Do you want to get your TV off of a stand on onto the wall like the cool kids? Good news! It’s easy to do and makes a big aesthetic difference.
Click HERE to watch the TV Wall Mounting video tutorial.
The first thing to do is remove the TV from the stand. Remove any screws that are attaching them together and pop the TV off the stand. Make sure to keep your screws in your stand, and put some tape over them so they don’t get lost. That way, if you need the stand later, everything is easy to find.
Make sure to get a TV mount that is appropriate for the TV that you have, and check that the weight support is sufficient and will support the TV. The mount I’m using is articulating; it can go from side to side and up and down, and point the TV in a downward position if needed. Assemble the mount according to the directions included with its packaging. There are different configurations with each that will work with your TV.
Once you have a mark on your wall of how high you want your TV, temporarily attach the wall mount to the TV bracket, and then measure from the bottom of the TV to the bottom of the bracket. The bottom of your mount needs to be that distance higher than where you want the bottom of your TV to be. In other words, if the distance is 10 inches, mark where you want the bottom of your TV to be on the wall and then attach the mount 10 inches above that line.
I used a Walabot to find where the studs are. A Walabot is a device that you attach to your phone temporarily. It’s a stud finder on steroids. Unlike a traditional stud finder, the Walabot lets you see what’s behind the wall, like pipes and wires. To use it, open the app, and just select the type of wall you have, be it concrete or drywall. Calibrate the Walabot, which lets it identify the type of wall you have. It sends little radio signals into the wall and listens for their return. Pan it across the wall in Pan Mode, then switch it to Image Mode, where it will show you the studs, wires, and pipes. This was perfect for what I was doing, since the wall I was mounting the TV on shares a wall with a bathroom. It’s perfect for avoiding gas lines, electrical wires, etc.
FYI, you can use a standard stud finder here as well. I use a Walabot because it lets me see any wires or pipes that I need to avoid. They’re available on Amazon for about $80 USD (Amazon affiliate link).https://geni.us/gxNA
Mark you studs (which you do want to drill into) and any obstructions that the Walabot is showing you (wires, etc.) so you avoid them. As an aside, if you have plates on your wall, they’re almost always installed right by a stud, either on the left or right side, since that’s what the box of the plate is attached to. Once you have everything marked, you’ll know what to avoid, and where to drill your TV mount attachments.
Using a level, put the mount at the line that you’ve marked. Ideally, you’ll position the mount so that you will use two studs to secure the mount into the wall.
It’s a good idea to pre-drill your holes so that your lag bolts don’t cause the studs to split. I’m drilling a 3/8″ hole about 3″ deep. Make sure to mark your holes prior to drilling! You can tell right away if you’re drilling into a stud- you see sawdust, and it will give you some resistance. This is a good thing! If you drill only into drywall, it will plunge right through. This is not as good of a thing.
Put the bolts in most of the way, but don’t tighten them all the way down at this point. This gives you a little room to adjust if needed. I used an impact drill, but you can do this with a wrench or pliers. The impact drill just makes it easier and faster. 😉 #ilovepowertools Once all the lag bolts are in, make sure it’s level and tighten everything in. It should be rock solid!
Mounting the TV bracket to mount is a two person job. One person will hold the TV up, while the other person makes sure it’s lined up, and fastens the nuts onto the bolts that are on the back of the TV.
Tighten everything well, and the TV should flatten up close to the wall. In our case, there was an outlet right behind the TV, so I just wound up the power cord to the designated spot on the mount and plugged it in.
If you need to hide your TV wires, I have a couple of videos and articles on how to that, so check those out.
Thanks to Walabot for sponsoring this post! You can get more information for them at walabot.com.
Remember, you can Do It Yo’sizzelf!