The hardest part of mounting your television on the wall isn’t actually the physical process of mounting it, it’s figuring out how to do it.
I’ve had my fair share of helping friends and family mount their TVs so I decided to share it with you today!
Measure the dimensions of your TV mount and transfer those to the wall and mark them using a pencil. Drill pilot holes into the marked areas on the wall. Drill screws through the TV mount and into the pilot holes you created previously. Finally, hang your TV on the mount and you are done!
While the physical act of mounting your TV may not be too difficult, using the right tools and getting it at the right angle can be tricky, especially if you’re just getting started with this type of project.
We just showed you a very brief description of mounting a TV, so keep reading for an in-depth guide on mounting your TV!
Gather Your Tools
Here’s a list of all the tools you’ll need to mount your TV:
| Tools You’ll Need | Reason |
| TV Mount | A mount will hold your TV. |
| Measuring tape (compulsory) | A measuring tape will help you find the dimensions of your TV mount. |
| Level (compulsory) | A level will help us ensure that we hang our TV straight, we can’t rely on our eyes only. |
| Screws (compulsory) | You’ll need screws to hold your TV mount on the wall. |
| Electric Drill (compulsory) | You will need a power drill to make drill screws into the wall. |
| Drywall anchors (optional) | You’ll use drywall anchors on a wall without a stud. |
Let’s look into the tools above in a bit more detail.
In most cases, you’ll need a mount to hang your TV as most modern TVs come with one. It is also possible to mount your TV directly on the wall without the mount.
You’ll need a stud finder to locate the studs in your wall. You don’t need it if you are hanging your TV directly on drywall, in this case, you’ll need drywall anchors.
If using drywall anchors, choose a type of drywall anchor that supports the weight of your TV. You will a toggle bolt, or a drywall anchor of similar strength.
Considering you’ll mount your TV on a wall with studs, you’ll need screws. Choose screws that are long enough to go through both the drywall and into the studs. You’ll need a drill as well and we suggest using an electric drill.
You’ll also need a level to make sure your TV is mounted straight. We may think that our mount is straight but a level can always guarantee that the mount is in a straight line.
Choose The Perfect Location
There’s more to mounting your TV than just finding the studs in your wall. You also need to consider things like how high you want it, how far from the corner, and whether or not you want cords visible.
Decide how high you want your TV. A good rule of thumb is to mount it at eye level which is around 57 inches off the ground, but depending on your furniture setup and viewing habits, you may want it higher or lower.
To hide the cords, you may use a cord cover or you can also hide them behind surrounding furniture.
Another important thing to note is whether the location you choose to mount your TV has a stud behind the wall or not.
Let’s say I found the perfect spot in my living room to hang my TV, but I find that there isn’t a stud behind the wall.
What options do I have? Below is the difference between mounting your TV on a wall with studs and without studs.
Difference between mounting your TV on a stud or drywall
Mounting your TV to a stud ensures strong backing. If you were to mount it directly on drywall instead, your TV will crash to the ground since drywall doesn’t offer enough support on its own.
If the location you choose doesn’t have a stud behind the wall, you’ll need to use drywall anchors.
When you insert drywall anchors into a hollow wall like drywall, their ends open up.
This increases the surface that holds the weight, effectively increasing the holding capacity of your drywall. This is why you don’t use normal screws on plain drywall.
We suggest hanging your TV on a location on the wall where there is a stud behind it. Because mounting them directly on drywall, even with drywall anchors, might cause small damage.
How To Mount TV On A Wall With Stud
Now that we have all the tools and we have also chosen a location, here are the steps to mounting your TV on the wall with a stud!
- Measure the dimensions (height and width) of your TV mount using a measuring tape.
- Transfer those measurements to the wall and mark them. You can also hold your tv mount against the wall and mark its top and bottom using a pencil.
- Now calculate the distance of the screw holes on the TV mount from the top of the mount.
- Once again, starting from the marks you made on the wall in the previous step, mark the places where the holes will go.
- Use a level to ensure that your measurements are even.
- Now it’s time to drill the pilot holes to hold the screws. Pilot holes are small holes you create before actually inserting the screws. Be careful not to drill too deeply – you don’t want to damage any wires that might be behind the wall.
- Now hold your TV mount against the wall and position it so its holes are directly on top of the pilot holes you drilled in the previous step.
- Now drill the screws in place and ensure your TV mount is secured in place.
- Your TV mount should have a hanger on the middle, this is where you’ll hang your TV.
- Lastly, hang your TV from the TV mount and you are done!
How To Mount TV On A Drywall without Studs
Previously, we looked at how you can mount your TV on a wall with studs, now let’s mount your TV on a wall without studs. The process is pretty similar except few changes.
- Hold your TV mount against the wall and mark its top and bottom using a pencil.
- Now put it down and calculate the distance of the holes on the TV mount from its top.
- Transfer the measurements of the holes you just found onto the wall where they should be according to the measurements you already have on the wall.
- Create pilot holes using your drill on the marked screw spots.
- Hold your TV mount over the pilot holes and by hand, insert the drywall anchors in place. Don’t let go of the TV mount yet.
- Now insert the screws that came with your drywall anchors into the anchors. As the screws are inserted into the anchor, the back of the drywall anchor will expand behind the hollow drywall anchor.
- Remember to keep using a level to ensure everything is in a straight line.
- Now that your TV mount is up on the wall, simply hang your TV and et voila!
