MantelMount

Do you remember the old days of watching tv? When you had to get up off the couch to change the channel? Thankfully, the invention of the remote control didn’t come long after the invention of the tv, about 1950. Back then, the remote wasn’t a particularly sophisticated piece of technology, It had about four buttons to control the channel and volume and it would make a distinctive “click” noise whenever the user pushed down on one of the buttons. Thus, the origin of the name “ the clicker” you may have grown up with, watching tv as a child. Today, the tv has morphed into something that can sit, sleekly on whichever wall or piece of furniture you chose, or, disappear into a piece of art. TV technology has flourished and now you can control more than just the channel and volume remotely. Yes, many tvs today have the ability to switch between streaming services with a designated button on the remote, but what about adjusting the tv’s position with just one click? Full motion motorized tv wall mounts might be the newest frontier in tv mounting technology. Like a tv lift, with one click of a button, you can lower, raise, and swivel your tv screen to the perfect angle to watch your favorite shows or a nail biting game. Curious to find out more? We have some tips to make sure you can enjoy and relax by watching your favorite shows or movies on your tv, without having to get up to adjust the tv angle. Should You Get a Full Motion Motorized TV Wall Mount? There will always be pros and cons about anything you purchase, including a tv wall mount. For some, a motorized tv mount with a remote might be unnecessary given the amount of sports, movies, and tv shows that they watch. But there are some of you out there that require an even more intricate set up. For those who want an enhanced entertainment experience, or simply want the newest or coolest items and gadgets, a motorized tv mount is an ideal item to have. With a remote control tv mount like our MM815 model, you get the benefits of an articulating tv mount that has vertical travel capabilities — like all MantelMount tv mounts — while also staying put where you are in the room. The MM815 is our newest tv mount and has features never seen before with our mounts. Not only does this motorized tv mount come with a remote control for the tv mount, there are two memory presets on the remote control that allow for ease and quickness in lowering and swiveling the television. Looking for more out of a full motion motorized tv mount like ours? Some more distinguishing features from the MM815 has a visual temperature sensor — that becomes a red color if, for instance you place the mount above a fireplace, the temperature reaches at or more than 110° fahrenheit — as well as our patented centering cams that swivel the television to center while the mount is raising to avoid obstacles like the wall or mantel. Installing a Remote Control TV Mount The installation part is likely the most daunting step of the whole process. However, there are a few options to take into consideration. Like any installation, safety should be at the forefront. Beyond that, ensure that you’ll have the best viewing angle—which is having the bottom third of your screen below eye-level—for everyone in your home.  Another checklist item to keep in mind is if you or anyone in your household is handy with things like a tv mount installation project. Or, maybe you or someone else is good with household projects but, like we all know, there’s never enough time in a day. Want to leave it to professionals? There are nationwide home services companies like Ontech (a division of Dish), that install MantelMount's MM340, MM540 and MM700 mounts. If you do end up going at it alone and installing your motorized tv mount, there are still some steps to follow to guarantee that your new mount is secure and ready to be used.  Prior to the full installation, take a glance at the main steps of installing the MM815 so you know what you’re in for—especially because the installation process for our mount is different from other motorized tv mount installs. Attach braces to your television. Determine the wall placement of the MM815. Attach the mount to the wall.  Note that for the MM815, this step has multiple substeps including powering up the mount, running a system reset to ensure the mount properly works, programming the bottom position, and recalibrating the swivel safety clutch. Attach the tv to the mount.  Note that this step requires more than one person. Make your final adjustments. For the MM815, final adjustments include, but aren't limited to, guaranteeing the remote works for the left and right stops by programming the swivel limits, and adjusting the centering cam and side swivel stop positions. Have you briefly checked out those steps? Now you can tackle the installation process. But just in case, here are a few items you’ll likely need to install your motorized tv wall mount: A marking device such as a pencil and/or painter's tape A tape measure A stud finder A manual or electronic level A drill with its corresponding drill bits And your selected tv mount with remote Once all of the necessary installation items are nearby, then the tv mounting process can begin in earnest. To start, mark the area on the wall where you will be drilling the pilot holes.  Not sure how high to mount your tv or know where to have the tv and mount placed in the best position in a room? We have answered some of the most common questions here.  If you’re able to, secure your tv mount to studs in the wall, or use a drywall anchor when studs aren’t available. Add washers to the end of your screws, and secure the bracket to the wall through the bracket slats. You may need an extra set of hands for the next step, which requires you to line up the tv mount on the back of the tv with the bracket against the wall. Next thing you know, you’ll be comfy on the couch watching tv.

