Here Are Solutions to 5 of Your TV Wall-mounting Problems

Wall-mounting your flat-screen TV saves space and can give your TV room a sleek, modern look. But it isn’t always an easy process. The last thing you need is for your big, expensive TV to fall off the wall!

You need to bolt your TV wall mount to the studs to guarantee that it’s secure, at the right height for viewing and in a place that works with your décor. Of course, it wouldn’t be a home improvement project if problems didn’t crop up along the way. Here are some of the most common, and what to do about them.

1) There Are No Studs Where You Want to Mount the TV

This is the most common, and most frustrating, of the problems homeowners run into when they want to wall-mount a TV. TV mounts and TVs themselves are heavy enough that you want to anchor them to the studs, if at all possible, but what if you can’t find any studs where you want to hang your TV?

First of all, the problem may not be with your walls at all, but with your stud finder. Make sure you’re using it properly — go slow, and if your wall has a popcorn texture or is otherwise not completely flat, place a piece of cardboard under the stud finder to give it a smooth surface to work with.

If you can’t find studs using your stud finder, try another method. One easy way is to take off your outlet covers and slip a thin tool or piece of wire around the outside edges of the electrical box to locate which side the studs are on. Once you find a stud, you should be able to find another one about 16 inches away. Poke holes in the wall using a nail to make sure the stud is really there. Make additional small holes to the left and right of where you want to drill to make sure you’re centered on the stud.

But what if you absolutely can’t find a stud? With the right wall anchor, you can hang almost anything almost anywhere.

2) The Cables Are Ugly

The clean, modern look of a wall-mounted TV is ruined somewhat by a snarl of cables hanging down the wall. You can either install an outlet behind the TV or run your TV cables through the inside of the wall. Either solution may require you to call in the professionals unless you’re a veteran DIYer. Whether you’re in New York, Chicago, Seattle or Los Angeles, TV mounting professionals around the country can not only hang your TV efficiently and quickly but can also hide your ugly cables in the stud bays behind your drywall.

3) There’s a Fireplace in the Way

Most professionals advise against hanging a TV over a fireplace, because the heat isn’t good for them. Low-voltage cables rated for in-wall use may not be safe to use above a fireplace. If you can, hang your TV somewhere else — but if you absolutely have to, hanging it over the fireplace probably isn’t the end of the world, although it may put a crick in your neck.

4) There’s a Corner in the Way

If you have to hang your TV in a corner, the best solution is a full-motion mount. A full-motion TV mount can be mounted on one side of the corner, but will let you move the TV forward and to the side enough to make it look like it’s mounted right in the middle of the corner. Of course, you could also choose a corner TV cabinet, although you’ll probably have to sacrifice the sleek, modern look of a truly wall-mounted TV.

5) The TV Isn’t Level

Few things can be more frustrating than taking care to make sure your TV mount is level when you attach it to the wall, only to hang the TV and step back to find that it’s still crooked. It’s most likely your wall that’s slightly wonky. When mounting a TV, you should leave the hardware slightly loose for just this reason. It’ll give you some play so you can straighten the TV manually after hanging.

A properly wall-mounted TV is the centerpiece of any communal space. It can be a frustrating job, but if you can overcome the obstacles that might arise, you’ll soon be settling into a stress-busting Netflix binge.