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Wall Mounting Your LCD or Plasma TV
So, you've bought yourself a new, flat screen Plasma or LCD TV. Congrats. You've probably got a perfect wall selected to mount it on in the family room that's soon to become a refuge. There's only one question that remains - How to wall mount your flat screen TV?
The very first thing you need to think about is whether you are going to hire a pro or mount it yourself. If you're undecided about any of the following, you'll be better off hiring someone to mount your TV. If, however you'd like to get your hands dirty and probably make at least a few mistakes just to have a sense of accomplishment, you should definitely keep reading.
Once you've picked out the wall and allocated a few hours to get this job done, you should then determine whether that wall is an interior or exterior wall. While it is not the case all the time, walls that are on the interior usually give you less trouble than walls on the exterior.
Of course, we know you've already made certain that your flat screen television can actually be mounted on the wall, right? Just in case you haven't done this, you shouldn't worry. Although many flat screens that are now available are in fact wall mountable, several early models are not. Make sure you check the box. Do you see “VESA Compatible” or a variation of that? If it's there, then you're in luck, and you can move on. And, since you have done a little bit of research and picked the right TV wall bracket for your display, we can get right to the enjoyable part - the tools. If you have at least some of the basics in your tool box, including a tape measure, drill, and a screw driver, you will be good to go. It will also help to have a stud finder so that you don't end up mounting your TV in just drywall.
When you have an idea of where you would like the new flat screen, look for studs and make adjustments to your placement. You shouldn't forget to be certain that you are close by an electrical outlet or You'll have a unusable TV screen on your wall. Once you have found studs, you can go ahead and attach the wall brackets to the back of the TV. You need to take care of this prior to attaching the TV mount on the wall so that you know if any alterations must be made to the ultimate mount placement.
When adjustments are made, make marks where the anchor bolts are going to be installed and pre-drill the holes, as they can be a challenge to start. Also, go ahead and cut out a space for cabling at the time you put in the anchors and then you can run the cables. Be sure that the mount is level and sink the anchors. Once the wall mount and TV brackets are attached, ask a friend for assistance lifting the unit on to the wall. You should not attempt to do this on your own as the TVs tend to get heavy and awkward if they are lifted alone.
Now for the very best part - sit back with your favorite drink and watch a movie on your new wall mounted LCD TV.
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