Since the 1950s, television has played an integral role in people’s lives. After all, it has both reflected and shaped our cultural values, although it has sometimes been criticized for its alleged negative influences on children. At other times, television has also been lauded for its ability to create a standard viewing experience for people. Some of the world’s most major events, such as the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks, have played out before our eyes on television, uniting people in a shared tragedy, yet offering hope. Currently, internet technology and satellite broadcasting is paving the way for the future, changing the way we view content. Indeed, television is one of the foremost important inventions of the 20th century. Television is a powerful medium that has changed the way we see the world. From the fuzzy image and poor sound quality we saw in its early days, to the hundreds of channels in high definition and stereo sound we see today, television has come a long way. As we look at how the evolution of television technology weaves its way through the decades, it’s easy to see how something so simple — pictures matched with words —  affects everyone in the world, in one way or another. Additionally, with such a large departure of the evolution of television technology from decade to decade, it comes with no surprise to understand that television technology and communication through television-adjacent products (like video game sets) shape where we are going as developed people into an age of connectedness. Compare our range of pull down tv wall mounts Evolution of Television Technology: Pre-1930s It’s fascinating to think that the television, even before it became a television, evolved from wireless (or radio) telegraphs through the transmission of radio messages like Morse code. Although the radio was still in popular use pre-1930, the 1920s was when the foundations of the television happened.  Although there are multiple people who could be tipped as the inventor of the television, one of the main reasons why the television is what it is today is because of cathode ray tubes implanted in a camera.  At the turn of the decade, between 1927 and 1929, engineers and scientists continued to work on how to produce a picture transmitted in a moving image through an electronic camera tube.  Evolution of Television Technology: 1930s - 1950s Once the 1930s hit, television technology started to grow. Although radio (and television) stations in the United States experimented with tv technology later in the 1930s, in 1936, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) made waves across the pond. From sports to cartoons, the BBC produced TV shows to those able to watch up until 1939 when World War II broke out. On the US side, the first commercial electronic television set, the DuMont Model 180, was sold for $395 in 1938. A year later, the then-US President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to appear on television.  Although radio was the most influential and popular technological invention throughout World War II for most Americans (and, frankly, for any civilian around the world), the 1940s was when the television was being introduced more and more to the public for consumption. Nearing the 1950s, when televisions were becoming more popular, government regulations were introduced for television stations, tv channels, and more standardized programming. And once the 1950s hit, the public was used to televisions being normalized in households around the country. Although there were baby steps at the beginning of the decade, 1954 introduced a whole new world of television to the public: color television. Evolution of Television Technology: 1960s - 1980s As a new decade was ushered in, more technological advances for televisions were also welcomed. Although the color television had been introduced the decade prior, due to the high price and lack of programming being recorded in color, most television owners didn’t experience the color TV advantages until the 1960s. Most TV programming finally relented and began to introduce the transition from black-and-white to color television programs in 1965. Backing up a few years and we’ll understand that one advancement in 1962 will help one of the largest, most influential parts of human history later in 1969. In July of 1962, NASA launched Telstar — the world’s first active communications satellite. Two days after launch, it sent back to earth the first transatlantic television signal in the world. The tenuous repercussions of such was felt 7 years later when, on July 20, 1969, American Neil Armstrong would set foot on the moon — with anywhere from 600-650 million people watching the landing on television. After that momentous occasion capping off the 60s, just a few years later in 1972, there were nearly 9 million color television sets sold, surpassing the amount of sales of black-and-white television sets. And with all of the color television sets available and sold, many of those people who had purchased a television set were able to view another significant event, this one most likely in color: the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, which was watched by 28 million people. And a few years later in 1985 in the U.S., a little over two-third of the households in the country had cable service readily available. Evolution of Television Technology: 1990s - 2010s (and Beyond) Once the 1990s began, television technology seemingly continued at hyperspeed. Whether it was HDTV standards being set six times the resolution of the conventional SDTV format (in 1994) to television companies collaborating to produce large, flat-screen TVs (in 1997 with Sony and Sharp), it was a decade of improvement in the television industry.  