Has anyone here mounted an HDTV on the wall???

[Orchidflower]

I tried to search if this question has asked before but could not find anything, so:
Has anyone here bought a tv mount for a HDTV so you can watch the tv while it hangs on the wall? I'd love to do this for two new Sonys I bought (one 42", the other smaller); but, I just came back from Best Buy and got a quote from them to come to my house, put up two mounts on the wall and hang my two tvs in separate rooms, of course. They quoted me something like $760+ just to come out and hang two tv's using their mounts. Are they kidding?

They want $247 x 2 they said to come to your house and then each mount is like $129 X 2 = too $#@^!! much money. So, has anyone here purchased their own mount and installed a tv to it? And, if so, how hard was it to mount a 42" Sony HGTV thin tv? My handyman seems somewhat wary of doing it as he said there might be computer stuff at the back of the tv. I do know you screw four screws in back to the tv and four to the wall.

I was looking at the tilt type myself, and here are Best Buy's tv mounts:
Low Profile : Flat-Panel TV Mounts - BestBuy

 

[harley]

It's pretty easy to do, assuming a bit of handiness and confidence. If you can hang a big picture you should be able to hang the TV mount. Make sure you mount to a stud for strength. The complication comes if you want to run the cables up through the wall, instead of up the wall and covering them with some type of a cable raceway. And even that's not too hard, just finicky.

Here's a good article on doing it. I'm sure there are tons of other ones. A Guide to Wall-mounting Your Flat-panel TV

 

[Nick59]

Well, I haven't, but...if all you want to do is mount the TV, it shouldn't be too difficult -- just finding the appropriate studs in the wall and mounting the supports.

Where it can get trickier is if you wish to hide the cables that attach to the TV behind the wall so that you don't have an unsightly dangle of cords streaming down the wall -- then you are talking about snaking the cables through the wall, in one place and out the other. Again, depending on where all your equipment is located in reference to the ultimate location of the TV, this will entail various levels of difficulty. For example: how long is your power cord, and will it reach from the mounted location to a nearby outlet?

Edit: Harley beat me to it while I was responding.

 

[dex]

It might be worth paying them for it unless you have a stud finder, electric drill, leveler, and another person to help you.

 

[REWahoo]

It seems to me most places are asking way too much for these HDTV mounting brackets. My local Sam's Club has three or four different mounts and the lowest price tags I've seen, so you might want to look there.

Not sure why your handyman is shying away from the job as it isn't really all that difficult for someone with basic DIY skills.

 

[Gumby]

I mounted a 24" flat panel TV on a wall swivel mount in the young wife's workout room, so that she can watch the tube while she uses her elliptical machine. It was very simple. But then, I didn't try to bury the cables in the wall. Dex listed the tools you will need. They are cheap, and good to have in any event.

 

[73ss454]

I've done a few of them around the house and it's actually pretty easy forto put the mount up. I did us an electrician for the cable and electric boxes behind the TV's. Mounts are expensive and I buy mine online at www.vanns.com usually free shipping and no tax.

 

[RonBoyd]

It seems to me most places are asking way too much for these HDTV mounting brackets. My local Sam's Club has three or four different mounts and the lowest price tags I've seen, so you might want to look there.

I purchased the smaller of Sam's Club offerings and was inpressed with how sturdy it was built. All of our TVs are wall mounted, including the one in the RV.

Installation would be (IMHO) in the "very easy" category -- very little carpentry skills needed. If you can hang a picture you have the skill necessary.

 

[Orchidflower]

The handyman I've used before and who will be here tomorrow has every tool God ever made I'm convinced, but he has never mounted a tv before and seemed freaked out; so, I will just find another guy to do this thing.
I don't even care if the cables show at this point. I just want it done, and would never attempt it by myself. I'll pay...but not those ridiculously high prices Best Buy is asking...cough, cough.

Looks like WalMart carries them if you buy them thru their website. I don't think the 42" Sony tv weighs 200 pounds, so this should work:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Level-Mount-Fixed-Mount-Fits-34-65-TV/10056403

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

An alternate solution: they sell small TV stands that are only 8-10" deep, wood, and give lots of space to store system components, DVDs, etc. The flat panel tv sits on top without any wall mounting, and they're about the right height for viewing.

