How to Securely Wall-Mount Your Television

Television mounting is the gold standard for clearing up floor space and achieving a clean, modern aesthetic in your living area. Done well, the process creates a rock-solid connection between your display and the house frame, ensuring your investment remains safe and perfectly positioned for years of daily use. Success hinges entirely on finding the solid wood studs behind your drywall. Never rely on plastic anchors for a television; you need the structural integrity of the wall framing to bear the weight. Take your time with the measurements, check your level twice, and ensure the mount is rated for your screen's specific size and weight.

  1. Find the studs first. Use a high-quality stud finder to identify the center of the wall studs in your desired mounting area. Mark these centers with a pencil and use a level to draw a vertical line between your points to ensure your hardware goes in perfectly straight.
  2. Secure brackets to back. Lay your television face down on a soft, clean surface like a blanket. Secure the two vertical mounting brackets to the back of the TV using the machine screws provided in the mounting kit, ensuring they are tightened snugly but not over-torqued.
  3. Level the wall plate. Hold the wall mounting plate against the wall, aligning the holes with your marked stud locations. Use a spirit level on top of the plate to ensure it is perfectly horizontal before making pilot hole marks.
  4. Drill pilot holes. Use a power drill to create pilot holes into the center of each stud mark. Ensure your drill bit is slightly smaller in diameter than the shank of your lag bolts to maintain maximum wood-holding power.
  5. Anchor bolts to studs. Drive the lag bolts with integrated washers through the mounting plate and into the pilot holes. Use a socket wrench to tighten them until the plate is firmly seated against the wall, but avoid stripping the wood by over-tightening.
  6. Hang and lock down. Lift the television and hook the brackets over the top rail of the wall plate. Once centered, tighten the integrated safety screws at the bottom of the brackets to lock the TV onto the plate.