However, once Y2K happened, then the evolution of television technology truly took hold. In 2001, the switch from analog to digital began; meanwhile, in 2003, some satellite and cable companies began to offer the feature to record live programs (hello, DVR!). Then, just a few short years later in 2009, smart televisions were introduced, with TV watchers able to surf the Internet, utilize apps, and — of course — watch TV shows, movies, and sports, with LED televisions becoming bestsellers a few years later, bettering LCD and Plasma TVs. Additionally, in 2016, the introduction of 4K and 8K resolution televisions have brought on an even larger boom into how realistic television and movies can look. This includes adjacencies such as virtual reality (VR) and 4D televisions. Although both VR and 4D aren’t as popular in 2023 as they possibly could have been, the evolution of the technology continues to spur innovation in the television industry. Key Takeaways of Television Technology Not only was the evolution of television technology spurred on by engineering advances and scientific discoveries at its genesis, there are ways that television and media have improved over the decades, and, truly, over the past century.  Part of the enjoyment of watching television is to experience the history of television, all the while having it at your fingertips. To protect the investment and the integrity of your television, and to enhance the quality of the picture (at the same time making sure that your neck pain goes away) because the television is situated at its best angle, a MantelMount pull down TV mount is the investment you will want to make.

One of the first questions people ask themselves after moving into a new home or buying a new tv is, “Where should we put the TV?” While TV placement in the living room is the most obvious choice for many homeowners, there are several other high traffic rooms to consider for mounting a television. Dive in with us as we look for where to put a TV in your home and the benefits of placing a television in these particular places. TV Placement in the Living Room The living room is likely the greatest area of traffic in your home, which makes it a great place for this kind of entertainment. If you decide to put a television in the living room, here are some things to consider about its placement. Where to Put the TV in the Living Room There are several factors to consider for your TV placement in the living room: should you hang the TV on the wall, set it on an entertainment center, or position it a certain way for the optimal viewing angle? This depends largely on your living space. Where you decided on placing your tv with an open concept living space is going to differ slightly over placing one in a living room with a traditional layout. Open Concept TV Placement For an open concept living space, choose a focal point of your living room — maybe a fireplace, the front of a window, an alcove — and hang the tv on the wall around that focal point. Since your furniture will likely be facing this direction, this is the optimal placement for a wall-mounted screen. When wall space is limited, use this guide for some additional living room ideas to consider. If an open concept tv placement aesthetic is what you end up deciding is best for your home, a MantelMount pull down tv mount — customers love the MM540 Enhanced, while the MM700 Premier is our in-house favorite —  is ideal for this type of situation to ensure that the space is utilized in the best possible way. Traditional Living Room Placement If you have a traditional living room layout to your home, consider the optimal tv placement based on where you will be watching your favorite shows or sports games. Create the ideal viewing angle and viewing distance based on the seating area. A common problem homeowners face with traditional living room layouts is how high the fireplace mantel is or how out of the way the television would be in the corner of the room. With our pull down tv mounts, neither location is a problem because you can easily pull the tv out to where you need it to go for a comfortable viewing experience! Buy a Pull Down TV Mount for Your Living Room Wall-Mounted Television in the Kitchen Do you ever find yourself straining to watch the television from the kitchen? Maybe your family has a movie on but you need to start making dinner, your favorite sports team is playing, or you actually need to see the tv to follow a recipe you’re cooking. Whatever the reason, here are some of the benefits of having a tv mounted in your kitchen: Complete household chores. If you have barstools, a breakfast nook or the dining room