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A recent study found that 70% of people who would like to wall mount their TV, don’t up end doing it. We get it, drilling holes in your wall has a way of making you feel nervous. Plus, what do you do with all those cables and wires–you want it to look nice when you’re done. Well we’re happy to report, that wall mounting your TV isn’t that hard to do.
First thing’s first, you need to get a wall mount. Nearly every mount you’ll come across uses a VESA mounting pattern that attaches to every TV. Just remember to look at the mount’s specs to make sure your mount can hold the weight of your TV. Many mounts can tilt, so you can hang the TV up high and still have a good viewing angle; some mounts even swivel.
Second, you’re probably going to want to get a kit that can run power to, and manage, all your cables going to your TV. Also, make sure that the HDMI, optical, and ethernet cables you run are CL3 rated for in-wall use; you’ll find info on this in the product specs.
PRO TIP: Plan ahead here! You may not be using all those HDMI ports now, but what if you want to add a component in the future; now’s the time to run extra cables.
For tools, you’re going to need a stud finder (electronic works best), a tape measure, pencil, Phillips screwdriver, the necessary drill bits, a drill, a level, socket wrench, and a drywall saw (electric or handheld works just fine).
Next, we want to set the height of the TV; your ideal mounting height is about 42 inches for the center of the screen. That should place it at about eye level when seated on a typical couch. Now, you want to find the studs in the wall. Scan the stud finder across the wall near where the center of the TV should be. Now we can check our stud locations a couple of different ways; you can knock on the wall–if you knock a higher pitch, then you’re probably on a stud, but if it still sounds hollow, you might to check again. You can also double check by hammering a nail into the wall. If you get past the drywall without the nail falling in, you’re good.
At this point, if your mount came with a template, you can use that, but not all mounts do, and many will prefer to use the bracket itself as a template. Make sure to use a level to make sure everything lines up right. Next, grab a pencil and mark where your pilot holes are going to be drilled.
If you can’t bolt into a stud, it might be OK to use drywall anchors. Again, the mount needs to be approved for the weight of your TV, when using drywall anchors to go this route. Now we’re going to drill pilot holes for our bolts. If your mount uses two different sizes bolts, you’ll want to use two different drill bit sizes. Grab your wall bracket and fasten in the bolts.
Now you’ll want to install your wiring kit. First, you’ll mark and cut holes in between the studs. Depending on what specific mount you have, you may have to make your holes outside of the mount. Next, you’ll want to run all your cables through the hole and connect your wiring kit.
Finally, let’s install the second part of mount on the back of the TV. You may have to remove blank screws, where the VESA mounting holes are, to where the bracket attaches. After tightening all the screws, have a friend help hang the TV on the mount and secure it according to the instructions. Depending on TV’s inputs, you may need to connect your HDMI and other cables first.
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