium wood accents
Finish options: Custom stain and protective clear finish
Custom Stain Colors
A stain changes the tone of the wood while allowing its natural grain to remain visible. Depending on the project, the stain can be selected to coordinate with an existing floor, cabinet, table, door, or other interior element.
Available looks may range from light natural tones to warm honey, medium brown, walnut-inspired, gray-brown, and darker finishes.
The same stain can look different on poplar, pine, and oak. For this reason, we recommend approving the final color on a sample of the actual wood species selected for the project.
Protective Finishes
After staining, the wood receives a protective clear finish appropriate for its application. This final coating helps protect the surface and determines its finished appearance and sheen.
The coating system may vary depending on whether the wood is used for a mantel, shelf, decorative panel, countertop, or another architectural element.
Where We Use Natural Wood
Natural wood is typically incorporated as a carefully selected accent rather than used across the entire media wall. It adds warmth, texture, and contrast to painted cabinetry, stone, brick, and other architectural finishes.
Depending on the design, we use natural wood for fireplace mantels, built-in countertops, floating shelves, hearth ledges, benches, and coordinating architectural details. Each element can be customized by wood species, stain color, dimensions, and protective finish.
Built-In Countertops
A stained wood countertop adds warmth and contrast to painted cabinetry while creating a durable display surface across built-in cabinets and shelving.
Hearth Ledges & Benches
Natural wood can be used as a continuous ledge or bench around a fireplace, creating a clean transition between the fireplace, stone finish, and surrounding room.
Mantels & Coordinating Details
A wood mantel can be coordinated with a matching hearth ledge, countertop, shelving, or other details to visually connect the different parts of the design.
Paint & Color Finishes
Paint is more than the final color. The coating system must also be selected for the material, application, desired appearance, and level of everyday use.
We use different professional finishes for architectural wall surfaces and custom cabinetry. This allows each element of the media wall to receive a finish appropriate for its function.
Wall & Architectural Finishes
For drywall, shiplap, trim, and other painted architectural surfaces, we primarily use professional coatings from Sherwin-Williams.
These finishes provide a wide range of color and sheen options. The surface can be coordinated with the existing room color for a seamless appearance or finished in a contrasting color to make the media wall a distinct architectural feature.
Common Applications
Drywall media wall surfaces
Shiplap
Fireplace build-outs
Decorative trim and molding
Painted wall panels
Architectural niches and details
Cabinetry & Built-In Finishes
Custom cabinets, doors, drawer fronts, shelving, and built-in furniture require a different type of coating than standard wall surfaces.
For these elements, we use professional Benjamin Moore finishes selected for cabinetry, built-ins, and custom millwork. These coatings create a smoother, more refined, furniture-like appearance suitable for surfaces that are viewed closely and used regularly.
Common Applications
Custom built-in cabinets
Cabinet doors and drawer fronts
Floating cabinets
Painted shelving
Entertainment centers
Custom millwork and furniture details
Custom Color Selection
Paint colors can be selected to coordinate with walls, flooring, furniture, stone, wood, and other finishes in the room.
A media wall does not always need to match the surrounding walls. Depending on the design, we may recommend:
Matching the existing wall color
Using a lighter or darker shade of the same color
Creating contrast with a distinct accent color
Coordinating the cabinetry with another element in the room
Using different colors for the wall surface and built-in cabinets
Choosing the Right Sheen
The sheen affects how the color looks, how much light the surface reflects, and how visible the surface texture becomes.
Depending on the product and application, available options may include matte, eggshell, satin, and semi-gloss finishes. Architectural surfaces generally benefit from a softer appearance, while cabinetry may require a smoother finish appropriate for furniture and frequently handled surfaces.
We recommend the final sheen based on the material, location, lighting, and intended use.
Stone & Brick Finishes
Stone and brick add texture, depth, and architectural character to a media wall. These materials can be used to create a strong fireplace focal point, introduce contrast, or connect a new media wall with the existing style of the home.
Our primary options include Ledger Stone, Rough Cut Stone, and Chicago-style brick. Each finish has a different scale, texture, pattern, and overall visual character.
Ledger Stone
Our Most Popular Stone Finish
Ledger Stone is the most frequently selected stone finish for our media wall and fireplace projects. Its layered horizontal profile creates natural depth and shadow while maintaining a clean architectural appearance.
It works well in modern, transitional, rustic, and contemporary interiors. Depending on the selected color and surrounding materials, Ledger Stone can appear light and subtle or dark and dramatic.
Common Applications
Full-height fireplace walls
Electric fireplace surrounds
TV and fireplace feature walls
Stone accent sections
Fireplace bases and architectural columns
Combinations with wood mantels and built-in cabinetry
Rough Cut Stone
Rough Cut Stone has a bolder, more substantial appearance. Its larger faces, irregular edges, and pronounced texture create the character of traditional hand-laid masonry.