FAQs
Whew! That was easy! If you followed along so far, you now know everything about mounting your TV on a wall. Still, there might be some questions you may have and we have listed them below.
Can any LCD TV be wall mounted?
No, not every LCD TV can be wall mounted. Some LCD (or LED for that matter) TV models come with a stand.
Those TVs can only be placed on surfaces and not wall mounted. It is also important to note that most current TVs in the market are the ones you mount on your wall.
If you recently bought your TV, it will most probably be a wall-mounted TV.
You can be sure whether your TV is wall mounted or not by referring to its VESA (Video Electronics Standard Associations) instructions. If you can find a number like “VESA 75”, then your TV is wall mounted.
Is wall mounting a TV better?
Wall mounting a TV is definitely a better choice as it saves you the hurdles of finding a surface to put your TV on. It also helps a lot if you have kids in the house so you don’t have to worry about them knocking into the TV stand. Moreover, there are a lot of options for wall mounting a TV i.e you can get wall mounts that can adjust the view of your TV (swivel, or tilt).
How do I know if my wall is strong enough to mount a TV?
If you are mounting your TV on a wall stud or a brick wall, then you can be sure that your wall is strong enough.
There are cases where you may need to hang your TV on a wall such as drywall, that doesn’t have a stud behind it.
In such cases, you can use drywall anchors to hold your TV without it crashing to the ground.
Do TV mounts damage walls?
If you consider drilling some screws into the wall “damage”, then yes they do.
There really isn’t any other way of hanging your TV mount on the wall without drilling it so be prepared to cover the holes once you unmount it.
Another option to avoid drilling altogether is to use adhesive strips or specialized TV mounts that don’t do any damage to the wall.
In most cases, you should avoid adhesive stripes for mounting your TV.
How do you mount a TV on a brick wall without drilling?
You can use brick clamps or heavy-duty adhesive stripes. Do keep in mind that adhesive strips can hold a maximum of 16 pounds. So if your TV weighs heavier than this, don’t use adhesive stripes.
How much does it cost to mount a TV on the wall?
Considering you are doing it yourself, it can cost you anywhere from $40-$540. The sudden jump in the estimation is because of the type of wall mount you use.
If you are using a free-range wall mount that allows you to tilt, swivel, and pan, expect it to cost anywhere from $100-$500.
If you’re just using a normal TV mount, it shouldn’t cost you higher than 50 bucks including the cost of nails, measurement tape, etc.
Will TV fall off the wall?
If you mounted your TV on a brick wall or a wall stud, there are very slim chances of it falling to the ground. The only case where there is a higher risk of the TV falling to the ground is when you use drywall anchors or adhesives like command strips or Velcro.
Will drywall anchors hold a TV?
Drywall anchors can hold a TV just fine as long as the weight of TV doesn’t exceed the holding capacity of the drywall anchor that you are using.
For example, toggle bolts can hold up to 50 pounds while steel toggle bolts can hold up to 100 pounds. while standard drywall anchors can hold up to 15-25 pounds.
Can you mount a TV without a TV mount?
Yes, you can. Look at the back of your TV to know what type of hanger is there that attaches itself to the TV mount. In most cases, you can directly hang your TV from a nail but in other cases, you might need a hanger that matches the shape of the hanger on the back of your TV.
Can you mount a TV with any mount?
No, you cannot mount your TV with just any TV mount. Each wall-mounted TV comes with a VESA specification, you can find it in your manuals.
You’ll find the dimensions of the TV mount that your TV requires in that manual. Once you have those dimensions, you can find a TV mount with that exact dimensions on the market.
Do All TVs have mounting holes?
No, not all TVs have mounting holes but they do have brackets on their back. You can mount your TV according to the type of bracket it has on its’ back.
How do I know if my TV is VESA compliant?
To know if your TV is VESA compliant, you need to look for it in the TV manual. You should have gotten it at the time of purchase.
Your TV manual will indicate whether your TV is VESA compliant or not.
If you don’t have a manual, you can simply search the internet for your TV model and you’ll find all the details on its manufacturing website.
How long do TV mounts last?
TV mounts can last a long time depending on how you mount them. If you mounted your TV mount on a wall backed with studs or on a brick wall, then you can be sure it’ll last a lifetime.
On the other hand, if you mounted your TV directly on drywall with the use of drywall anchors, it might last a few years.
Lastly, if you are using adhesive stripes, then these will probably not last that long as they are the least safe option.
However, the lifespan of your mount will ultimately depend on the quality of the product and how well you take care of it.
Is it okay to mount the TV above the fireplace?
If you’re wondering whether it’s okay to mount your TV above the fireplace, the answer is: it depends.
If the heat doesn’t directly affect the area above the fireplace, then it is okay to mount your TV there.
However, on the contrary, avoid mounting your TV above your fireplace. Lastly, it’ll be hard to see your TV when you have a fireplace in front of you.
Conclusion
We went over all the details and steps involved in mounting your TV on the wall.
We went over how to calculate where to put your TV based on what you want in front of it.
We also covered how to measure for studs and find the studs in your wall and how to figure out what type of screws or bolts you’ll need.
We explained what tools are needed for the job and finally, how to actually mount your TV onto the wall. We also went into detail about all the FAQs that you may have.
We hope this article helped you mount that TV on the wall! Check out “modern wall art“, “how to hang shelves“, and “how to hang a mirror.” Also, check out infotakeaway for more similar content.