How to wall-mount your TV (and why you probably should)

There is no better way to elevate your living room than by elevating that big TV from a stand and onto a wall. Wall-mounting a TV may seem daunting, but if your space allows it you can reclaim precious real estate on your entertainment center and help your living area feel more open and airy. It’ll also have the benefit of keeping your precious TV out of reach from meddlesome children or rambunctious pets

All it takes are some basic tools, a bit of labor, and a buddy to help lift larger TVs. Here’s all you need to prepare yourself.

TV wall mounts are a commodity item these days, so there are all kinds of similar looking models from all kinds of brands. Amazon is awash with options and even Amazon Basics sells some.

The first things you want to look for are what size of TV a mount is rated for, and how much weight it can hold. Check the tech specs of your exact TV model, and make sure you’re well within the mount’s range.

You should also double-check the VESA sizing of your TV, and ensure the wall mount is compatible. VESA mount sizes correspond to the distance between the bolt connector holes on the rear of your TV.

Another important thing to consider is if the wall mount is fixed, simply tilts, or has full-motion articulation, allowing it to come off the wall. Fixed and basic tilt models may be simpler and a little sturdier, but I cannot stress enough how convenient it is to be able to pull the TV away from the wall on a tilt arm. It makes unplugging and plugging in any cables to the back of the TV so much easier. When I had a basic tilt mount for my old 70-inch TV, simply adjusting HDMI plugs in the back could be a two-person job, because we had to lift the TV off the wall in order to reach the ports.

When I recently mounted a new 77-inch LG C3 OLED TV, I went with this articulating model by USX. Its claimed rating — for TVs up to 86 inches and weighing 132 pounds — was more than enough to cover my TV, which weighs less than half of that at 51.8 pounds. I wasn’t familiar with USX before buying it, but I took a chance and it’s been perfectly fine. I’ve also had positive experiences with mounts and accessories from Mount-It.

You’ll typically need a drill, screwdriver, bubble level, stud finder, and a pencil. The wall mount may come with a basic screwdriver, hex key, or small wrenches — maybe even a small bubble level.

Wall mounts usually have two vertical bars that attach to the TV via its VESA screw holes, allowing the TV to hang on the bracket once it’s mounted. These bars usually have many mounting holes, to accommodate different sizes of TVs. Lay your TV down on a flat, padded surface and mount the bars to its back according to the included instructions.

Measure, measure, measure

Most wall mounts come with a paper template that shows the footprint of the mounting bracket. You’ll need to use this or the bracket itself to frame up where it will go. To pick out the ideal location to mount it on your wall, you’ll have to account for the size of your TV and how high or low it can fit on your wall. Keep in mind that you want your TV to be about eye level, though not every space can easily accommodate the ideal height. Be sure to actually sit down where you’ll be watching from and visualize where your TV should go, and try not to pull any r/TVTooHigh crimes.

Find the dimensions of the TV from its tech specs and use them to measure its ideal mounting location on the wall. You’ll then have to measure the distance between the top of the TV to where the vertical bars will hang on the bracket. That will give you an idea of how high you’ll have to mount the bracket on the wall. Mark that height on your wall with a pencil.

Now that you have an idea of where the bracket will go, grab the stud finder and map out your wall studs. Securing the bracket to a sturdy wall stud is essential when mounting heavy stuff, as drywall alone isn’t strong enough to safely carry such a load. The bracket’s horizontal location on the wall has a little leeway, since the TV doesn’t have to hang on the exact center of the bracket. You will hopefully have a wall stud that aligns with one of the bracket’s screw holes — if not, I’ll explain how to deal with that in the next section. Use the bubble level to level the bracket or its template on the wall where it should go, and mark the screw holes on the wall.

To mount the bracket to your mapped-out spot on the wall, you’ll have to drill some pilot holes for the screws. The instructions should tell you how big the pilot holes should be. The tricky part is what to do if one side of screws don’t line up with a stud.

You’ll want to use wall anchors or toggle bolts for any screws not going into studs, because mounting a TV to just Sheetrock could likely cause it to rip out of the wall and fall. To ensure my brackets could safely hold the weight of my TV, despite not lining up with wall studs, I’ve used Toggler toggle bolts. (There are plenty of other brands too, and you can easily find them at hardware stores.) The sizes of the toggle bolts or anchors you’ll need to use depend on the screws included with your bracket.

A quick aside: toggle bolts are fantastic, and I’ve used them to hang things like my TV’s soundbar and various shelves around my house that didn’t line up with wall studs. Just be aware they require drilling a bigger-than-average pilot hole, so be sure you get your measurements spot-on.

Now drill your pilot holes, put in any necessary anchors or toggle bolts, and screw the bracket to the wall.

This is actually the easiest part, provided you have a friend to help you. But it’s also one of the most stressful. Team-lift the TV up and onto the bracket. Once you hang it there’s usually a small screw or similar method to lock the bottom of the vertical TV bars to the bottom of the bracket. This extra bit of security is vital, because without it your TV is just hanging on by gravity and not fully secured. If the TV is too high or too low on the bracket, you should be able to take it off and adjust the vertical bars on its rear to get it in the perfect spot.

If you opted for a tilting or articulating mount, this is when you’ll have to tinker with it as per the included instructions to ensure the TV is level. Also, if your TV is especially big or mounted slightly above eye level, you can tilt it downwards slightly toward you.

Now enjoy that lovely TV on your wall.

One more thing: cable management

Okay, I know you’re done and all proud of yourself (you should be), but there’s an additional step you should consider to make a wall-mounted TV setup look its best: neaten up your cables.

There are a variety of ways you can do this. For example, you can use cable hiders or raceways, or cut entry and exit holes in the wall behind your TV and install a cable bridge to hide the cables completely (you’ll need some lengthy cables). Whether you opt for something simple or advanced, any cable management is better than just letting wires dangle and fall wherever they may. You’ve worked this hard to mount your TV, so why not go the extra mile and make the space look tidier?