Wall studs are an essential part of TV mounting. However, in some situations, your wall studs might not be centered and it can lead to multiple difficulties in mounting.
So, how do you mount your TV when the wall studs aren’t centered? In today’s post, we will discuss how you can overcome this problem in a step-by-step guide.
Quick summary
By the end of this article, we will cover the following things:
- How to mount TV when studs not centered?
- Important Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
Without further delay, let’s get started.
How to Mount a TV on Uneven Wall Studs?
In this section, we will explain the steps you need to follow for proper mounting. Before that, there are a couple of tools that you’ll need to get the task done.
Here’s the list for these tools:
- 1-inch thick piece of plywood
- Power drill
- Screws
- TV mount
- Stud finder
Once you get all these tools, you can get started on the mounting process given below.
Step # 1: Find the Studs
The first thing you need to do is find and mark the studs on your wall. The best way to do so is by using a stud finder.
You can use an electronic stud finder or an analog one, it depends on your preference. Take a piece of paper and mark the stud location with a pencil.
Why do I need to mark it on paper?
You can use this marked paper to drill holes in the plywood piece without any mistakes. Otherwise, if you directly drill on the wall, there is a chance of drilling in the wrong place.
Step # 2: Mark Holes on the Plywood piece
Now, take a 1-inch thick plywood piece and mark the stud location with the aforementioned paper.
Make sure that the plywood piece you use is 1-inch longer from each side. This will provide extra room for the TV mount.
Can I use a plywood piece thicker than 1-inch?
The thickness of the plywood piece depends on the weight/size of your TV. Furthermore, this length of screws will also double with every inch of added thickness.
So, make sure that you use appropriately sized screws for the plywood piece.
Step # 3: Drill Holes in the Plywood piece
The next step is to drill the marked holes using a power drill. Use a drill bit similar to the size of the wall studs. Otherwise, it will be difficult to place the plywood piece on the wall.
What sort of power drill should I use?
You can use a cordless power drill to make the task easier. However, it depends on your personal preference what sort of drill you want to you.
After you drill the stud holes, place the TV mount on the plywood piece and drill holes for the mount. Make sure that your mount holes are precisely in the middle of the piece.
Step # 4: Attach the Plywood piece
Once you have all the required holes drilled, it is time to attach the piece to the wall. You can use hollow wall anchors to attach the plywood piece to the wall.
It is better to do so because if you attach it directly using wall studs, there is a high chance that it will put some cracks on the wall.
Should I install the TV mount after I attach the plywood piece?
It depends on the location of your studs. If they overlap with the mounting holes, you should attach the plywood piece first and the TV mount after.
On the other hand, if both holes are located in different positions, you can install the TV mount beforehand to save time.
Step # 5: Mount your TV
Now that all the pieces are in their respective place, you can finally mount your TV. Carefully place the TV on the wall plate and screw in the bolts.
Take a bubble level and check if the TV is placed correctly. You can also use a measuring tape to double-check if the TV is in the center or not.
This is all you need to know when it comes to mounting a TV when the wall studs are not centered.
Why are the Wall Studs not Centered?
You might have noticed that some wall studs in your house are centered while some are not. But why is that? It is mainly due to the number of pipes running behind your walls.
As it turns out, wall studs are centered when there is a single pipe behind the wall. It can be your water pipe or electrical one.
However, when the number exceeds from that, the location of wall studs is disturbed as well. The uneven positioning helps to keep the pipes safe from any unwanted damage.
Important Tips
We have compiled a list of tips and tricks you can use to save time and streamline your process. Let’s take a look at them.
- Always use a plywood piece twice the size of your wall studs measurement. This will automatically reinforce the piece of wood and keep it from loosening due to weight.
- For the plywood, you should use a square piece. A square piece will evenly distribute the weight of the TV mount.
- Always drill slightly bigger holes for wall studs. This will allow you to use wall anchors to further increase the grip of your plywood piece.
Frequently Asked Questions
Following are some commonly asked questions we found around the web. They are as follows.
Can I use any other material besides Plywood?
Yes, you can. Experts prefer the use of Plywood because it is easier to drill and it is lightweight. It depends on your preference what you want to use.
Is it good to use a rectangular Plywood piece?
A rectangular piece can be used if your TV mount has a rectangular wall plate. Otherwise, you should always use a square Plywood piece.
Should I paint the piece of Plywood?
It is a common practice among professionals to paint the piece of Plywood. It makes the joint almost invisible and gives a sleek finish to the piece.
Wrapping Things Up…
With this, we come to the end of our guide on how you can install a TV mount when the studs are not centered.
You can mount your TV on uneven wall studs by using an extra piece of Plywood. All you need are some common tools and a piece of strong Plywood.
We hope this guide proves to be informational for you.
Do let us know how you mount TVs when the studs are not centered.
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.
