Do you want to mount your own TV to save time and money? You CAN do it yourself just like a pro with our step-by-step guide.
Plus, we included tips on cable management, planning, and more to ensure your project goes as smoothly as possible. Keep reading to mount your TV like a pro!
What You’ll Need:
- Tape Measure
- Spirit Level
- Drill (With appropriate bits)
- Screwdriver
- Plaster jab saw (if hiding cables in the wall)
- Stud finder
- Television bracket (and associated hardware)
- Cables
- Cable hiding devices
Step 1: Planning
This stage involves finding out where you want your TV to go as well as the type of brackets and cable management products you want to use. If you don’t know what type and size brackets you’ll need, start with our Wall Mount Wizard!
- Height: One of the most important considerations is the height of your TV – too high or too low and you’ll be uncomfortable watching it. The rule of thumb is that the centre of the TV should be in the middle of your line of sight when sitting down.
- Aesthetic and centring: To ensure a balanced living area, we recommend centring your TV on something, such as corners, edges, a fireplace, specific decorations, or anything else. However, you’ll also need to consider studs.
- Find studs: Use a stud finder to locate studs on your wall. This will help you determine the best path for centring as well. Mark studs with a pencil or electrical tape.
- Check for water, gas, or power lines: Inspect for any service lines like power, water, or gas, and make sure there aren’t any present (if you are unsure how to check, contact a local electrician or another specialist for assistance).
- Cable management: You have a couple of options for cable management. The first is to hide your cables within the wall. This is the most professional look. The other option is to use cable-hiding devices. If you choose this option, make sure you consider where the plugs and wall plates or located.
Step 2: TV Arm Installation
The next step is the TV arm installation. During this step, you’ll be attaching the arm to your television set. The correct arm component and screws will depend on your specific TV size and width.
- If you have a new TV, remove the top of the box so that the television is standing at the bottom. If your TV isn’t new, lift it onto the floor so that it stands upright.
- Line up the arm and get all your bolts, washers, and spacers ready and make sure that you know what you’re doing before screwing it in.
For TVs 19-22 inches, M4 screws should work. For 30–40-inch televisions, you may need to use M6 screws and for 43-to-88-inch TVs, you might use M8 screws. However, if the screws stick out from the back too much, consider using the spacers and washers available with your bracket kit.
- Bolt the arm to the TV. Start with screws on opposite sides to make sure everything is perfectly aligned before adding the final screws.
Pro Tip: We recommend lifting the arms as you tighten the bolts to ensure they are in the same position as one another. Additionally, we suggest using a manual screwdriver for this step to make sure that you don’t overtighten; doing so could damage your television screen.
Step 3: Wall Bracket Installation
Now, you will be installing the wall bracket to the wall. Assuming you found studs during the planning step, you’ll know where the TV will be mounted horizontally.
- Start by identifying where you want it to go vertically.
Pro Tip: Use the wall bracket placed into the arms on the back of the TV. Measure the bottom of the TV to the bottom of the wall bracket, then use that measurement to locate where the bottom of the wall bracket should end up when mounted so that your TV ends up at the right height for optimal viewing.
- Use the spirit level to ensure that the wall bracket is even.
- While holding the bracket up to the wall, make marks where the holes in the bracket will line up with the studs. Double-check to make sure there are no power, water, or gas lines present.
- Next, you’ll pre-drill the appropriate size holes in the studs for the screws in your kit.
- Install the wall bracket and then fully tighten the screws. During this process, make sure that the bracket remains level.
Step 4: Hiding Cables
Note: In most states in Australia, it’s legal to run the power cable through brush plates/grommets to the TV because it’s considered a temporary installation. However, you should double-check the legality with local authorities before doing so.
- Use the pencil to mark where you want the wall plates/grommets to be. We recommend placing wall plates at the bottom of the wall near an existing power outlet or antenna point, if possible. Then, place the wall plate or grommet directly above it, near the bottom of the television (but above the bottom so that the TV will hide it)
- Use a jab saw to cut the appropriate holes. You can also use a utility knife, but if you do so, be very careful to not cut yourself and to make precise cuts on the wall.
- Use a wire feeder to get from the top hole to the bottom hole. It may take a few attempts but be patient.
- Once the wire feeder is through, tape your cables to the wire feeder and pull them through. It’s usually best to tape the cables to the bottom and pull them upwards.
Pro Tip: Place the brush wall plate onto the wire feeder before taping the cables. Otherwise, the big end of your power cord might not fit back through the brush plate!
- Fit the brush plate with the plaster bracket provided and a screwdriver. You can also put the grommet in place at this time.
Step 5: Finishing Touches
At this stage, the hard work is already done! Time to finish up.
- You can either plug the cables into the TV before or after you place it onto the wall bracket.
- Remove the stand from the TV (If still attached)
- With assistance (if required) lift the TV and hook the top of the TV ‘arms’ onto the wall bracket, so that the weight of the TV is supported by the wall bracket.
- Once the TV is hooked onto the wall bracket, you can plug the cables into the TV (if you haven’t already), and finally – secure the safety screws from the bottom of the ‘TV arms’ into the wall bracket.
- Pull the excess length of your cables (if any) back down through the wall so that nothing is hanging under your TV.
- Check that your TV is level. If it is slightly off you may be able to make some small adjustments by lifting one side of the TV (carefully) to get it just right!
- Sit back and comfortably enjoy your newly mounted TV!