Especially nice if you might want to move it around some day, and gives you a place for your DVDs, etc. Not quite as elegant as a clean wall-mounted arrangement but worth a thought.

 

[easysurfer]

Helped a friend mount a TV on the wall.

Agree that the price for the mounting parts are shocking.

It really isn't that difficult. As other have mentioned, you'll need to use some big screws, and to find the studs and use of a leveler. The trickiest part, I found was hook the TV set against the mounting brackets -- It definitely helps for two people to hold on to the TV during this part.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4805662_lcd-flat-screen-tv-wall.html

 

[Orchidflower]

Helped a friend mount a TV on the wall.

Agree that the price for the mounting parts are shocking."


It wasn't the $129 per tv for the mounting part that had me in shock at Best Buy, but the $249 PER TV for their Geek Squad to put it together that blew me away....are they kidding? 2 tvs = $760 plus tax! Aaaaaaargh!!!! I think not, Best Buy.

 

[Brat]

We have mounted 2 flat screen TVs. To lift the TV onto the hanger is a two person task (a third would have been nice). The hunker TV was mounted on a Simplicity SLF2 from Costco. We just received a voluntary recall for inspection notice for that mount. Husband is not pleased!!! Getting that TV hung required calling in muscle.

 

[Ronstar]

I have mounted 4 of them.

The first was in my exercise room where I bought the swivel mount from best buy. Very expensive mount - around $170 - but DW wanted the swivel. I ran the electrical cord and coax through a grommet in the wall to receptacle and receiver in the drop ceiling - controlled by infrared.

My 2nd was my bar tv where I installed it in a cabinet. Removed the cabinet door, built 2 vertical wood slats in the cabinet - mounted the tv to slats, and then built a frame closing in the gap between the cabinet sides and the tv.

3rd was my main family room tv - again installed 2 vertical wood slats in a built in wall unit (from which I have access from behind making cabling easy) tv is mounted to the slats.

4th was at my condo where the tv used to sit on a shelf in a built-in niche. I framed out the tv area of the niche, bought a cheap fixed mounting bracket, and mounted the tv to the bracket to the new framing I installed

The price best buy quoted you is probably not too bad if the price includes 2 swivel mounts - that can be more than $350 for 2. Your handyman probably doesn't need to worry too much about computer stuff on the back - the new tvs are designed knowing that they may be mounted to a wall.

Maybe you can buy the mount you want, then have your handyman look at the mount and tv, and then see if he can give you a price that can beat best buy. If not, go with best buy.

Or you could do it yourself if you have carpentry/ electrical tools and knowledge

 

[donheff]

I have done two of them. Not too difficult -- although I had help from a guy who actually knows what he is doing I would describe it as a job a typical handiman could easily do. But if you screw easy jobs up (like me) get help.

 

[Ronnieboy]

Have mounted and hung two (TV's that is). Bought both wall mounts from Costco, I am not handy with power tools or fix it type gear, but it was relatively easy to do and if I was more experienced (at mounting TV's) it would have gone a lot faster.
I added a wall mount shelf under the tv to hold the DVR and such so the cables aren't all over the place and it has worked well (that was from Best Buy).

 

[omni550]

Orchidflower,

You've gotten lots of good installation advice above.

I'm not sure where you plan to hang this TV. Many people think a flat screen TV will look nice installed above a fireplace. Sadly, that usually means the TV is up too high to watch comfortably, unless the room is shaped like a bowling alley and you can sit far enough away that you won't get a crick in your neck after watching for more than a few minutes.

omni

 

[easysurfer]

Helped a friend mount a TV on the wall.

Agree that the price for the mounting parts are shocking."


It wasn't the $129 per tv for the mounting part that had me in shock at Best Buy, but the $249 PER TV for their Geek Squad to put it together that blew me away....are they kidding? 2 tvs = $760 plus tax! Aaaaaaargh!!!! I think not, Best Buy.

I must admit, if you haven't mounted a TV on the wall before, ther process seems confusing. That was what I felt until I did it and it wasn't that bad.

I remember when I wasn't handy at all (not that long ago), my toolbox only consisted of a screw driver, hammer, plier, I hired a handyman service to install three ceiling fans and change a light fixture. It costed about $650. Took him almost all day. One of the fans was pretty tricky to install.

