How to Mount a TV on the Wall Properly
Learning how to mount a TV on the wall properly means that you can take a concrete step to upgrade your space and improve your quality of life. Televisions have become such an integral part of our lives, providing us with opportunities to experience many emotions and go on adventures from the comfort of our own couches.
Because televisions are such a focal point of modern life and industry, it is no surprise that people want to make improvements to how their televisions are displayed. Moreover, mounting a television is not only beneficial for home space but can also be beneficial for TVs mounted on the walls of businesses.
In this article, we will give you the concrete steps to take to mount your flat-screen TV to the wall, so you can upgrade your life or your business through DIY action.
The Benefits of Mounting Televisions for Home Entertainment
There are many benefits that come from mounting televisions for your home entertainment center. For one, mounted televisions are far more visually appealing.
They give the space a more clean, tidy, and intentional look. And one cannot underestimate the power that improving our living environments have for improving our quality of life.
Additionally, mounting your TV on the wall frees up floor space. Maybe you want to put a soundbar under the TV screen on a TV stand that would otherwise be taken up by the television.
You can really do whatever you want with that extra space. The point is that mounting the television gives you the freedom to further upgrade your home entertainment system in whichever way best suits you.
Another benefit of mounting TVs to the wall does not apply to all TV mounts: that is increased visibility through an increased range of full motion for the TV. Many TV wall mounts are extendable and allow you to rotate the television to the left and right.
So maybe you feel like sitting to the right of the television. Well, with the right wall mount, you do not have to sacrifice the ideal viewing angle for this decision.
Finally, the increased swivel motion of the television screen afforded by TV wall mounts can also help avoid glare on your television. Sometimes your TV will be pleased in a location that gets a certain amount of direct sunlight at certain points of the day.
Well, with a tilting mount, you can tilt your TV up or down and rotate it left or right so that the TV is in a position that prevents the light from causing glare.
Since glare can really ruin the watching experience, whether you are watching tv, sports, or movies, or maybe playing video games, the increased motion of the wall mount can really make a huge difference during those daytime hours.
Of course, the sun is not always the only source of light, but if you don’t feel like using the television in complete darkness (maybe there is a lamp turned on), then the increased motion can help to avoid glare in this situation as well.
The Benefits of Wall Mounts for TVs in Businesses
Home environments are not the only places where people have television displays. With the increasing popularity of digital signage, many businesses are decking their establishments out with digital screens (of which televisions are a popular choice).
With the ideal televisions for digital signage, businesses can take advantage of all the benefits that come with digital signage, whether they use their TVs to display digital menu boards, promotions, calls to action, wayfinding directions, videos, animations, important information, employee communications, content for entertainment, and much more.
Of course, when it comes to using televisions in the business environment, the way in which the television is displayed is by no means a trivial matter. Business televisions should give a commercial space a modern feel.
It will not matter how great the content displayed on the digital screens is if the screen does not look aesthetically pleasing or if it is not displayed in such a way that it is highly visible to customers.
This is why it is so important for businesses to mount their TVs on the walls. As with televisions in the home environment, a mounted TV in a business environment can give the business a much cleaner look. Moreover, when a TV is mounted on the wall, it will be far more visible to customers.
The increased floor space is also a major plus, especially if the business gets busy (you don’t want customers accidentally bumping into the screens. And the possibility of mobility for purposes like avoiding glare and increasing visibility is certainly a plus. Ultimately, mounting digital displays like televisions in the business environment is pretty much a must.
If you do not mount your business TVs, you risk making your business look sloppy, and you will miss out on many of the benefits of having striking digital visuals to serve whatever purpose you put the TVs to (for example, who is going to be impressed by a promotion if they can barely read it because of glare?)
So, we hope that we have provided some important background for the topic that we are here to discuss. It’s because mounting TVs can be so beneficial in both the home and business environments that knowing how to properly mount a TV to the wall is such an essential piece of knowledge.
And teaching you that knowledge is precisely what we are here to do.
What You Will Need to Mount Your TV
Before you start to mount your TV, you will want to ensure that you have everything you need to take on this task. Luckily, most of the materials are pretty basic. They include:
1. Pencil, masking tape, or painter’s tape
2. Tape measure
3. Stud finder
4. Level
5. Power drill with drill bit
6. Philips head or flathead screwdriver
7. TV mount
8. Included mounting hardware (screws, spacers, etc.)
As we said, most of these tools are very easy to get. You may even have many of the materials already. If not, you can easily find them at a hardware store or on an online store like Amazon.
The only difficult part is the TV wall mount itself. But don’t worry, we will cover choosing the right wall mount in the next section.
Finally, you will likely want to make sure that you have at least one other person helping you with the task. Mounting a TV is not terribly difficult when done with two people, but mounting a TV by yourself puts you at risk for injury and puts the TV at risk for damage.
So do not be afraid to reach out for help. Maybe buy some pizza as a way to say thanks!