near your kitchen, your family can sit and watch the movie while you clean up. Better yet, they can help you clean while they watch. Don’t miss out on your favorite sports games. If you’re hosting friends and family for a game or match throughout the year, you can still watch the game while preparing or serving food to your guests. Become a better cook. Watching cooking channels can inspire even the most novice cook to get into the kitchen and make a delicious meal. Having a television in the kitchen makes this even easier. Watch your favorite shows. Do you find yourself unable to watch your favorite shows until after the kids go to bed or once you’ve taken the dog out? Watch them on a kitchen TV while you clean up or meal prep for the week. Where to Put a TV in the Kitchen Where you put a television in your kitchen will depend on the wall space you have available and the size of your TV. Small TVs For smaller TV screens, consider an under cabinet TV mount. This can be placed on the underside of your cabinet or on the wall in between your cabinets and countertop if you don’t have backsplash. Two points of consideration if you are going to use an under cabinet TV mount:  Keep in mind the amount of space you’ll need to pull the television out from under the cabinet as it is attached to the wall. When using an under cabinet TV mount, you will need to measure (and measure again!) the television to ensure that, when attached to the pull down tv wall mount underneath the cabinet, that the TV will fit within its surroundings.  Large TVs If you don’t want to experience eye or neck strain watching the television in the kitchen — especially if you’re watching the cooking channel and following a recipe — consider a large TV for your kitchen. Our pull down wall mounts are a great option for this. Despite having a large TV, an under cabinet TV mount may work as a solution to watching television in the kitchen while also not craning your neck around the wall. For breakfast nooks or empty walls next to the pantry, you can hang the TV on the wall with one of our wall mounts and pull it out to where you can see it while you cook or clean. Place the TV in a Family Room The family room is another high traffic room of the house, especially if you have guests and friends over with their kids. This is a great place to entertain the kids and/or have family movie nights.  Additionally, you can use the family room to keep your living room screen-free, or have a television in both rooms so the kids can watch their shows and movies while the adults watch theirs. Where to Put a Family Room TV The ideal place to have a family room TV is mounted to the wall or on a TV stand. The reason we would recommend hanging the TV on the wall versus placing it on an entertainment center or TV stand is because it keeps wires and cords — if you’re looking for a way to be cord-free with your TV setup, try our EC43 Cable Routing Boxes — and your expensive screen out of reach of the kids. Add a TV to Your Home Office While a home office is probably not a highly trafficked room of the home, it can be a good place to hang the TV on the wall, especially if you work from home and spend a lot of time in your office. Some of the benefits to consider for having a TV in your home office include: Having the news on in the background so you can keep up with current events. Watching your favorite sports games while you’re working, if your job allows for some multitasking, or to take breaks and watch throughout the day. Using your office as another media space when you’re hosting friends and family. Maybe a group of you wants to watch a movie while another part of the group wants to watch a basketball game. Where to Place a TV in Your Home Office? If you have a job that allows you to multitask and minimal wall decor hanging in your office, consider mounting a TV on your office wall within view of your desk. If placed within view of your desk would actually distract your work, consider placing it within view of an office couch or chair. Putting a TV in the Bedroom There’s something really appealing about having a TV mounted on the wall at the foot of the bed. You can watch your favorite DIY shows or sitcoms right before bed after a long day at work, or during sick days when you can’t get out of bed. Remember, however, that there are some downsides to having a screen in the bedroom, including making it harder to fall asleep and can disrupt sleep cycles. However, televisions can be great white noise sources that help to relieve stress. Regardless of where you land in having a TV in the bedroom, if you decide on putting a TV in the bedroom, it could be advantageous to at least know, if you ever do put one in the space, where to put a TV in the bedroom. Where to Put a TV in the Bedroom? If you decide you could benefit from having a TV in the bedroom, place it at eye level, whether you mount it on the wall or place it on a stand. While it isn’t always easy to get your television exactly at eye level and the correct viewing distance using traditional TV placement methods, our pull-down wall mounts make it easy to position the TV where it needs to go and pull it down to eye level when you’re watching a movie or show in bed.

