It’s fairly common to have a cubby hole in the space situated above your fireplace.
Oftentimes, this cubby hole can look unsightly and it can definitely be a good idea to cover it with your TV.
Quick summary
In this post, we will discuss how you can easily and efficiently mount a TV over a cubby hole above your fireplace.
We have listed all the necessary tools and supplies you’ll use to properly mount the TV over the cubby hole.
So without further ado, let’s get into it.
Tools and Supplies Needed
If you’ve read any of our other tutorial posts, we may sound like a broken record at this point but it’s strongly recommended that you gather everything you need first.
Don’t start the installation process if you don’t have all the necessary tools and supplies gathered and at your disposal first.
This is because you may have to go out and buy many of the tools and supplies. If you begin the process without gathering everything, you’ll have to pause it every time you need another tool.
If you have everything gathered and on hand, then the process will be much more efficient and easier.
The tools and supplies you will need to mount a TV over a cubby hole above your fireplace are:
- Plywood
- 3-inch #10 screws
- A drill
- A screwdriver
- A level
- A stud finder
- A marker or a pencil
- Concrete anchors
- Painter’s tape
- A wall mount
- Assorted screws and bolts (provided with the wall mount)
Take your time to gather everything that’s necessary and once that’s done, you can begin the installation process.
How to Mount a TV Over a Cubby Hole? (Step-by-Step Guide)
The basic idea of mounting a TV over a cubby hole involves building a frame that can rest inside it.
Step 1: Build the 2×4 frame that will be able to sit inside the cubby hole with your TV attached to it.
It should consist of a “mounting plate” that will serve as something that will attach to both your TV as well as the wall in the recess of the cubby hole.
Step 2: Use your stud finder to find the studs behind the wall for the cubby hole.
For most people, the studs will be spaced 16 inches apart from each other. Every time your stud finder runs over a stud, it will make a noise or flash.
When you find a stud, mark its location on the wall with a marker or a pencil.
Ideally, you should attach the mounting plate of the frame to at least two studs.
Step 3: Hold the frame up to the cubby hole so that the “mounting plate” aligns perfectly with the locations of the studs that you marked in the last step.
Mark the locations for the holes you will need to drill onto the wall with a pencil or a marker.
Step 4: Use your drill to pre-drill holes for the frame onto the wall into the studs.
The length of the holes should be slightly smaller than the screws (concrete anchors) you intend to use.
You can mark the length for the drilling by attaching painter’s tape to the appropriate length of the drill bit.
Step 5: After drilling the holes, ask a helper to hold up the frame up to the appropriate position and then use your drill to screw it into the holes.
It can be tempting to drill all the way in when installing screws but you must do all you can to resist that temptation.
Be gentle when drilling because if you go overboard, you can damage the frame and also make the hole(s) you made in step 4 unusable.
Step 6: Use the assorted screws and bolts provided with the wall mount to attach the wall bracket to the “mounting plate” of the frame.
Make sure that you don’t over-tighten when attaching the screws for the mount as that can damage the mounting plate as well as the wall bracket itself.
Step 7: Attach the mounting bracket to the back of your TV using the appropriate VESA holes for it.
Insert the appropriate screws into the mounting holes at the back of your TV and tighten them as much as you can by hand.
After that, finish the job by screwing all the screws in with a screwdriver.
Again, you must be very careful at this stage not to over-tighten because that can damage both the mounting bracket as well as the back of your TV.
Step 8: The mounting bracket has been attached to the back of your TV and the wall bracket has been attached to the “mounting plate”.
Now, all there’s left to do is to attach the mounting bracket to the wall bracket.
Doing this is fairly simple as you don’t even need any external tools to do so. All you need to do is lift your TV up and slowly lower it so that the mounting bracket latches securely with the wall bracket.
Depending on the model and manufacturer of the wall mount, you may hear a loud click or some similar sound to indicate the two components have indeed been successfully attached.
Once the two components are properly and securely attached to each other, you’re pretty much good to go.
Step 9: To finish it off, it’s a good idea to test the stability and safety of your installation job.
Quickly assess all of the components including the frame, the wall mount, and the TV to ensure everything is sturdy and nothing seems wobbly.
Hold the TV gently and try shaking it from side to side. It should not budge too much. If it’s wobbling a little too much, then you may have to inspect everything once more to identify what’s causing it to be loose.
Keep repeating this process until the TV becomes sturdy and refuses to budge.
Wrapping Things Up…
This brings us to the conclusion of our post on how to mount a TV over a cubby hole.
The process is slightly more complex than most other installation jobs since you’ll have to construct a Plywood frame for your wall mount.
However, once it’s done, it looks extremely elegant and does a great job of covering up cubby holes that would otherwise look ugly and jarring.
If you have any questions regarding the process, please let us know in the comments below.
Adam F.
A/V and Home Theater Expert that focuses on providing clear as well as concise reviews for anything and everything Audio Visual. From TV's, TV Mounts, Soundbars, and Wiring, my focus is to provide expertise in everything Audio Visual focused.
