LCD TV Mounting Tips  -  Jun 18th, 2007 7:25pm

So you, like me, have broken down and purchased one of these new-fangled LCD TVs and you want to hang it on the wall.  If you are me then it will take you 2 weeks and you'll have to buy and return at least a half dozen mounts before you finally get one that will work right.  With any luck though you are not me and these tips will help you avoid some of the pitfalls I ran into.

1) Buy a mount that fits TVs at least 2 inches smaller and 2 inches larger than your TV.  If you look hard enough, the packaging on most mounts will say what sizes it supports.  Doing this will ensure that the edges of the mount won't stick out from the sides of your TV and that it can definitely handle the weight of your tv.

2) Do not mount your tv on drywall.  These things are heavy and even if you manage to get it mounted without any studs your likely to sag the drywall or worse yet have it crash down in the middle of the night ruining your TV and your well deserved nights rest.

4) Find the studs in your wall and measure the distance between studs BEFORE you buy a mount.  After you find the studs you'll want to decide if you want to center mount it on a single beam or brace it across 2.  Also read the fine print when center mounting on a single stud - the supported weight is often 1/2 of the max weight in this case.

5) If mounting on 2 studs then measure the maximum gap the mount can bridge..  If the studs where your mounting are 16" or less apart your probably fine as every mount I saw supported this.  However, if you are like me and the studs on your wall are 24" apart or greater then your going to have to be really picky about which mount you buy.

6) Spend the extra cash and get an extending and tilting mount if you can aford it.  These suckers can easily run you $500 bucks but it makes rewiring the back a breeze.  At the very least make sure you get one that tilts as you loose contrast at even a little off center.

In my case, I needed to mount a 32" TV, using 2 studs, on a wall with studs 24" apart.  This was a real nightmare as the few mounts I found that would bridge a 24" gap were almost always for TVs 42" and up.  Luckily I finally found this mount at Wally World that fit the bill.  I'm bummed that it doesn't extend, but beggers can't be choosers :)