Preparations
Before you start your installation, you’ll need to gather the necessary tools and materials, pinpoint your mounting location, and consider how you want to handle the power cord and the HDMI cables.
What you’ll need
- TV Mount
- Power and HDMI cable concealment kit (optional)
- Power drill and bits
- Phillips head screwdriver
- Socket wrench
- Stud finder(if the stud wall type)
- Tape measure
Select your mounting location
Do you have a choice of walls on which to mount your TV? Or is your TV location predetermined by your only feasible furniture arrangement or the location of the cable TV outlet?
If you have a choice, then look at how sunlight enters the room during the hours you’re most likely to watch TV. Try to avoid mounting your TV on a wall that is hit by a lot of direct sunlight or by glare from nearby windows or light fixtures.
If you have to mount your TV on an exterior wall, it won’t be easy to hide the cables inside the wall. That’s because exterior walls have extra bracing and insulation.
Calculate your mounting height
How high on the wall should you mount your TV?
For the best viewing experience, the middle of your TV screen should be at eye level when you’re seated, typically about 106cm.
Why 106cm? Because the picture is best when the screen is viewed head-on. And mounting your TV too high can cause neck strain.
The ideal mounting height centers your TV at eye level. With larger TVs, you might have to go a little higher.
Will this rule of thumb work for you? Let’s consider some other numbers.
If you mount a 75″ TV with the middle of the screen at 106cm, then the bottom of the screen is going to sit about 61cm from the floor. If you plan to have a piece of furniture below the TV, the 106cm rule is probably not going to work.
So in such a situation, you need a Full Motion or Tilt TV mount that allows the center of the TV to be at eye level.
Try a mockup
To get a better idea of how a TV will look on your wall, experiment with a mockup made of paper or cardboard. Move it around to see whether it looks best centered on the wall or the couch.
Meanwhile, under the stud wall type, the mockup will also help you find the studs that are closest to the mark on which you want to center your screen. The studs probably won’t be in the perfect spots. That’s why many wall mounts give you leeway to slide the frame left to right before you bolt it down. This will help you hit your center mark right on the nose.
If you don’t want to take the time to construct a mockup, you can have two people hold the TV up while a third person stands back to see how things look.
Installation steps
Once you have your tools, parts and a helper on hand, follow these steps to complete the process of mounting a TV:
1. Find the studs(Optional)
If the stud wall, we have to know where the mounting frame goes, it’s time to find the studs to which you’ll anchor it. Use a stud finder to locate nearby studs. Mark each stud with a pencil or masking tape.
Use a stud finder and a piece of tape to mark your studs.
2. Mark the location for the horizontal mounting frame
If you’ve used the Height Finder application, you can measure up from the floor to mark the spot for the top of the mounting frame.
If your mount lets you shift the TV left to right after its hung, you don’t have to be super precise with the horizontal placement of the frame. Use a tape measure to find the wall’s midpoint or eyeball the spot that’s centered with your sofa. Then find the two studs that are closest on either side of your mark.
3. Secure the mounting frame to the wall
Step A
Drill the pilot holes for the mounting bolts.
Step B
Then use your socket wrench to bolt the frame in place.
4. Attach the mounting bracket or arms to the TV
Wall mounts are generally composed of two pieces — a bracket or a set of arms that you’ll attach to the TV, and a horizontal mounting frame that you’ll mount to the wall.
The portion on the TV then attaches to the piece on the wall, and voilà, you’ve got a wall-mounted TV. Your first step will be to attach the TV portion of the mount to the back of your TV.
If you place the TV face down on the glass to attach the bracket, lay it on a soft blanket, and keep it well out of the way of foot traffic.
The TV portion of the bracket often comes in two pieces. Make sure that you line up the screw holes on each side, so that the mount is level.
If you’re using a tilting or swiveling mount, make sure the screws attaching the mount to the TV won’t impede the mount’s movement. If they do, don’t worry — wall mounts typically have multiple sets of screw holes to choose from, and you can simply use another set.
5. Hang the TV
Now you’re ready to place your TV on the frame. Make sure it’s level and adjust if necessary. If you have a tilting frame, fix the angle and tighten the screws to hold it steady. Secure the TV to the frame according the instructions that came with your mount.