Sports fans have their own holiday calendar. Whether you’re into football, basketball, soccer, baseball, golf, tennis or — yes, as it’s the fastest-growing sport in the US — pickleball, you have games you want to stay tuned in to, leading up to special events of the year.  Here are some notable sporting events: January - College Bowl Games February - Super Bowl March - March Madness June - Champions League Final  June - NBA Championship June - US Open July - Wimbledon October - World Series November - USA Pickleball National Championship With so much to watch, you should have the optimal wall mount tv viewing angle to make you feel like you’re really at the game, even when you’re watching sports at home. Why Does the Wall Mount TV Viewing Angle Matter? There are many benefits to adjusting your wall mount tv viewing angle:  Remove unwanted reflections and screen glares Achieve a more comfortable tv viewing position for sports games Watch your favorite sports games from different rooms Prevent neck and back problems Protect your investment Feel like you’re there Experience historic moments that last a lifetime Remove unwanted reflections and screen glares.  Angle the television away from windows and lights to prevent unwanted reflections while watching sports at home. Achieve a more comfortable viewing position for sports games. Whether you pace back and forth or sit comfortably on the couch, you can find the best tv viewing position for your game-watching habits. Watch your favorite sports games from different rooms. If you have friends and family watching the game with you, you may have to go to the kitchen or another room to help prepare food, welcome guests, or check on kids. Depending on the layout of your house and the location of your tv wall mount, you can usually angle the television so you still have the game in view. Prevent neck and back problems. If your television is high up, maybe above your fireplace, or positioned in a weird place (i.e. the corner of the room), you may find yourself craning your neck while watching sports at home without even realizing it. Adjusting the wall mount tv viewing angle can actually benefit your spine and joints. The Prairie Spine & Pain Institute notes that the angle in which we watch TV can actually impact our neck and spinal alignment, which could potentially lead to muscular imbalances and stiffness — in the neck, especially. If you start to notice neck pain that includes: increased stiffness, achy shoulders or headaches, it may be due to the angle in which you are looking at screens.  Protect your investment. You can find really great deals on flat screen televisions on Black Friday, or right before the Super Bowl, but they still cost a pretty penny when you buy a large, high quality television. If you don’t protect your tv viewing angle and make the best possible tv viewing experience for yourself, you may regret your purchase.  Feel like you’re there. Your tv viewing experience can have a big impact on how it feels watching sports at home instead of in person. Most fans would say they’d love to go to the Championship game of whatever sport they love, but with the cost of tickets, that’s not an option. Creating the best possible tv viewing experience at home can greatly improve your overall experience watching the game.  Experience historic moments that last a lifetime. Some of the sports games or matches you watch in your lifetime become lauded in your favorite sport’s history that are remembered for years to come.  According to Nielsen, 19 of the top 20 most watched television broadcasts of all time in the United States were Super Bowls. Super Bowl XLIX (also known as “Super Bowl 49”) between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks tops the list at 115.2 million viewers. Additionally, if you were part of the 25.8 million US viewers that watched the FIFA Men’s World Cup Final in December 2022, that meant you were part of an audience that reached about 1.5 billion — yes, that’s billion with a b — people worldwide. Whether it’s seeing Argentina and Lionel Messi lift the Jules Rimet Trophy, joining in the cheers of a game-winning Patrick Mahomes throw to one of his Kansas City Chiefs teammates, or taking in the Las Vegas Aces’ Becky Hammon becoming the first rookie head coach to win the WNBA Finals, historic moments like those deserve the best watch experience with the perfect tv viewing angle. How to Create the Optimal TV Viewing Angle with Your Wall Mount? Creating the optimal tv viewing angle with your wall mount is all about the type of tv wall mount you use, how your family enjoys watching tv, and the space you have to work with.  