Choosing the Right Wall Mount
The first thing you'll need to do is select the right wall mount for your TV. This comes down to three major factors: what size bracket your TV will accept, what style of TV mount will work best for your TV and the room that the TV is in, and what kind of functionality you want your wall mount to have.
Any of the selections from our best TV mounts for businesses article should work for most TVs, but be sure to confirm the details of your own TV and its needs by consulting the user manual that came with your TV.
Bear in mind that wall mounting a TV may also put it at a different distance from the seating you already have. Make sure that you plan accordingly to put the TV at the appropriate distance for optimal viewing.
You'll also want to unbox the mount and familiarize yourself with the product before you start any sort of installation and mounting project. Make sure that you have the necessary screws (both for the wall and for attaching to the TV) and that you understand how the wall bracket and TV mounting plate attach to each other.
Determine the Right Position for Your Mounted TV
Once you've settled on the right mounting bracket for your TV, you'll need to choose the right location for the TV, including how high you want the TV to be displayed.
Making sure that you have adequately assessed the right wall positioning is very important since your ability to adjust the position after you have started the mounting princess will be severely limited, even with an articulating wall mount.
Start by finding the right wall. This will be located in a pretty central location, where the seating in your living room or home theater lets you sit comfortably while watching movies and shows.
Be sure that the wall also has access to the necessary electrical outlets and any cable or satellite connections. If you are installing televisions in your business, then visibility may be a more important consideration than access to power outlets.
If need be, you can hire an electrician to install new outlets, or you can use extension chords to connect your cables to an outlet that is a bit further away and then hide the wires with these inventive methods so they do not disrupt the aesthetic of the environment.
Center the TV at the right height, with the center of the screen more or less at eye level. You can note the desired position by marking the lower right or left corner with a pencil or masking tape.
Finally, consider the position of the mount in relation to the TV. Some TVs attach mounting brackets in the center of the chassis, while others are offset toward the bottom, so plan accordingly to position your wall mount correctly.
How to Mount a TV to the Wall in 7 Steps
Now that you have the basics covered, we can inform you of how to mount a TV to a wall step-by-step.
1. Find the studs
Once you've settled on the perfect spot on the wall, you'll need to find the studs to mount the bracket properly. Drywall alone will not support the weight of many TVs, so it's essential that you anchor the TV mount into the studs.
You can find the studs with a cheap stud finder. Measure the mounting points on the TV and bracket to determine how many studs you need to find. You can mark the location of studs lightly on the wall with a pencil.
2. Mark the hole position
Next, you'll need to mark specifically where you plan to screw into the wall. Ideally, you will use a level to ensure that these marks are not only even between the two studs but also to make sure that the amount will not be slanted.
You can mark specific locations for the pilot holes on the wall itself in pencil, or, you can tape paper over the intended mounting location, using either a pre-printed template or marking one up on your own.
3. Drill pilot holes
Using a drill, you'll need to drill holes through the drywall and into the wall studs in the proper positions. Make sure to keep your hand steady, as you will want to ensure that you drill in as close to a perfect line as possible.
4. Mount the Wall Bracket
Once the pilot holes are drilled, you will use the included mounting screws to secure the wall bracket. Using a power drill, screwdriver or ratchet, put in the wall screws to firmly attach the bracket to the wall, with the screws going into the studs.
5. Attach the TV Mounting Plate
Next, you'll attach the mounting plate to the TV. This is the second half of the TV mount, which will attach to the back of the TV, and then connect with the wall bracket to securely hang the TV on the wall.
Depending upon the type of mount you are using, the two halves may be attached through a simple clip, a rail system, or even an extendable arm.
Line up the TV mounting plate with the VESA mounting holes on the back of the TV chassis. Using the included screws that should have come with your TV mount, attach the mounting plate to the TV using a screwdriver.
6. Attach the TV mounting plate to the wall bracket
With both the wall bracket and TV mounting plate securely in place, all that's left is to attach the two. Start by lifting the TV to the proper height, or slightly higher than the intended position, so that the TV can be lowered to attach the bracket and plate.
In some instances, this will be a drop-in connector with safety screws that can be tightened after attaching, but others will use attachments that may clip or screw into place. Be sure to consult the instructions that came with the TV mount and use the included hardware to attach the plate to the bracket.
7. Reconnect the TV
All that's left at this point is to reconnect power to the TV and any other devices that might need to be plugged in. Once that's done, you can kick back and enjoy the newly-mounted TV.
Level Up Your Home Entertainment Center or Your Business TV Offering
As we have described in this article, mounting a TV comes with a lot of benefits for both home TVs and business TVs. Of course, not just any mount will do, and you will want to make sure that you choose the right mount for your TV specifications and aesthetic and practical vision.
Ultimately, when you find the right TV mount, it does not take too much work to get the TV mounted. By following these seven steps and familiarizing yourself with the user manual for both the TV and the wall mount, you should be all set for an optimized TV viewing experience.