all right for two months now i have been getting a ton of questions about
the texture backdrop behind my tv which causes my rgb lighting to bounce and reflect in ways
unachievable with a basic flat wall surface well guys that is going to be the sole focus
for this video today how i measure prep cut and install the 3d panels onto my wall
so that you can enjoy the very same futuristic space vibes that i enjoy
each and every day hit that like button and subscribe for more content like this here we go
alright guys so i'm going to divide this tutorial up into four sections overview and specs measuring
preparation and finally cutting and installation and while i know it may be tempting to skip ahead
i really want to encourage you guys to watch all points of the video to reduce the amount of
follow-up questions that may have already been covered off on let's get into the overview and
specs these diamond shaped texture tiles are made by a company called r3d they come in both
the pvc plastic material or what r3d refers to as plant fiber which has a heavy duty cardboard like
consistency now the main advantage for going with plant fiber is that they are a few bucks cheaper
and they're easier to cut to size than with pvc but outside of this in my opinion the pvc material
is better in every other way the pvc panels are waterproof they are flame resistant which is a
really good idea if you're going to be installing these panels behind a tv with lots of wires and
overall they're just a lot more durable than with plant fiber the pvc version also has a much more
smooth and polished look right out the box without any painting necessary both versions come in packs
of 12 they're each recommended for flat poreless surfaces and they each measure 19.7 by 19.7 inches
so a single pack will cover roughly 32 square feet i am using the matte white diamond shaped version
but i do want to point out that r3d makes a ton of different other designs
from wavy designs to square blocks star designs and so on but it's been over two years now and
i still prefer the original diamond design to all of the different designs that were available then
and now r3d has even come out with a new diamond version that has jagged joints to better conceal
the seams between each panel i was actually really interested in picking up this new design
at the onset but after looking further into it i learned that you'll have to physically cut each
of the panels at the edges for a finished look whereas with the original design the edges are
already finished for you in addition to the matte white color that i'm currently using
this diamond design also comes in matte black as well as silver but for the best and most
accurate reflection of your led lights i highly recommend that you go with the matte white color
measuring is something that you really want to do early on in the beginning stages of your project
before you make any purchases because nothing is worse than coming to the midpoint of a project
only to discover that you don't have enough supplies to complete the job and of course
you certainly don't want to over order and end up with an excessive amount of panels
especially considering that each pack of 12 is going to run you 70 bucks to get started measure
both the length and the width of your project area and feet and then simply multiply those numbers to
come up with your square footage my project area is roughly eight feet in length and 5.4 feet in
width or height so my total square footage comes out to be just over 43 square feet a single pack
of 12 panels covers 32 square feet so right off the bat i knew i'd require two packs at minimum
so because i wanted to show you guys the full ins and outs of the process rather than simply talking
about panels that are already up on my wall i took the liberty to remove a few of my panels that were
originally installed less than perfectly causing a few gaps here and there once you have the panels
in hand go ahead and lay out the first row so you can get a feel for how you want the pattern to be
once they're up on your wall you'll notice that each of the diamonds have flat sectional breaks in
between so if you really want you can try to line these up as best as possible from panel to panel
though this is not necessary for a clean and finished look once you're feeling good about
where things are on that front it's time to prepare the wall surface for your project area
again your wall surface needs to be predominantly flat for these panels to work if you happen to
be working with an aged or cracking surface r3d recommends that you use a water-based seal primer
before attempting the install now i have a wooden slat wall behind my panels as shown
which means that there are breaks between each slab where you see the aluminum this isn't the
most ideal for everything to lay perfectly flush but luckily the wall is fully finished
and poreless so i haven't had any trouble with my panels falling down on me or anything in the
two-year time span that they've been up the final step before we move on to the actual installation
is cleaning i like to pour 70 rubbing alcohol into a clean spray bottle and add a little bit of water
into that bottle as well to dilute the alcohol because the goal is to free your wall of any dust
and debris and not to strip down the paint when it comes to installing the panels up onto your wall
there are a number of ways to get the job done but i'm going to show you the method that i use which
does not involve using construction adhesive glue as r3d recommends and it does not involve using
caulking or sanding but if you really want to go this route then by all means go for it but in
my opinion if you get the r3d panels that have the finished edges as the ones that i am using
and you take your time during installation you really shouldn't have very many gaps or
separations between the panels which is what the caulking and the sanding attempts to address each
and every one of these panels is being held up by these scotch double-sided mounting squares you
can see on the packaging that 3m is the supplier of the adhesive i've been using these for a long