Here is how to create the optimal tv viewing angle for watching sports at home:  Make sure you have the best tv wall mount for your home. You want to find a wall mount that can not only turn from side to side but move up and down, particularly around structural obstacles in your home (for example, if you have your television mounted above your fireplace). If this is the place where you’re stuck, MantelMount can help! Regardless of the mount you purchase — whether it’s the MM340, MM540, or MM700 — all of our mounts come with the quality that is expected, as well as the safety features that make it easy enough for the young ones in your family to use. Place your wall mount directly opposite the viewing area. Wherever you do most game watching — whether it’s on the couch or pacing back and forth in the kitchen — mount your television directly across from that space. Tucking your television back in a corner where you have to crane your neck to watch will lead to neck and back problems.  Pull your television down to eye level. The reason you may need a tv wall mount that can be moved up or down is so you can pull it down to eye level. This is different for every family as they have different heights, home layouts, and tv watching habits.  If you have your tv mounted above the fireplace or high on a wall, and you have a MantelMount, you can bring your television down to eye level for all of your sports games and experience comfortable, pain-free viewing. No neck aches. No eye strain. Great tv viewing angle. You’ll be able to fully enjoy every bad call, missed shot and needless foul but also every touchdown, homerun, goal, and basket. Position your tv at the optimal viewing distance. Did you know there is an optimal viewing distance based on the size of TV you own? Audio Video Unlimited offers a great breakdown for this, which we have included below:  Optimal TV-Viewing Distance for Sports Games TV Size Optimal Distance 40”  5 - 8.5 feet away from screen 43”  5.5 - 9 feet away from screen 50”  6.5 - 10.5 feet away from screen 55”  7 - 11.5 feet away from screen 60”  7.5 - 12.5 feet away from screen 65”  8 - 13.5 feet away from screen 70”  9 - 14.5 feet away from screen 75”  9.5 - 15.5 feet away from screen 80”  10 - 16.5 feet away from screen 85”  10.5 - 17.5 feet away from screen Source: Audio Video Unlimited You can create the optimal TV viewing distance a few ways:  Choose a TV wall mount that can pull out toward you. Pull it out to create that optimal TV viewing distance.  Position furniture at the right distance. Push furniture closer to the television or pull them further back to create that perfect TV viewing experience.  Purchase a smaller or larger television. Some of our fanatic sports fans may not want to hear this one if your television is too large for your space, but this is one way to create a better TV viewing experience. Why a MantelMount Pull Down TV Mount Makes for the Best Wall Mount TV Viewing Angle We’ve gone through the benefits of a wall mount tv viewing angle and how to properly set one up, but if you don’t have a wall mount to begin with, you may be wondering, which tv wall mount should you choose?  Using some sports verbiage, here are a few reasons why we think our MantelMount pull down tv mounts offer the optimal wall mount tv viewing angle:  We are dependable team players. The MantelMount is the best pull down tv mount on the market. You don’t have to worry about it being able to handle the weight of your new 4K television. We have some smooth moves. Moving the MantelMount up or down is easier than any other vertical-moving tv mount. Anyone who can reach the handle can move the mount smoothly, owing to our patented construction. We can take the heat. An exclusive feature on our MM540 and MM700 models is that they come with patented pulldown handles that turn red at 110 degrees that serve as a warning of damage that could happen from the fireplace. We’ve got skills. The MantelMount TV pull down tv mounts have auto-stabilization to ensure that if one spring is stronger than the other, it won’t bias the mount and will maintain a level TV over time. It also includes adjustable stops to prevent any part of the mount from hitting the wall or mantel. We’ve been well-coached. Our coaches (inventors) built MantelMount from the ground up with no retrofits. They took no shortcuts on the engineering or the construction. They devised a sound game plan from scratch and executed it to perfection. We play great defense. While your TV viewing experience is one of our top concerns, nothing is more important than the safety of you and your home. We built MantelMount to defend what’s most precious to you by making it the safest pull down TV mount you can purchase. 

