TV mounting mistakes worth avoiding

Most bad TV installs fail in one of a dozen familiar ways. None of them needs special talent to avoid — just knowing they exist before the drill comes out.

1. Mounting too high

The classic. Standing in an empty room, eye level feels low, so the TV drifts up the wall. Seated, you spend every evening looking up. Put the centre of the screen near seated eye level — about 42 inches — unless there's a reason not to. See how high to mount a TV.

2. Trusting the stud finder alone

It beeps at seams, pipes and doubled framing. Confirm with a magnet or a thin probe before drilling for lag bolts.

3. Catching the edge of the stud

A bolt half in wood, half in air feels tight for a while. Find both edges and aim for the middle.

4. Using drywall anchors for a real TV

They hold until the drywall crumbles. Studs, or a backer board across studs.

5. Forgetting the bracket isn't in the middle of the TV

VESA holes are often below centre. Measure from the mounting holes to the top of the TV and work back from where you want the screen, or it ends up inches off.

6. Levelling the bracket and not the TV

Brackets have play. Check with a level on the TV itself once it's hung, and use the adjustment screws. Also look at the ceiling and mantel lines; in some rooms "level" looks crooked.

7. Centering on the wall when the room centres elsewhere

Centre on what the TV relates to — the fireplace, the console, the seating — not the drywall.

8. No plan for the wires

Deciding about cables after the TV is up means taking it down again. Choose in-wall, cord cover or furniture first; see hiding TV wires.

9. Power cord inside the wall

Not allowed and not safe. Use an in-wall power kit or a surface cover.

10. Blocking the ports

A slim mount with straight plugs, or a bracket arm across the HDMI ports. Check the back of the TV against the bracket before hanging, and connect everything — plus a spare HDMI — while you can still reach.

11. Ignoring glare and heat

A beautiful spot opposite the patio doors is unwatchable at 4 p.m.; a spot over a hot fireplace shortens the TV's life. Test both before drilling: glare, fireplaces.

12. Wrong mount for the job

A fixed bracket above eye level, or a full-motion arm too short to swivel a big screen. Match the mount to where you sit: fixed vs. tilt vs. full-motion.

And a few smaller ones

• Over-tightening lag bolts with an impact driver until the hole strips.
• TV-side screws too long, bottoming out in the set.
• Lifting a big TV alone.
• Leaving the protective film or foam corners on.
• Not locking the TV to the bracket with its safety screws.

The habit that prevents most of them

Tape the TV's outline on the wall, sit down, and look at it for a day. Height, centring, glare and furniture clearance all show up before a single hole is made.

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