Can you mount a TV on a plasterboard wall?
Yes. On a stud wall, where plasterboard is fixed to a timber frame, we find the studs and screw the bracket into them. Plasterboard on its own is not strong enough for most TVs, so the fixings have to reach something solid.
If the studs aren't where the TV needs to go, specialist heavy-duty plasterboard fixings can work for lighter TVs on fixed or tilting brackets. Metal stud walls need fixings made for metal. A large TV on a full-motion arm puts a lot of leverage on the wall, so on hollow walls we may suggest a fixed bracket instead, or extra support. We tell you which before we start.
The wall type decides the fixings, so it's worth knowing what you have.
- Solid brick or block
- Wall plugs and screws rated for the load.
- Plasterboard on timber studs
- Screwed into the studs where possible.
- Dot-and-dab plasterboard
- Special fixings or spacers that reach the block behind.
- Metal stud
- Fixings designed for metal frames.
How do you mount a TV on a dot-and-dab wall?
We use fixings or spacers that go through the plasterboard into the blockwork behind, and support the board so it can't crush. Dot-and-dab is plasterboard stuck to the block wall with blobs of adhesive, leaving a gap behind it. It is common in new builds, including estates such as Hamilton and Ashton Green.
The problem is that gap. If you screw a bracket straight through the board and tighten it, the board gets pulled into the gap and cracks, and the bracket ends up loose. Dot-and-dab fixings and spacers fill that gap, so the bracket is held firmly by the block and the plasterboard stays flat.
You can often tell you have dot-and-dab by tapping the wall: it sounds hollow in places and solid in others. A photo and the age of the house usually tell us enough to price the job.
What height should a wall-mounted TV be?
For most living rooms, the centre of the screen should be roughly at your eye level when you're sitting down. That keeps your neck straight during long films and matches how most screens are designed to be viewed.
Above a fireplace is a popular spot, but it is often too high for comfortable viewing. It also needs a heat check: a working fire or log burner can send heat up the chimney breast, and many TV makers set limits on heat near the set. Chimney breasts can also have a flue inside, so we check before drilling. If you want the TV high up, a tilting bracket angles the screen down and helps.
Before drilling, we hold the bracket position up with you and agree the height. It's your room, so the final call is yours.
Can you hide the TV cables in the wall?
Often, yes. On stud and dot-and-dab walls, cables can usually be run behind the plasterboard. On solid brick, they either go in surface trunking or into a channel cut into the wall, which is messier and costs more.
Mains power needs care. A normal plug-in power lead must never be hidden inside a wall. The safe options are an in-wall power kit designed for the job, or a new socket behind the TV. Adding a socket from an existing circuit is usually not notifiable building work outside special locations such as bathrooms, but it must still meet the Wiring Regulations.
This is where a multi-trade business helps. Norman is an electrician, so the new socket and the TV mount are done in the same visit by the same person.
- Paintable trunking
- A slim cover on the wall surface, painted to match.
- In-wall cable route
- Cables behind the board, out through a neat plate.
- New socket behind the TV
- Power hidden properly, wired to the Wiring Regulations.
- In-wall power kit
- A kit made to carry power through the wall safely.
Which TV bracket do I need?
It depends on your TV's VESA pattern, its weight, and how you want to watch it. VESA is the standard spacing of the four screw holes on the back of the TV, such as 200 x 200 or 400 x 400. The bracket must match that pattern and be rated for more than the TV's weight. Both are in the TV's manual or on the maker's website.
We can supply the bracket, or you can buy your own.
- Flat or fixed
- Sits closest to the wall. Neat and very solid.
- Tilting
- Angles the screen down for higher positions.
- Full-motion or cantilever arm
- Pulls out and swivels, but loads the wall more.
How do you avoid drilling into cables and pipes?
We check the wall with a detector before drilling, and we think about where cables are likely to run. In most homes, cables run straight up, down or across from sockets and switches, and along zones near the ceiling and wall corners. These are called safe zones, and drilling in line with a socket or switch is the classic mistake.
Older houses and past DIY don't always follow the rules, so a detector is not the whole answer. We also look at what is on the other side of the wall, such as a kitchen or bathroom with pipes. If anything looks doubtful, we move the bracket position slightly and agree it with you first.
Can you mount a soundbar and other devices at the same time?
Yes. Soundbars, games consoles, set-top boxes and streaming boxes can all be mounted or tidied in the same visit, using brackets or small floating shelves under the TV.
You can also add other jobs to the same request. A common one is TV, shelves and a flat-pack unit, all done in one visit and covered by one fixed price.