Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Tips on Wall Mounting a TV Screen

As times have gone by, TVs have become smaller and lighter. Its amazing to think that not so long ago, you could just manage to fit a TV in the back of a car, and now you could probably fit ten of them.

So why would you consider mounting a TV on a wall?

One of the greatest advantages of doing so, is that you will save a vast amount of floor space. Standard TV cabinets come in all shapes and sizes and are all generally have large footprints. In addition, placing a TV on a stand also has an inherent risk of accidentally being toppled; whereas fixing it on to a wall completely resolves that problem. A wall mounted TV makes the whole room look more modern.

Satellite boxes and other such devices may still need to be placed in a smaller "hi-fi" type stands. However, as a result of the wall mounting, this can now be placed in the corner of a room, instead of in the middle, and simply have wires running to the TV.

Careful thought and consideration must be given to adequately conceal the wires. Some decide to have a small hi-fi stands directly beneath the TV to aid in hiding the wires. Another option is to use PVC trunking. Trunking is very cheap to buy and easy to install. All that one needs is a tape measure and a small hack saw for cutting. Trunking does not need to be fixed to the wall, as they usually have double sided sticky tape on the back and can simply be stuck on to the wall.

Another option is to conceal the wires in the wall. This is of course a more complex, time consuming, and not to mention a costly exercise. You will end up patch repairing and repainting a large portion if not the whole wall. It is a good idea to chase the wall, assuming it is an internal plaster wall, and embedding adequate PVC conduit pipes. The internal diameter of the pipes should be large enough to allow HDMI cables (or any other configuration that you may prefer to use) to easily pass though. If the wall is a hollow timber framed structure, the whole exercise becomes a lot simpler.

Wall fixers for mounting a bracket on a solid wall are readily available from local DIY stores; do ensure you follow the guide lines carefully as provided with the instructions for the wall mount, regarding size and number of fixers.

Extreme care must be taken, when attaching the bracket to the back of a TV, as there is always a limited depth available for a bolt. If too long a bolt is used, there is a very high risk of cracking the LCD/LED panel, and your brand new TV will be destined for the scrap yard.

As with any DIY project, safety comes first. There is always an inherent risk of cutting into existing live wires. It is therefore imperative, that such demanding tasks be left for seasoned professionals and reputable handyman to undertake.