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October 24, 2007
HELP MOUNTING A FLAT SCREEN TV
Hi there - we're moving into a coop in Park Slope and have been trying to find an inexpensive way to have someone help us DIY'ers mount a 37" flat screen to a wall so it stays put. PC Richards and Best Buy are charging 300 to 400 bucks (we didn't buy the tv from either of them) but I think we need a handyman or someone who has experience in mounting it with an arm so it's safe from crashing down. Any ideas for a cheaper way to get some help?
Comments
Stop by J&R Electric on 7th Avenue (near President) and ask Ralph if they have someone who could do it. I use them for everything from appliance installation to air conditioner install and storage. You want someone who has experience doing it.
Posted by: guest at October 24, 2007 10:46 AM
I would caution you about going a cheap route with this. Do you really want to have your TV crash to the ground?
You could look into mounting stands. They're heavy and have shelves on the bottom for cable box, etc. and then a place to mount the TV on top that's higher than a typical TV stand.
Posted by: Anonymous at October 24, 2007 3:26 PM
We bought a wall mount kit and did it ourselves when we bought a 37".
You didn't mention which type of screen you bought. A LCD should only weigh 40 lbs or so, and all you need is a drill and level to mount it yourselves. We bought a kit for flush to wall mounting and spent maybe 50 bucks on it. We did not attempt to hide our cables though, which may be worth paying the pros.
Posted by: guest at October 24, 2007 4:05 PM
$300 - $400 for professional mounting of a flat screen television is not a bad deal. but i would not use best buy or pc richards, they'll send someone who really doesn't know what they're doing.
try j&r but expect to pay the $300 - $400.
Posted by: guest at October 24, 2007 8:02 PM
you should do it yourself... just make sure the mount is screwed into the studs, use enough screws. Nothing will crash down.
Posted by: guest at October 24, 2007 8:17 PM
Brand New Flat Screen $1500
Hiring a Professional to Professionally install it $300
Being a CHEAP ASS and finding some schmuck to do it for half price, so the damn TV falls, cracks the screen, and you know have a $1650 paperweight.... PRICELESS!!!
If you pay the $300 have one of the retailers install it guess what? If it falls, they are paying to replace it.
Posted by: BIGD_at_BKNY at October 24, 2007 8:32 PM
one of the best ways to mount it securely if you go DIY is to first put a large piece of 3/4" plywood (as big as you can, but smaller than the screen of course so you don't see it) behind the screen on the wall. that way you can really make it the plywood secure with heavy duty screws and even construction glue (but be careful with the glue- it will ruin the wall if you then try to remove the plywood later). then you can easily place the mount where you want and have the plywood to work with.
Posted by: guest at October 24, 2007 10:25 PM
My husband is kinda handy, but not experienced with this, and he did ours. Because the tv will hide the wall, he felt comfortable removing a small square of drywall in order to make sure that he was indeed drilling into the studs. He was also able to hide the wires this way. I balked at the "hole in the wall" advice (given by a friend who had also mounted his own, much bigger, plasma), but of course you can't see a thing and the tv will always be there to hide it. It has held and looks great. You will need a spirit level. It's not that hard!
Posted by: guest at October 25, 2007 12:34 PM
Thank you for your comments!
Posted by: JessBrooklyn at October 25, 2007 11:18 PM
You know, we were terrified the same way you were. Then we found some resources about home repair and talked to a few people, read our mounting bracket installation guide, and took a deep breath. With the help of a studfinder, taking off our baseboard to help ensure stud location, and then going nuts and routing our wires through the wall for a seamless presentation... we have a beautiful result. The hardest part was the manpower between my husband and I to get the TV on the installed bracket. We had no prior experience, but can do some home repair stuff -- we do pretty well even with totally new things (installing a chandelier, dimmer switch, moving outlets and patching drywall). We heard the plywood advice too but instead chose longer, sturdy, appropriate wall screws. Good luck!
Posted by: DrMcNinja at October 26, 2007 2:24 PM
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