Mounting a TV is a great way to free up space in your living room. Many mounts are suprisingly affordable investment to personalize your home and decor, and can also protect your TV from accidental tipping and breakage. If you’ve got small and inquisitive kids who get touchy with electronics best left alone, an out-of-reach TV will keep gooey prints off your new OLED screen. In terms of visual charm, mounting a TV is a staple of modern home decor. It’s aesthetically pleasing, especially with TVs getting thinner every year. Plus, they can go anywhere from a flat wall to a corner, and even above a fireplace (although we advise exercising caution when doing so).
If you’re on the fence about what kind of mount you need or where it should go, we’ve put together this guide on what to consider about your home, and what hardware you should be on the lookout for to get the job done right.
Almost all TV wall mounts are compatible with drywall and come with all the necessary hardware you need to install, including bolts and drywall anchors. However, if you are installing your wall mount on a plaster or masonry surface (such as concrete, brick or tile), you’ll need some stronger hardware that won’t come in the wall mount box.
TIP: For DIY installers, masonry walls may require a trip to the local home or hardware store to gather additionally required power tools and products. But for Michiana Service Solutions customers, we can come prepared for any situation or wall type, and will use the best hardware to affix your chosen mount to your wall's surface.
The good news: Just as most TV wall mounts are compatible with drywall, nearly all TVs use a standard mounting pattern, called a VESA pattern. The name is an acronym for the Video Electronics Standards Association, the body that decided what that generic pattern is. Basically, it just means that whichever wall mount you choose, it will be easy to attach to your TV. Just make sure to get one rated appropriately for your TVs size. The most common VESA sizes are 200x200 for TVs up to 32 in, 400x400 for TVs up to 60 in, and 600x400 for larger TVs.
When looking at wall mounts online, they will most likely be rated by the screen size of the TV they support and the weight they can hold, the latter of which is the most important factor. Different brands vary in weight even if the sizes of TVs are the same. If you are looking at a TV wall mount online, check the product description to see more information about the maximum weight and screen size it can handle. You can also find this info on the wall mount’s box.
The next thing to consider is the flexibility you want your TV to have while mounted. Many customers are trending towards a minimalistic and ultra-thin TV mount, which securely mounts the TV flat (and very close!) to the wall for a sleek and clean look, similar to hanging a large picture on the wall.
If the TV can be positioned at the ideal height and you don’t need to access the TV ports on a regular basis, this style of wall mount is popular as it takes up the least space and is visually a more elegant overall appearance. Many tout how close they can hang to the wall.
For other customers, if you want to be able to see your TV from other rooms, a good option is a pivoting wall mount. This will let you change the direction the TV is facing to optimize the picture on the screen, even if you aren’t sitting right in front of the TV. If you are mounting your TV above the average eye level (42 inches), you may want to choose a TV wall mount that tilts down to improve picture quality. Fortunately, many mounts can tilt and pivot.
If you are mounting your TV in the corner, you will most likely need a specially designed corner mount, which are make for both small to medium sized TV's up to 55" and larger models, up to 70". A fully articulating mount is necessary to secure the mounting plate to the wall and keep the TV extended at all times.
For the customer that wants it all and has the space to spare, consider Vogel's Comfort TVM, which can swivel up to 180 degrees, and has nearly every motion feature you can imagine.
One final consideration is a universal TV base. Combining the best of both worlds (table-top and wall mounting), these universal bases come with VESA-certified mounting arms and a bracket to hang them from. The bracket itself is normally height-adjustable, and many models will even allow you to tilt and swivel your TV from side to side.
You can find TV wall mounts (and wall mounting accessories) at pretty much every major big-box retailer, including Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. This provides immediacy and gives you the opportunity to physically see the mounts prior to purchase. If you have an idea of what you like and can wait a few days for shipping, Amazon often has the best pricing on wall mounts, and has hundreds of wall mounting brands to choose from, with options for every mount style and TV size. In terms of cost-efficiency, you may have better luck securing a deal online. The markup on in-store wall mounts tends to be rather high for most major retailers. If you’re shopping at Best Buy and find a mount that you really like, check to see if it’s available on Amazon for a few dollars less. Some stores will even be willing to price match for you.
We've put together a short list of our favorite and most popular TV mounts for a variety of common situations:
Whatever mount you choose, we will be happy to verify it is sufficient to securely affix your TV and will mount it safely for you.
Our top 10 picks
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