TV mounted too high? Here's the fix

It's the most common regret in TV mounting, common enough to have its own corner of the internet. If you finish a film rubbing your neck, or the picture looks washed out from the couch, the screen is probably too high.

How to tell

Sit where you normally watch, relaxed, and look straight ahead at the wall. Your eyes land about 40 to 44 inches off the floor. On a comfortable setup that point falls somewhere in the lower half of the screen, and you look up at the centre by no more than about 10 to 15 degrees.

Quick check: if the bottom edge of the TV is above your eye level when seated, it's too high for regular viewing.

Fix 1: tilt it

If the TV is on a tilt-capable mount, angle it down so the screen faces your eyes. This doesn't lower it, but it restores contrast on LCD panels and reduces the feeling of looking up. A tilt bracket is $59; the right angle is in how much tilt.

Fix 2: change how you sit

Looking up is easier reclined. A recliner, a deeper sofa or moving the seating back a few feet all reduce the angle. Distance helps more than people expect: the same TV is 14 degrees up from 8 feet and 9 degrees from 12.

Fix 3: lower the mount

The proper fix when nothing forces the height.

• Most brackets allow an inch or two of vertical adjustment where the arms hook on. Check that first.
• Otherwise the wall plate moves down. The old holes are usually hidden behind the TV in its new position, or need a small patch — see patching holes.
• Check that cables, the outlet and any in-wall plates still land behind the screen at the new height.

We remount at standard labor rates, from $94.

Fix 4: a pull-down mount

Over a fireplace you can't lower the bracket below the mantel. A pull-down (mantel) mount lowers the whole TV to eye level for watching and lifts it back afterwards. It's the only real cure for a fireplace TV; see pull-down mounts.

Fix 5: another wall

Sometimes the fireplace wall is simply the wrong wall for the main TV. A side wall at the right height, with the fireplace left as a fireplace, is a better room.

Why it happens

• Mounting while standing. Everything looks low when you're on your feet.
• Copying showroom and catalogue photos, where TVs are hung high to look like art.
• The fireplace. The mantel sets the height, not your eyes.
• Furniture below that was taller than expected.
• "Above the kids' reach" — reasonable in a playroom, uncomfortable in a living room.

When high is fine

• Bedrooms, where you watch reclined — see bedroom height.
• Kitchens, gyms, garages and bars, where people stand.
• Rooms where the TV is background, not the main event.

Get it right the first time

Tape the outline on the wall and sit with it for an evening before drilling. More in how high to mount a TV.