time now and they are really reliable and if you ever need to remove them they won't cause massive
amounts of damage to your wall surface though you may get a bit of paint peel each piece comes with
a total of four adhesive squares but what i like to do is double that by cutting straight down the
middle of each of the squares as shown so that you have a total of eight rectangular shaped pieces
the key when applying the tape to the back of the diamond panels is to locate each area that
is going to make direct contact with the wall because of the nature of 3d panels there is a
significant portion of the panel that is not going to come in contact with the wall at all
so there is no need to place double-sided tape here as it would simply be a waste of your supply
after you have placed the tape in all four corners of each panel and in all other key areas as shown
carefully place it onto your clean wall and press firmly for 10 to 15 seconds and you're done
and from then on you'll simply follow up each subsequent panel as close to the previous as
possible now unless you own a four-leaf clover you're more than likely going to come to a point
where the panel needs to be cut to size to fit within your area this might involve cutting
around things like your tv mount or maybe even a raceway strip when the time comes for me to
trim these panels you're probably going to be surprised to learn what exactly i primarily use
head shears that's right these large scissor-like tools are designed to be used for cutting tree
branches but they work remarkably well for slicing through these hard pvc panels
now you can try using a generic pair of steel scissors as well but you won't have nearly as
much cutting power as with the shears which means that it's going to take you a lot longer
and you'll probably end up with a much more uneven finish when it's all said and done
i'm sure that pretty much any head shear will do but try to find a pair that has a power
compounding link as this one because this helps magnify the clamp force so you don't have to work
as hard to get through this tough pvc material now obviously a buzz saw will get the job done faster
and more precisely but i don't have one on hand or a workshop table to get the job done correctly
and safely for this particular panel that i need to cut down to size all i do is hold
it up against the wall and then i use a pencil to mark the top and bottom areas where i need to cut
and make sure to use an actual pencil guise and not a sharpie or an ink pen in case the
cut isn't exactly perfect and your markings are still visible on the panel after you're done
so that you can simply erase them and for any fine tuning or touching up go ahead and use an ordinary
pair of steel scissors for better precision a really big cutting tip here if you find that you
need to cut any of the panels on either of the end points for your project area is to always
cut the opposite side so that the finished end of the panel is not compromised this will ensure that
the entire edge of the wall that you're building has a smooth and polished look from top to bottom
if your project area is conjoining with an adjacent wall similar to how my wall meets
my cabinet right here you could technically get away with installing the end that has been cut
facing towards the edge if you come to a situation where the cut end of a panel needs to line up
directly next to a finished end you will need to use the overlap method for a seamless look
otherwise there will be a very unsightly break in the panels from one angle or the other the
key to a successful overlap that doesn't overly protrude outward from the rest of the panels is to
make sure that the unfinished panel is cut right where the majority of the diamonds slant inward
so for example i would cut this panel that i'm planning to match up with the straight edge
about right here this is a good spot where most of the diamonds are dipping inward towards where
the actual wall behind it will be this is a little easier said than done but if all else fails just
make sure that you don't cut directly down the middle of a very large diamond because that will
create a very noticeable bump where the panels overlap another pro tip if you need to install
any panels that are higher than your line of sight is to make sure that the cut end of the panel
is placed so that it is pointing upward towards the ceiling because this 3d design is going to
reveal the wall that is beneath it where the panel has been cut when viewed at a 90 degree angle as
you come closer towards the center of the wall you won't need to be overly precise with your cuts
especially if you have a really big tv because no one is going to see these imperfections unless
they literally poke their head behind your tv in which case you might want to start questioning
the company that you keep another detail with my particular setup that i wanted to point out to
you guys is the echo gear cable raceway which in my opinion is one of the best tv cable concealers
on the market because of its 3.5 inch width which allows for a ton of large cables and because of
its snap on and off design i was able to perfectly conceal the areas where the wall panel meets the
raceway without the need to make any modifications to the panels at all and that's really the extent
of it guys again this is the method that worked for me for my particular setup every situation
is going to be a little different so this tutorial is mainly intended to serve as a high level guide
whether you decide to go with double-sided tape and skip the caulking and the sanding process
this project is going to take some time and patience and you're probably going to mess up
on a panel or two but it's well worth the sweat on your brow because once the project is complete
and you fire up your leds life is never going to be the same and you'll never be able to go back
to an ordinary wall for your entertainment center again well that about wraps things up for this one
if you found any part of this video to be helpful make sure to give a quick thumbs up and
to subscribe for more content like this i'll see you guys in the next video but until then peace
you