This option works especially well when the stone is intended to become the dominant architectural material in the room. It can be paired with a natural wood mantel, hearth ledge, painted built-ins, or a more minimal surrounding design.
Common Applications
Floor-to-ceiling fireplace features
Large fireplace surrounds
Tall and high-ceiling media walls
Traditional and transitional interiors
Architectural accent walls
Explore the Stone Fireplace Media Wall
See how a RoughCut stone finish can be incorporated into a complete fireplace media wall with an integrated electric fireplace, wood mantel, concealed wiring, and customized architectural proportions.
Chicago-Style Brick
Chicago-style brick introduces an aged, architectural character inspired by traditional urban brickwork. Its variation in tone and texture creates a surface that feels established rather than perfectly uniform.
Brick can give a media wall an industrial, rustic, traditional, or transitional appearance depending on its color, joint treatment, mantel, and surrounding finishes.
Common Applications
Fireplace surrounds
Full-height brick fireplace walls
TV and fireplace features
Brick accent sections
Projects with natural wood mantels
Traditional or industrial-inspired interiors
Explore the Brick Fireplace Media Wall
See how Old Chicago-style brick can be used in a complete media wall with a modern electric fireplace, custom wood mantel, concealed TV wiring, and a layout adapted to the room.
Decorative Wall Panels
SURFACE, TEXTURE & DIMENSION
Decorative wall panels introduce texture, pattern, and visual depth that cannot be achieved with paint alone. Depending on the design, they can create a refined backdrop for the TV, add warmth to a modern built-in, or turn one section of a media wall into a distinctive architectural feature.
We work with several panel systems, each offering a different balance of appearance, texture, and dimensionality.
PVC Marble-Look Panels
Wood Slat & Acoustic Panels
Interior WPC Fluted Panels
Carbon Sheet Panels
Soft Stone Panels
PVC Marble-Look Panels
Large-format PVC panels recreate the appearance of marble and other polished stone surfaces. Available patterns range from soft white and gray veining to dramatic black, gold, and high-contrast designs.
Their larger format creates an expansive stone-inspired surface with fewer visible joints than traditional tile. This makes them especially effective for contemporary TV backdrops and full-height feature sections.
Best for:
Large TV backdrops
Contemporary media walls
Polished stone-inspired surfaces
Designs requiring bold veining or dramatic contrast
Wood Slat & Acoustic Panels
Wood slat panels combine evenly spaced wood-finished slats with a dark acoustic backing. The linear pattern introduces warmth, rhythm, and architectural depth while helping soften sound reflections within the room.
Available finishes range from light natural oak tones to walnut, smoked wood, and black ebony. These panels can cover an entire feature wall or be used selectively to frame the TV, define side sections, or create contrast with painted cabinetry.
Best for:
Warm modern interiors
TV backdrops
Vertical accent sections
Media rooms where reducing echo is desirable
Acoustic panels can help improve the room’s sound character, but they are not a substitute for full soundproofing.
Interior WPC Fluted Panels
Interior WPC panels feature a dimensional fluted or ribbed profile that produces strong lines and changing shadows throughout the day.
The finish selection includes natural wood looks, dark contemporary tones, solid colors, metallic accents, and stone-inspired patterns. Their defined geometry works particularly well in modern and transitional media-wall designs.
Best for:
Fluted feature walls
Vertical architectural accents
TV and fireplace framing
Wood-look surfaces with a consistent finish
Modern designs with pronounced texture
Carbon Sheet Panels
Carbon sheet panels provide a flatter, more streamlined decorative surface. They are available in wood-grain finishes as well as understated colors such as white, greige, and slate gray.
Compared with fluted panels, these sheets create a cleaner and less dimensional appearance. They are a strong option when the design calls for a broad, uninterrupted surface without the visual weight of masonry or deeply textured cladding.
Best for:
Minimalist TV backdrops
Large smooth accent surfaces
Contemporary built-ins
Coordinating wood-grain and neutral finishes
Soft Stone Panels
Soft stone panels reproduce the texture and character of materials such as travertine, cut stone, textured plaster, and linear carved stone.
Their tactile surface gives a media wall a natural, organic appearance while creating less visual bulk than traditional full-depth masonry. Available textures range from subtle and refined to rough, irregular, and highly dimensional.
Best for:
Organic modern interiors
Textured TV backdrops
Stone-inspired architectural accents
Travertine and plaster-style surfaces
Designs requiring natural texture without heavy masonry
Where We Use Decorative Panels
Decorative panels may be incorporated into:
TV backdrops
Full-height feature walls
Vertical side sections
Architectural niches
Built-in shelving surrounds
Fireplace feature walls
Accent sections combined with cabinetry, paint, wood, stone, or lighting
Choosing the Right Panel
The best option depends on more than color. We also consider the scale of the pattern, surface texture, panel direction, visible joints, edge transitions, integrated lighting, and how the material coordinates with the cabinetry, fireplace, flooring, and surrounding room.
