How to Hang a TV Mount – All You Need to Know & FAQs

A TV wall mount has become integral to the living room arrangement nowadays. Especially since you can now run Netflix marathons on your flat screens. 

One question that frequently pops up is, “how should I mount my TV on a drywall or a plaster wall?”

To help you out with this process, this post contains all you need to know about “How to Hang a TV Mount”.

Questions to Consider 

The best way to start the wall mounting process is to consider the following questions to pave a pathway you should follow:

• Can the wall hold the weight of the TV?
  
• How high should the TV be installed?
  
• What type of TV Mount should be used?
  
• Are there any environmental factors that need to be considered?
  
• How will the cords be hidden?
  

We will answer these questions as we go through the entire installation process.

Understanding TV Wall Mount Components

Here are some of the essential components needed to be understood before mounting your TV,

Wall plate 

Wall plate, as the name indicates, is a kind of a frame that is fixed firmly on the wall using screws. It has to be installed very carefully and firmly.

Mounting arms 

Mounting arms are the kind of handles that are attached to the wall plate. TV is hung on the wall using these mounting arms. 

VESA mount patterns 

VESA stands for video electronics standard association that was established as a standard interface to help you decide the size of mount for your TV.

VESA patterns help you choose the best wall mount that matches the specifications of your TV in terms of:

• Weight
  
• Size
  
• Distance between mounting points
  

Mounts adjusted to the VESA standard have measurements in millimeters. This will determine whether the holes on the bracket are compatible with the holes on the back of your TV.

Locking mechanisms 

Locking mechanisms include various locking techniques and equipment used to lock the TV in a wall mount. 

If you have children at your home that might playfully cause the TV to fall, or you just fear your Tv might fall or get stolen, you can use various locking mechanisms to make sure your TV stays safe.

These locking mechanisms include locking bracelets, locking tabs, safety latches and anti theft locks.

Cable management

Too much unmanaged cables look really unaesthetic!

Don’t they?

That’s where cable management comes into play. It is a process of managing your TV cables in such a way that they don’t appear at all from any front angle making the TV look really aesthetic and minimalist.

You can use following methods to hide the cables,

• Fabric Cord Concealer
  
• Zip Ties to prevent cables from touching the floor
  
• Baseboard Raceway
  
• Cord Clips to hide cables behind the TV stand
  
• Cable Management Box
  
• Wall Cord Raceway Kit
  

Mounting Equipment to wall mount a tv

These are some of the things that you would need to mount your TV on a wall:

• Stud Finder: This tool locates the wooden studs inside the wall.
  

• Drill: A power drill will help drill holes into the wooden studs or stone wall quickly.
  

• Drill bits: If you are mounting your TV on drywall then you should use a Carbide-tipped masonry bit. If you are mounting your TV on a concrete or brick wall then you should use a Phillips head drill bit to drive in the mounting screws.
  

• Level: This tool will help you make sure that the mounting screws have been installed on equal levels.
  
• Pencil or Painter’s Tape: You can use these as marking points.
  

• Additional Tools
  These tools are optional and can be used if required:
• Level
• Spanner
• Spirit Level
• Paper Template

Types of Wall Mounts

Before wall mounting a TV, you need to understand the types of TV mounts so that you can choose on based on your requirements,

There are generally three kinds of mounts,

• Fixed Mounts: Basic mounts that are fixed to the wall and cannot be repositioned.
• Tilt Mounts: These mounts can be tilted a few degrees up or down.
• Full Motion Mounts: These mounts come with a moveable arm that can be easily positioned.

Step-to-Step Guide to hang the tv mount

Step 1 – Locate the wall studs

If you have a concrete or brick wall, then you can start the installation process directly, but, if you have a plaster wall, then the beginning is a little different.

A plaster wall will have either of the two studs:

• Wooden frame or profiles
  
• Metal stud profiles
  

So, in this case, you need to locate the studs first. You can locate the wooden studs through a stud finder and the metal studs through a pipe finder.

Builders usually install studs in the wall 450mm or 600mm apart. Therefore, the type of mount you buy will depend on this measurement.

If you can’t arrange a stud finder and want to find the walls studs, this video can help you,