How To Wall Mount A TV
One of the biggest advantages of modern TVs is that you can mount them to a wall, allowing for a more cinematic viewing experience and saving space. While this hardware feature isnt new by any means, TV manufacturers are consistently taking advantage of the aesthetic option. With TVs that roll up and down and Samsung QLED models that hang like a portrait in your living room theres never been a better time to wall mount your next family TV. But before you break out the drill and stud finder, you will want to read this how-to guide weve put together, especially if this is your first time mounting a new TV on a wall.
Wall mounting isnt rocket science, but it does require a fair bit of precision, care, and patience. After all, the last thing you want to experience is your new set laying cracked on your hardwood floor in a pile of crumbled drywall. Take a few minutes to read and absorb our tips, tricks, and expertise.
Thread Them Through Your Wall
The other option requires a bit more DIY, but it’s useful if you have a lot of cables or you don’t like the look of trunking. Make a hole behind where the TV will be mounted and thread all cables through it. Make another below it and pull the cables through. You can neaten the holes you’ve made with cheap a plastic fitting. If you plan to do this, cut your holes to the right size for the fittings.
Buy cables that are longer than you suspect you’ll need. You don’t want to pass the cables through only to realise they aren’t long enough to reach your socket.
Check Your Wall Can Support Your TV
They’re getting thinner every year, but TVs aren’t exactly lightweight. The average weight of a 55-inch TV in 2018 is 18kg.
Unless you’re mounting your TV onto a brick wall you’ll need to find the studs. These vertical wooden support beams run along your walls and the gaps between them will either be hollow or packed with insulation, neither of which will be strong enough to hold up your TV. A stud finder will tell you exactly where they are, so you can be sure you’re drilling into something solid rather than empty space.
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How To Remove A TV From A Wall Mount
So far, we have discussed how to mount the TV on the wall.
However, what if youve got the TV mounted already, and want to remove it?
The best way is to reverse the stages that we used to mount it.
Some wall mounts, especially flat and tilting mounts, may have a locking mechanism keeping the TV in place. If so, you may see some straps hanging down behind the TV.
If you cant see any obvious locking mechanism or securing bolts take a look at the manufacturers instructions and see the procedure for mounting the TV. You just need to reverse the process.
Of course, if you know the manufacturer, you can always call their helpdesk and they will be happy to point you in the right direction.
How To Mount A TV In An Apartment
Learn how to mount a TV to a wall in an apartment in 7 easy steps
When you move into an apartment, you want to make your new place as cozy and comfortable as possible. To best utilize the space in your apartment, you may want to mount your flat-screen TV on the wall. Its actually easier than you might think to wall mount a TV in your apartment, and it can make your space feel more open and orderly. With just a few hours of effort, you can be enjoying a movie on your wall-mounted TV.
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What Type Of TV Mount Do I Want
Believe it or not, a television mount is not a one-size-fits-all situation. According to Carlos Angulo, the director of product marketing at VIZIO, youll need to choose between an articulating and slim mount.
Meet the Expert
Carlos Angulo is the director of product marketing at television brand VIZIO.
Full articulating mounts stick out from the wall quite a bit and can make managing your cables more difficult, and in many cases, people dont move their TVs around as much as they think, he says. On the other hand, slim mounts are usually best if you dont plan to move your TV.
Its also important to get the right mount for your specific television. While looking at the size may seem like an obvious first step, its an easy mistake to get a mount thats the wrong size for your TV, because it comes up as a recommended product online, says Angulo. For instance, the VIZIO 75 P-Series Quantum X TV will require a different mount than the VIZIO 43 V-Series TV.
What Is The Best TV Height
Unfortunately there is not a one size fits all rule for the optimal TV height for those looking for a concrete answer and a specific measurement. The best TV height can be somewhat subjective and there is no easy answer.
Most video professionals agree that the optimal height for the optimal viewing experience is to locate the center of the screen at the same height as your eyes when seated.
The average height of your eyes when seated is 42, assuming an 18 sofa and 24 from the seat to your eyes. If you center a 70 TV at 42, the bottom of the TV will be 25 off the floor for optimal viewing.
