How To Install A TV Wall Mount: Tips From The Pros
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Now is the time to hang the flat screen television. Perhaps you have put it off for years, or maybe someone else put your first flat screen up, but now you’ve moved, so it is up to you. The first rule for hanging a flat screen is to remember if you are truly too intimidated to do this on your own, if the notion of trying to hang the television gives you cold sweats, then don’t do it.
How To Install A TV Wall Mount
If you are reluctant to hang the TV yourself, find a buddy who has hung a television before and convince him to help. Save the change between your cushions and hire someone to do it right. Whatever you do, don’t try this job if you hate the idea of doing it yourself. Someday a child may be under that television, and you do not want it to fall on him or her, or it might just fall on the floor, destroying hundreds of dollars of television. Avoid any of these scenarios and learn how to install a TV wall mount the same way professionals do it.
Choosing The Right Tools
If you choose to do the job, what tools will you need?
The first thing you should do is find a reliable place to hang the frame that will support the television. To do this, find the studs. There’s more than one way to find studs. One way is to find an outlet on the floor and measure over 16 inches, and that should be a stud. Another option is to use a stud finder. A stud finder is often relatively inexpensive, and as long as you take your time, it will work pretty well. When it says you have found a stud, you can find as unobtrusive a spot as possible to poke a finishing nail through the wall to ensure you have indeed found a stud. If all else fails and you cannot hang the television frame in studs, you can use drywall toggles. Before using toggles, you need to ensure they were built to handle the weight of the frame and television put together, not just the frame and not just the television. Also, ensure the drywall can support the weight. The height of the frame should have the middle of the television screen at eye level when you are standing in front of it. If for some reason the studs are not in line with the holes on the bracket, make new holes in the bracket. This usually isn’t too hard, and it is better than missing studs with the bolts that hold the mounting frame to the wall. Most mounting frames require four bolts that will need to be drilled first. Go slow and do all you can to keep things level, but if you are slightly off-level, there will be fixes later. Only for slightly off-level though!
Step 2: Run Wires Through The Wall
When the frame is hung, put the wires in the wall. Ensure that the cables are rated to be placed in walls. For people who are not certain if their wires are safe for in-wall installation, or if the know that their wires are not suitable for putting in the walls, they can buy channeling that can be painted that runs from the television to the outlet. The other option is to have someone come in and run a new outlet up to the area behind the television so that it cannot be seen.
Step 3: Placing Your TV on The Mount
Put the television on the frame, after the frame has been installed. Usually, this is easy to do, but you may need to look to line things up, so you would be wise to have a helper. The idea of a television falling on someone, or falling and breaking is not a pleasant thought. Once hung, if the television is not quite level, grab the high side and push down. Pretty ingenious, huh? As long as you have put the frame in studs, this can give you a fraction of an inch and may fix your levelness problem. The other solution is to loosen one side of the frame’s bolts in the back or tighten the other side. If that does not work, you may have to take bolts out and try the process all over again. This is not fun, so you need to go about the entire installation in a slow and careful manner. It makes sense to hang a television. It saves space, it is more convenient to watch the television when hung, and it just looks good. If you are comfortable with the process, go ahead and hang your television. You’ll like the results.
