How to mount a TV or heavy mirror

Teach: How to mount a TV or heavy mirror

What to say

To mount a TV, buy a wall mount rated above its weight and made for its bolt pattern, then fix the mount with lag bolts into the centers of two studs. Level it before the final tightening and lift the TV on with a helper. A heavy mirror hangs the same way, from studs, never a single nail.

What to show, in order

1. Look up the TV's weight and the spacing of the threaded holes on its back in the manual.
2. Buy a mount rated for more than the TV's weight and made for that hole spacing.
3. Choose the height with the center of the screen near seated eye level, and find two studs at that spot.
4. Hold the wall plate level on the studs, mark the holes, and drill pilot holes into the center of each stud.
5. Drive the lag bolts through the plate into the studs with a socket wrench until snug, checking level before the final turn.
6. Attach the arms or brackets to the TV with the supplied bolts of the correct length.
7. With a helper, lift the TV onto the plate, engage the safety locks, and pull gently to test.
8. For a TV on furniture instead, strap the TV and the furniture to the wall with anti-tip straps.

When to stop and call a professional

• There are no studs where you need the mount, or the wall is brick, tile or metal studs you have not worked with.
• You want power run inside the wall: that is a job for a licensed electrician or a rated in-wall kit fitted by one.
• The mount is a long articulating arm or the TV is very large.

The check question

Ask: What should the lag bolts go into? Answer: The center of the studs

From EveryManKnows. General information, not professional advice.