Wall-mounting a small TV or monitor

Screens under about 32 inches are the easiest to hang and the easiest to hang badly, because people treat them as picture frames. The weight is trivial. The position is what you'll notice every day.

The mounting pattern

Small TVs and almost all monitors use VESA 75×75 or 100×100 mm — four holes in a small square, with M4 screws. Some 32-inch TVs use 200×100 or 200×200.

No holes on the back? Some thin monitors mount only on their own stand. Adapter brackets that clamp the edges exist for many models, but check before buying a mount.

Fixed plate or arm?

• Fixed plate: fine for a screen that's only watched from one spot — a kitchen TV, a display in a hallway.
• Tilt plate: when it's above eye level.
• Articulating arm: best for desks. You can pull the monitor to the right distance, change height, and swing it away. Gas-spring arms hold their position; cheaper friction arms need tightening.

What to fix it to

A 10-pound monitor on a fixed plate is one of the few cases where good toggle anchors in sound drywall are reasonable. On an arm, the leverage is bigger than the weight suggests — a long arm fully extended pulls hard on its top screws — so go into a stud, or use a desk-clamp arm instead. Background in can drywall anchors hold a TV.

Height for a desk monitor

• The top edge of the screen at or slightly below eye level when you sit upright.
• The screen an arm's length away — roughly 20 to 30 inches.
• Tilted back a few degrees.

For a typical desk and chair, that puts the centre of a 27-inch monitor around 44 to 48 inches from the floor. Measure in your own chair; it's the only number that matters.

Height for a small TV

Kitchen and bathroom TVs are watched standing: centre around 55 to 65 inches. Bedroom TVs: higher and tilted — see TV height in the bedroom.

Two monitors

Mount them at the same height with the inner edges touching and angled slightly inward. A dual arm on one wall plate keeps them aligned; two separate plates rarely end up perfectly level with each other.

Cables

Small screens show cables more than big ones do, because nothing hides them. Use a slim cord cover, route through the arm's cable channel, and leave a slack loop where the arm bends.

Power bricks

Many monitors have an external power brick. Don't let it hang by its cable; fix it to the wall or the back of the desk with a strap.

Rotation

If you want to turn a monitor to portrait, check that the mount has a rotating head and that the cables are long enough for the turn.

Our labor for screens up to 42 inches is $94; a fixed bracket is $39 and a full-motion one $89.