Whenever possible, the final selection should be made from a physical sample. Colors, grain patterns, sheen, and texture can appear different on a screen and may change under the room’s natural and artificial lighting.
See how decorative panels, wood slats, textured surfaces, and integrated lighting can be incorporated into our A Series architectural TV walls.
Cabinetry Materials
The material inside a built-in matters just as much as the finish you see. It affects the cabinet’s appearance, durability, maintenance, construction method, and overall project cost.
Depending on the design and intended finish, we typically use one of two cabinetry systems: custom painted construction made from furniture-grade MDF and cabinet-grade plywood, or prefinished melamine panels.
Painted MDF & Plywood Cabinetry
For custom painted built-ins, we combine materials according to the function of each component.
Furniture-grade MDF provides an exceptionally smooth and consistent surface for painted doors, drawer fronts, decorative panels, trim, and other visible details. Because it has no natural grain, it allows the cabinetry enamel to create a clean, refined finish.
Cabinet-grade plywood is generally used where greater structural strength is required, including cabinet boxes, shelves, partitions, and supporting components.
This construction method offers the greatest design flexibility and works especially well for:
Custom built-ins and media cabinetry
Shaker or decorative cabinet doors
Painted shelving and display niches
Architectural trim and molding
Projects requiring a specific custom color
Traditional, transitional, and luxury interiors
Prefinished Melamine Cabinetry
Melamine is a factory-finished decorative surface bonded to an engineered wood panel. It is available in solid colors, wood-look patterns, and a variety of textures.
Because the decorative finish is already applied, melamine does not require onsite painting. The panels are precisely cut and finished with coordinated edge banding to create clean, furniture-style cabinetry.
Melamine is a practical choice for:
Modern and minimalist built-ins
Cabinet interiors and shelving
Media consoles and storage units
Wood-look cabinetry without staining
Easy-to-clean, low-maintenance surfaces
Projects requiring a consistent factory finish
Choosing the Right Construction
Painted MDF and plywood provide maximum freedom in color, detailing, and architectural style. Melamine offers a consistent prefinished surface, streamlined construction, and a broad selection of contemporary colors and wood patterns.
The best option depends on the design, finish, storage requirements, budget, and how the cabinetry will be used. Materials may also be combined within one project—for example, painted exterior components with durable prefinished cabinet interiors.
During the design process, we help determine the appropriate material for each visible and structural component rather than applying one material specification to the entire built-in.
Explore media-wall designs centered around custom storage, display shelving, and built-in cabinetry in our C Series cabinet and shelf systems.
LIGHTING, AMBIANCE & FLAME
Lighting & Electric Fireplaces
Lighting and the fireplace are not simply accessories added after the media wall is designed. Their placement affects the proportions of the built-in, the appearance of its materials, the room’s atmosphere, and the electrical preparation required before installation.
Integrated Lighting
Integrated lighting can highlight shelves, reveal the texture of decorative panels, create depth around the TV, and provide soft ambient illumination when the room’s primary lights are turned off.
Continuous LED Lighting
Diffused LED strips create an uninterrupted line of light without visible individual diodes. They may be installed:
Under floating shelves
Inside display niches
Along decorative wall panels
Between wood slats
Behind projecting architectural elements
Around selected sections of the TV wall
LED strips are typically installed in recessed channels with diffusers for a clean, finished appearance.
Recessed Spotlights
Compact recessed fixtures provide more focused illumination. They work especially well above individual shelves, display niches, cabinetry sections, and decorative objects.
Their spacing and beam direction are planned to distribute light evenly and reduce harsh hotspots or reflections on the television.
Our Standard 60-Inch Electric Fireplace
Our standard fireplace option is the Efiretric® Grace 60-Inch 3-in-1 Electric Fireplace (EF452B).
We use this model because it provides a clean linear appearance, flexible installation, and an excellent balance of visual impact, functionality, and project cost.
Its 3-in-1 configuration allows it to be:
Recessed into the wall
Surface-mounted
Used as a freestanding fireplace
The fireplace offers multiple flame colors and brightness settings, interchangeable log and crystal media, remote control, adjustable supplemental heat, and the ability to operate the flame effect without heat.
The 60-inch format works particularly well beneath common residential television sizes and integrates cleanly into painted, stone, brick, panel, and cabinetry-based media walls.
Alternative & Premium Fireplaces
The standard fireplace is not the only available option. The fireplace can be upgraded or changed according to the dimensions, appearance, flame quality, controls, and installation style required for the project.
See how linear electric fireplaces are integrated with televisions, decorative finishes, lighting, mantels, and optional storage in our F Series fireplace media walls.