What To Consider When Wall Mounting Your Television

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by: kellibrown
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Word Count: 595
Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2012 Time: 2:57 AM

Hanging your LCD or plasma TV from the wall looks neat, impressive and saves space. Here is our guide of factors to consider before installing a wall mounted television.

Bracket.
Once you have purchased your television you will need to buy a wall mount to hang it from. Only buy a wall mount from the experts; this is NOT where you save money, you need it to be strong. Some wall brackets can be tilted, which makes televisions which are mounted quite highly easier to watch. But whichever type you choose, buy your wall bracket from a reputable dealer for peace of mind. Choose a mount which is strong enough to hold a lot more than the weight of the television; 4 times this amount seems excessive but may be best. It will give you extra leeway if a child leans on or hangs off the TV, or if something or someone knocks it.

Wires.
Consider what you are doing with your wires if you do not want them hanging loose from the television down the wall. Wires can be cleverly disguised without making holes in your wall, such as by hiding them behind curtains or using a cabinet or other piece of furniture on the floor below the TV. This can be an unit to store your equipment such as DVD player and Sky/Freeview box in, and a vase or photoframe on the top can disguise trailing wires.

Hiding wires is perhaps the most difficult problem with wall-mounted TVs, but you have several options.

- Cover the wires with a prefabricated decorative covering. Boxing will conceal wiring and can be painted the same colour as your walls.

- Wires can be run up or down the walls (concealed with decorative covering or not), and then concealed behind skirting boards. This is not advised because it is fiddly, the wires will still be visible until they reach your skirting board, and their concealment can pose a threat if they are forgotten about and drilled or sawed through.

- If you consider your DIY skills to be reasonable, or are getting the experts in, you could conceal wires for your flat screen television inside the wall. This is by far the cleanest and most modern option. A modular wall plate can be drilled in behind the television, and at the end of their course near a power source, at the same time as when the mount being installed. Hollow drywalls make the best walls to run wires through, rather than concrete or brick walls. Choosing an internal wall will also be easier than an external wall, which hide insulation and a larger number of other wires. Whichever wall you are installing your television on it is essential to check for existing wires first. Use a cable detector or ask your electrician.

Whichever method you are using make sure you buy wires which are long enough, and a little extra in case. Remember that the further HD wires have to travel, the lower the picture quality. Therefore, HD users may find it best to run wires neatly through the wall to a tidy modular wall plate (similar to a plug socket) at the base of the wall below the TV. Buy your tools and modular wall plates beforehand so you are prepared to start work. You will also need to enlist the help of someone strong to help you to lift your television once your wiring and mount are in place.

About the Author

Nexxia Audio Solutions are your one-stop-shop when installing a wall-mounted television. They sell modular wall plates for a neat cable solution and plasma TV mounting brackets, as well as satellite and freeview brackets.

Modular video and audio wall plates