Safety essentials
A wall-mounted television hangs above people, furniture and often children. These are the checks worth making every single time — and the moments to down tools and call someone qualified.
Mounting a TV is well within reach for plenty of people, but it's not without risk. Nearly every mishap traces back to skipping one of four checks: the weight, the wall, the electrics, and an honest read of your own limits.
Weight and ratings
Note your television's weight and VESA pattern, then make sure the bracket is rated to hold comfortably more than that. A bracket working at the very edge of its limit has nothing in reserve for the pull of a moving arm or an accidental nudge.
What the wall can carry
Pair the fixing to the wall. Plasterboard needs the weight taken by the studs behind it; masonry needs the plug that suits the material. A fixing gripping nothing but surface board is the number-one reason screens fall.
Hidden services
Before you drill, sweep the area for cables and pipes with a detector. They tend to run vertically from sockets and switches. Driving a bit into a live cable or a water pipe is both hazardous and costly.
The right pair of hands
Lifting a big screen onto a bracket really is a two-person job. One holds and guides while the other locks it in. Trying to rush it solo is how screens get dropped and backs get strained.
When to call a professional — not a suggestion, a line in the sand
Please bring in a qualified tradesperson if any of the following apply:
- The screen is large or heavy and you're not certain about the wall type.
- The job calls for new mains wiring, a new outlet, or any work behind the plaster you haven't been trained to do.
- You can't confirm what's inside the wall, or the building is old and its construction is a mystery.
- You'd be working at height or in an awkward position without proper support.
There's no medal for doing risky work yourself. In these situations, a professional installer or electrician is simply the safe, sensible choice.
A simple pre-drill checklist
Run through this before the first hole.
- ✓
Weight confirmed
TV weight and VESA checked against the bracket's rating, with room to spare.
- ✓
Wall identified
Surface and solid fixing points known; the right fixings on hand.
- ✓
Services scanned
Cables and pipes found and steered clear of along the drill path.
- ✓
Help lined up
A second person on hand for the lift and the final tighten.
- ✓
Level within reach
A spirit level ready to check before the last turn of the bolt.
Safety covered — now the how.
With these checks in mind, the guides take you through each decision in detail.