Clean Mounts

For men like me, mounting a TV is like grilling, and similar to grilling, everyone mounts differently. Some do it right and use charcoal and others are lazy and use propane, but I digress.

What does this have anything to do with mounting a TV? EVERYTHING.

When it comes to mounting a TV, understand that you will be judged on three categories. Appearance, Execution, and Ingenuity. There are a lot of factors that go into the judging. The type of mount, where you mounted it, the height you mounted it, how you hid the cables, where's the cable box, etc.

You cannot, simply, mount your TV and call it quits. There has to be much thought into how you will execute the art of dark magic.

First step is figure out where to put your TV. In the corner? Over the fireplace (never do this, since most of the time it is too high and you have "Front Row of the Movie Theater" effect), flat against the wall? in the corner? Do I need to have it swivel? All of this goes into picking out your mount. 

Perfect transition into picking out your mount. I like Amazon.com since its much cheaper than going to Best Buy (how this store is still around baffles me). But you can always try Google to find the best price. Make sure the mount can withstand the weight of your TV. Just because the mount can hold a 55-inch, it might not be able to hold yours since your 55-inch is much heavier than the normal 55-inch. I bought a single arm mount but if I were to do it all over again, I'd go with a dual arm to distribute weight.

Recommended TV Mount from Amazon.com

Once you have your position and mount identified, you need to find the right viewing height. As I mentioned before, above the fireplace usually is a bad option since it sits too high. Even with angling it downwards, it is a strain on your neck. 

What I usually say is sit on the couch, cut out cardboard as big as your TV. Have someone hold it in various heights until you feel it looks good from the couch and from a standing position.

I like 37 inches off the ground to the bottom of the TV. But do what works best for you.

Once you have the right measurements, mount your mount! Make sure you take into account the fact that the mount may not be the middle of the TV so do your measurements of where the mount should be placed on the wall. Use a stud finder, my wife found one on October 2, 2010 (our anniversary).

In all seriousness, use a stud finder from any hardware store or do the ol' knock test. Either way, all studs will be 16 to 24 inches apart. Also most electrical boxes (outlets) are screwed into a stud.

In the case where your mount is set for 16 inch studs but yours are 24 inches apart, et 3/4inch plywood (36 inches long) and screw that into the studs then the mount into the plywood.

3/4 Plywood for 24 inch apart studs on a 16 inch mount

Next is to hide the box and cables. I've seen many people use conduit like I did. Others go behind the wall (a lot of effort) and some just put everything hidden behind something decorative like a console table.

I went with attaching the cable box to the back of the mount and used conduit to hide the coax and power cables.

Can only tell if you look behind it

This is what the end product looks like. I would give myself the following grades (leave a comment for what you would give me):
Appearance: 8 (can see the conduit for power and cable)
Execution: 7 (the single arm mount isn't the best for adding weight (cable box) to one side)
Ingenuity: 7 (mounting the box behind allows for full floating effect)
Total: 22/30

End Result:

Master Bedroom

Family Room (see other posts for how it looks from far away)

Hope this inspires you to do some magic of your own and mount your TV this weekend!

Tools needed:
- Level
- Stud Finder
- Socket Wrench
- Chromecast ($35, best investment ever. Google it and be amazed. Its Apple TV but much smaller and only $35)