Maybe if you could find a friend who's mounted a TV before, you can like have him bring a buddy and offer them a pizza. As long as they know what they are doing, they will probably jump at the opportunity for free food and it'll be win-win when it's all done

 

[easysurfer]

...My handyman seems somewhat wary of doing it as he said there might be computer stuff at the back of the tv. I do know you screw four screws in back to the tv and four to the wall...

When I helped my friend mount the TV, the cable connections were a tight fit in the back. So what we ended up making a shim out of wood to give more spacing between the TV and wall. That gave a bit more room. Just be sure to have long enough lag bolts to dig into the studs and shim as you wouldn't want a TV to come a fallin' down

 

[RunningBum]

I'm with Rich, is there really a need to mount it?

 

[Orchidflower]

I'm with Rich, is there really a need to mount it?

Nothing like that is necessary, but it would give me some more floor room and be out of the way.

The only negative with the tv stands I have looked at on the net since Rich made that suggestion is they look so short. My darn bed with this new mattress that Macy's is selling lately (fake/generic type of Temperapedic ) is really higher than a normal bed I find. My Ralph Lauren sheets just barely cover the mattress, which means this mattress is much thicker than normal for sure, so it sits pretty high. Course, I could just put the tv on a stand and look down I suppose at it....not ideal, tho.

I'll "suffer" tv stands which look to run somewhere in the $100+ range each before I'll spend $760+tax to get two tvs mounted, tho. I'm sure plenty of people pay that, but, personally (and you can call me cheap), I think that's an insane amount of money to pay for what it is.

 

[REWahoo]

The only negative with the tv stands I have looked at on the net since Rich made that suggestion is they look so short. My darn bed with this new mattress that Macy's is selling lately (fake/generic type of Temperapedic ) is really higher than a normal bed I find. My Ralph Lauren sheets just barely cover the mattress, which means this mattress is much thicker than normal for sure, so it sits pretty high. Course, I could just put the tv on a stand and look down I suppose at it....not ideal, tho.

You could always install a big mirror on your ceiling...

 

[Orchidflower]

At this point, if I installed a mirror on my ceiling, REWahoo, it would be just to look at how much weight I have to lose right now..ha! Not a pretty sight. It would scare little children and animals away.

 

[M Paquette]

Wall mounts are good. I suggest the following supplies:

Stud finder (No! The kind that find wood studs in walls. Sheesh.)
Drill
4 1/4 to 3/8 inch diameter lag bolts (some mounts come with these)
Socket wrench for the lag bolts
Level
Pencil to mark layout on the wall
Second person to assist in holding the mount up while the bolts go in, and to help lift the TV onto the installed mount.

I suggest getting a tilting/swiveling mount, even if the TV will be flat against the wall, because these let you pull the TV out to hook up or change the wiring.

The best/cheapest source for good wall mounts that I know of is Monoprice. They're also a great source for cables. Why pay BestBuy $35 for a $3 cable?

Wall Mount Brackets

I bought one of these to hold a 55" set I recently installed. It's very, very solid.

The Monoprice mounts come with the lag bolts and other similar hardware, and I didn't have to drill the backplate or anything odd like that to fit my wall location. It comes with Ikea-like instructions, and slightly broken English descriptions (like most of the mounts out there).

The plate on the right side of the picture is fastened to two studs in the wall using lag bolts through one of the four elongated holes in each corner of the plate. The two long vertical pieces in the left side of the picture are removed from the mount and fasten onto the back of the set. The set is then lifted by two people and the hooks on the long pieces drop over the top of the big black rectangular piece. Locking screws on the lower part of the long pieces are then tightened to keep the TV secure.

They also carry cheap HDMI cables in various lengths. I'd suggest finishing off with a cable raceway, a paintable plastic thing that is stuck on the wall, and holds the cables hidden under a snapped on cover. Local hardware stores usually carry these pretty cheap. Monoprice sells them in boxes of 25, which is a bit too silly and expensive for doing 2 TVs.

 

[Gumby]

Wall mounts are good. I suggest the following supplies:

Stud finder (No! The kind that find wood studs in walls. Sheesh.)

Actually, they find the nails in the studs.

Anyway -- good checklist and references.