Most often to get a comfortable viewing range the rule of thumb is to place the bottom of the TV 25 from the floor.
This may compete with room design, which is another important consideration. Depending on personal preference it may be ok to raise the TV a little. If you lean back while watching TV you may raise the TV a little more.
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Mount Your TV Bracket To The Wall
Do not be intimidated. This is easy!!
First, locate the studs in the wall. You want the bracket to be bolted directly to the studs.
Once your studs are all located and marked with a pencil on the wall, hold up your bracket, use a level, and use a pencil to mark all the holes where your bolts will go. Now remove the bracket and drill a pilot hole into the center of each of your bolt markings, like this:
Once your holes are drilled, put your bracket back up and bolt that bad boy to the wall.
Now double check to make sure everything is level.
Oh man, are we good or what?!
Your mounting kit is officially ready to go. Now the real fun begins.
Consider Recessing Your TV
Putting the whole TV in a recess is one of the most popular ways to hide your TV too, but its important to consider the logistics such as adequate ventilation.
If you choose to have a TV mounted into a recess at a certain height, this can limit you if you want to upgrade to a larger size in future – and thats pretty common, says Owen.
Naomi Astley Clarke design
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Are The Ports Accessible
Check to see where the ports are located on your television. If the ports are on the back of the TV, you’ll want to purchase a wall mount that can telescope outward, giving you better access to the back of the television. This is particularly important if you’re likely to add new devices to your TV often. You don’t want to unmount the television every time you need access to the ports.
How Much Should You Spend On A Wall Mount
The cost of wall mounts can vary enormously prices can range from £20 all the way up to £160. But if all are VESA-compliant and fit your TV’s size and weight, why pay more?
As you might expect, full motion mounts cost more than fixed ones and some pricier ones will mean there’s less of a gap between your TV and the wall. Some more expensive brackets have more points of articulation, giving you greater control over exactly how your TV is positioned.
If you get a lot of glare from a window and you know you’ll often be adjusting the angle and position of your TV, it’s probably worth heading to a shop and asking to try a bracket. If it’s stiff and difficult to manipulate it may not be the best choice for you, particularly given that it will only get harder to move when there’s an 18kg TV bolted to it.
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Installing The Bracket On The Wall
After youve located and marked where youll want the bracket to go, use the drill to pre-drill the holes into the stud. When these screws go in, they should feel solid and stable, another indication that your TV will be installed securely, without damaging the wall whatsoever.
You should also use a leveler to make sure that the bracket is even, and level with the ground, so that your TV wont look crooked once its installed. Once you have the holes ready, hold the bracket against the wall, and drill the screws in tightly, so that they hold in place.
Get The Right Mount Type And Size
There are generally two types of wall mounts that youll come across. The first one is an articulating mount, which is meant for smaller televisions and usually has one arm with a couple of articulating joints that allow you to pull the TV out from the wall and turn it in nearly any direction.
Again, these mounts are usually meant for smaller, lighter televisions since they can usually only mount to the wall at a single point, although you can sometimes find articulating mounts meant for larger televisions as well, which can mount to the wall at multiple points.
The second type of TV wall mount is also the most common, called a tilting mount. These allow you to mount your TV to the wall at multiple pointssometimes up to sixso theyre great for larger, heavier televisions.
The only downside is that you cant swivel the TV side-to-sideyou can only tilt it up or down, and even then you can only tilt it a few degrees. But if youre going to be mounting it at eye level right in front of the couch, you really dont need any major articulation features anyway.
Once you decide on the type of mount you want, you also need to make sure that it will fit your televisions mounting holes. All modern televisions are VESA mount-compatible, which simply means that they comply with the Video Electronics Standards Associations mounting standard used by pretty much every TV mount on the market.
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What Cables Do You Need
A full motion TV wall mount that can be pulled away from the wall has a few advantages over fixed and tilting wall mounts.
One of the main benefits is that it is easier to connect your cables to the back of the TV. You can pull the TV away from the wall and easily attach all the necessary cables.
