Flat screens are a boon not only because they improve the binge watching experience, but also because they save a lot of valuable space. Mounting a flat screen on your wall is not as complicated as it sounds, in fact, it is easy enough that you could do it on your own.
You will need a wall mount kit that could have come with your flat screen or you could buy them for about $50 and so on. Let’s begin:
Attach the mounting bracket to the TV
You might notice a stand on your television or flat screen’s frame, if so, please remove it by unbolting the screws. Find the mounting holes on the back side of your flat screen. If there are plastic caps on top of the holes, use a screw driver or a pencil to remove them.
Now, you must attach the mounting arms in the holes you just found on the back of your flat screen. Use bolts to tighten it. Do not use a power drill to tighten the bolts as you do not want to overdo it. It is critical that the mounting brackets are in level, otherwise, the TV viewing experience would be ruined and your baseball friends and brother in law and so on will be laughing at you! Now that your flat screen is ready, put it aside on the floor somewhere, but make sure that the screen is facing upwards or you are running the risk of permanent damage.
Where to mount?
Find a comfortable location in your living or sitting room, where you want to install the flat screen. While choosing an ideal location, make sure there is minimum glare, visibility is good from all possible sitting positions in the room, and the distance is suitable according to the size of the flat screen.
The center of the screen should be about 40-50 inches above the floor and the location of flat screen should be at viewer’s eye level. It can be damaging for your eye if you have to watch your flat screen located above your eye level when you are in a sitting position. Your neck may get tired!
Needless to say, there has to be an electricity outlet near the flat screen mounting location. The less long the cable is the better. You do not want to trip over it! That is not enjoyable! And could be costly!
Installing a wall mounting bracket on the wall
In order to install the wall mounting bracket on the wall, you will need to use a stud finder to find the two studs that will support the flat screen. When you locate the stud, use a nail to mark its location. You will need to carefully mark the center of the stud with a pencil.
There are two flat screen arms. Measure the distance between the top and bottom holes on these arms, and then mark the two respective points that are in the center of each wall stud for each of these holes respectively. It is significant that the mounting holes for each arm are even.
You will need a power drill to drill holes in the marked location on the wall where the bolts will go. Now, attach the wall bracket plate to the wall with the help of bolts that must have come with the TV mounting kit. If you find there are lag bolts, then you will need a socket wrench to screw them in.
The cables
It will make your life a lot easier if you attach the cables first and mount your flat screen later. Once the flat screen is mounted flat on the wall, it can be difficult to connect the cables. Before you connect the cables, make sure the switches are off and the TV is not connected to the socket to ensure safety. You do not want to get shocked! You might find it difficult to hold the flat screen alone when attaching it to the wall mount. Ask your friend to help you out.
There are different sockets for audio and video cables, so it is advisable to go through the manual before plugging the cables in.
Hanging the flat screen
This is the last step. With the help of your friend, lift the flat screen up and mount it on the mounting arms. Make sure it is properly locked and in the bracket plate. You must test your connection and installation before calling it a day. If necessary, make some adjustments as required. In case you need to remove the flat screen from the wall, once again, ask your friend to help you instead of trying to do it alone.
Don’t ask you mother in law to do this, that would be unwise!