As TVs become thinner and flatter, it is a lot preferable to mount them onto a home or office wall than to set them on a stand that takes up space. But whether you mount your new device yourself, or call an expert installer, making a checklist of the following points will make sure you don’t face a repeat of Jerome K Jerome’s classic comedy, “Uncle Podger Hangs A Picture”.
1. Understand Your Wall
TVs, however light, are far heavier than pictures; a spot that looks good to install a TV must also have the strength to bear weight, else one day it’s all over for TV, bracket and wall. If your home has wooden walls, use a stud finder to map your wall and locate all its studs. If your home has brick walls, find the spots between the bricks.
2. Know Your Viewing Angle
If you are hanging the telly fairly high over the wall, or a ceiling TV mount, ensure you have brackets that can turn it downwards so that you don’t have to bend your neck awkwardly. A mount that can help rotate the TV horizontally is useful if you tend to move about while watching.
3. Don’t Hang over a Fireplace
The most obvious reason is the fire hazard. Other good reasons are:
- The TV may end up very high on the wall, forcing everyone to crick their necks upwards.
- The fireplace may not take the centre of the wall, creating weird viewing angles for everybody.
- Power connections are usually far from a fireplace.
4. Know Your TV’s Ports To Choose Your Bracket
If your TV’s cable ports are on its side, no worries. It’s easy to reach them to plug or unplug cables. If they are on your TV’s back, it can be a nightmare to reach them. A telescopic mount is what you will need - that can be pulled out to plug or unplug cables, and then pushed back so it frees up space.
5. Keep Your Tools Ready
Make sure you have the following along with your drill and brackets:
- Drill bits of the same width as the screws that will hold the bracket in the wall
- A stud finder to avoid grief
- Screwdriver heads of the correct
6. Think of How You Will Conceal Cords
Nobody likes exposed cords ruining their home’s look, especially given cords come in bold colours. Here are three suggestions:
- Mount your TV close to a power outlet so that the cable doesn’t run for a long distance
- Have a new power unit installed right next to the it (obviously, it is best to called a licensed electrician for this)
- Install a cable concealer (a kind of rectangular tubing) over them.
7. Keep a Place for Accessories
Your TV isn’t installed alone – you need to make allowance for the cable box, your gaming console, modem, video recorder or any other devices you may have. Don’t forget the manual, warranty papers and spares. There are two options:
- A mounted shelving unit under or beside it
- A bookshelf placed under it.
Remember to have holes in the shelves for the cables to pass through.
Conclusion
Making a quick check of these 7 points will ensure that you not only have a pleasant viewing experience, but experience no difficulty in plugging and unplugging accessories, and that you don’t have to worry about long-term consequences like load-bearing.
Author Bio
Steven Lam founded Gecko Products with a view to get Australia the best in electronic products and service. For the past several years, Gecko has been an expert in installing ceiling-mount TV brackets and TV stand with brackets that to the elegance of your home.