Although, you will need to allow for longer cables if the TV is going to be pulled away from the wall. So, make sure you have enough slack to handle the movement of the screen.
If you are installing a low-profile fixed or tilting wall mount, it can be tricky connecting all the cables.
Depending on the position of the TV connections, you may even need to rely on 90-degree HDMI connectors if you are close to the wall.
Consider the position of the TV connections and the shape of the connectors on your cables. You dont want to be thinking about this after you have wall-mounted the TV.
Otherwise, you may find that you are unable to plug everything in.
You might also want to think about how to hide the wires after you have finished. This is particularly important if you are going to install an in-wall recess and run the wires inside the wall.
Why Hang Your TV On A Wall
Before you begin, consider why you’re hanging the TV on the wall.
Is it for movies? Is it for games? Perhaps it’s because the TV looks better up there , or maybe you’re rearranging your room and have decided that the entertainment center furniture has to go.
There is no right or wrong answer to this. But you have to be sure that you know what you’re letting yourself in for. Mounting a TV on the wall means adopting a new approach to cable management, and that is just the beginning.
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How Do You Mount A TV By Yourself
Always seek help when mounting a TV onto a wall, especially if its a large screen. Once you have chosen your TV, you need to check which TV brackets it is compatible with – not all brackets will be suitable. Once youve chosen where to position your TV, youll need the right tools for the job and be an experienced DIY-er to carry out the wall mounting successfully.
You can follow our step-by-step guide on how to mount your TV to a wall here to gain insight, but we advise calling upon the help of a professional before you start your project to check the logistics.
Please Hide All Of The Cords In The Wall
Nothing ruins the look of a nice television mounted on the wall quicker than a tangle of exposed wires. Luckily, hiding cables inside the wall is fairly cheap and easy. The simplest way to achieve this is with an IWPE or a power relocation kit. These kits come with everything you need to run power up to your TV while hiding all of your signal wires . You might be thinking: Why not just drop an extension cord in the wall instead of installing an outlet? Well, its actually against National Electric Code to drop a power cord or extension cord inside the wall. Its also not legal to put low-voltage cables like HDMI inside the wall unless theyre CL3-rated for in-wall use, which is one reason expensive HDMI cables are worth buying.
You may not need the extra HDMI ports on your TV now, but you may want to add components to your home theater system in the future. Put in extra HDMI cables and run them through the wall now so that you have them when you need them.
An IWPE is exactly what it sounds like, an extension cord rated to go inside the wall. In the end, you will have an outlet behind your TV, and whats called an inlet down by the floor . To provide power to the kit, you connect an extension cord from an existing outlet to the inlet. Confused? Check out these diagrams.
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A Guide To Wall Mounting Your TV
Wall mounting your TV will help you get the best viewing angle and make your living room less cluttered. Putting it up is simple, too. Read on for our guide
10 Jun 2020
In this article, we’re going to show you how to mount your TV on the wall. Mounting a TV can make for heavy lifting, so its a good idea to get someone else in your house to help out!
If youre fond of the minimalist, decluttered look then wall mounting your TV could be for you.
It saves valuable floor space if you have a small home and gives a more streamlined look.
You can also find the best viewing angle and reduce glare from lights or windows with extending, tilting and swivelling wall mounts.
And if you have kids or pets, itll keep them and your TV out of harms way.
So, let’s get started with a quick wall survey.
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Fix The TV Mount To The Wall
Some TV mounts come with a printed “map” to pin on your wall and mark out the drill holes. If this isn’t included, hold the mount to the wall and with a pencil mark the holes you will be using. Next, choose a suitable drill bit and set the correct depth, then drill the marked holes.
Note that if you’re fixing the mount to a wooden wall, you can screw directly into the wall.
When you’re done drilling, vacuum the holes so they’re free of dust, and push in the anchors.
Clean the wall with a slightly damp cloth, then hold the TV mount in place and begin fixing it to the wall.
Usually, hex cap screws are used for this, particularly with mounts designed for larger TVs. However, you might have a kit that includes standard screws or those with a hex key .
Tighten each screw in turn, not too tight, to ensure the mount doesn’t or bend.