How to Mount a Flat Panel TV

Televisions are bigger than ever and are usually the focal point of a home theater media room. A closer look at consumer trends reveals that consumers have begun to prefer slimmer, sleeker flat panel television sets as they have become more affordable.

Traditionally people have used TV stands, armoires, tables, and chests of drawers to hold their TV sets. But if you have a flat panel TV you don't have to use a stand and take up floor space with your TV. Instead you can mount it on the wall. Mounting the TV on your own might seem like a daunting task. The only tools you need are a stud finder, drill, tape measure and screwdriver.

Before you grab your tool box, remember that there are a few different types of flat panel tv's: small or large LCD tv's, and small or large plasma tv's. Most flat panel tv makers reccommend a mount speciffic for each brand or model television, but universal mounts usually work regrdless of brand or model type. You also need to know the size and weight of your TV. Also, make sure your TV is wall mountable by looking for the words "VESA Compatible" or "VESA mount" in the owner's manual. Earlier versions of flat panel TVs were table-top only sets.

You may also want to consider the desired functionality of your mount. Some functional options include mounts that allow the television to tilt forward or backward, or remain fixed on the wall. There are also mounts that have an articulating arm, which allows the television to be pulled away from the wall, turned in different directions, as well as tilting forward or backward.

First, choose the location that you want to mount your TV. It is generally best to use an interior wall in your home rather than an exterior wall. Exterior walls sometimes have fire-blocks, which makes it difficult to run wiring through the wall up to the TV. For the clean look and feel of your flat panel install, running the cabling and component connections inside the wall to the tv will give the desired effect.

For small or medium-sized televisions, securing the tv mount to one wall stud is all that is required for proper installation. In this case, be sure to use the special mounting hardware to anchor the mount to the wall stud. Most wall mounting kits come with the necessary hardware for various applications.

Using a drill and the mounting hardware provided, secure the mount to the wall. You will also install mounting rails on the back of your TV. Use a medium sized carpenter's level to ensure that the mount and tv are level and plum. Be sure that the component cables are in place and ready to connect before hanging the tv on the mount. Larger flat panel tv's can be heavy, so have a second person on stand-by to help hang the tv safely.

Remember, this was a brief overview of mounting a flat panel tv. For more detailed information, be sure to check out the informational videos in the How-To section of Bigscreencenter!