If you’ve ever purchased a new tv, you know the process can be a little arduous. Between trying to decide the right size tv for your space and finding the right type for your viewing habits (a Smart TV, high-def, QLED, etc.), you might search and search until you land on the absolute perfect one. Then, when you get the tv home, the technical part begins. These days, many tvs are sleek enough to sit propped up on a piece of furniture or mount flat on the wall. But if you want to set up your tv in the best position for watching sports, movies, and more, your best bet is a MantelMount. With state-of-the-art counterbalance technology and smooth, lightweight pistons, MantelMount glides into place at eye-level for an enjoyable tv-viewing experience, and folds back up against the wall, and out of the way, when not in use. But what wall mount fits my tv, you might ask? There are a few ways to figure out exactly what size tv mount you need for your specific tv, and this article is a great place to start! Read on to learn more about tv mount sizes and specifications and stay until the end to use MantelMount’s handy install calculator. Things to Consider Before Purchasing a TV Mount To find the right mount for your tv, the first place to start is with your specific tv’s VESA measurements. From there, you can consider other aspects like tilting, pull down, or articulating capabilities, as well as mounts that are able to be recessed into the wall.  VESA Patterns If you’ve never encountered a VESA size chart, you might be asking yourself if most tv mounts are universal. The answer is yes, and no. VESA standards were first introduced in 1997 to standardize the size of display, tv, and flat-panel monitors. This allowed manufacturers to produce more units, and consumers to easily match their tv with the right mount, ultimately increasing sales. We’ve written at length about the best way to measure and identify your tv’s specific VESA specs, so check out our guide to VESA mounting standards in order to properly measure your tv. For a quick rundown though, follow these steps: Measure the horizontal distance between the centers of the left and right holes Measure the vertical distance between the top and bottom holes If you’re measuring in inches, convert to millimeters (1 inch = 25.4 mm) Here is a helpful VESA size chart for converting your tv’s VESA dimensions into their approximate inches equivalent: VESA Pattern (mm) Approximate Inch Equivalent  VESA Pattern (mm) Approximate Inch Equivalent 75 x 75 3” x 3” 300 x 300 12” x 12” 100 x 100 4” x 4” 400 x 400 16” x 16” 100 x 200 4” x 8” 400 x 200 16” x 8” 200 x 200 8” x 8” 600 x 400 24” x 16” 200 x 300 8” x 12” 800 x 400 32” x 16” Wall Material Another important factor to consider, in addition to your tv’s VESA measurements, is your wall’s material. Different materials are stronger than others. For instance, it’s more likely that a brick or stonewall will be able to bear a heavier tv and, therefore, a heavier tv mount. On the other hand, a wall constructed of drywall without a stud will require mollies to hold a tv and tv mount. We’ve written extensively about different types of wall material and have answered some key installation questions on our FAQ page. FAQ #1: Can MantelMount be installed on a stone or brick fireplace? Further Reading:  How to Mount a TV On a Brick Wall How to Mount a TV On an Uneven Stone Wall   FAQ #2: Does MantelMount work with thin brick facades or simulated stone panels? Further Reading: How to Mount a TV Without Studs   FAQ #3: Can MantelMount be posted to a large beam or post? Further Reading: Where to Put a TV When There’s No Wall Space TV Size and Weight Of course, the most important thing to consider when choosing the right mount for your tv is your tv’s size and weight. For instance, if your tv is 44”, the VESA pattern measurements will be approximately 400 X 400mm and your tv will likely be compatible with the MM340 Mount and MM540. If your tv falls between 70” and 84”, the VESA pattern will be 600 X 400mm and your tv will match up with the MM700 Premier. However, if you're having trouble deciding, keep in mind that all of our MantelMount pulldown tv mounts work for any VESA pattern measuring between 200x200 and 600x600. To find the perfect match for your tv, you can use MantelMount’s Install Calculator which incorporates your tv’s weight and VESA dimensions to match your equipment with the right mount. 5 Types of Wall Mounts There are also many different types of wall mounts you may want to consider, based on the way you like to watch tv. Some tv mounts will allow you to swivel to create a better picture for seating along the edges of your room. Other tv mounts are fixed, requiring views to position themselves in front of the tv at the perfect angle and distance. Here are some different types of wall mounts to consider as you find one in the right size for your tv. Fixed TV Mounts A fixed tv mount is just as it sounds. The arm is stationary, positioning the tv in one spot. This is a great option for those with a living room set up that allows viewers to sit directly in front of the screen, like in a small living room. And to answer the question, are most tv mounts universal, fixed mounts are more likely to fit a wider range of tv sizes than moveable mounts. Tilting Mounts A tilting tv mount is a fairly simple tv mount that tilts the screen. If you have ever used a camera that is fixed to a tripod, that camera does what a tilting tv mount does: moves up and down from the fulcrum. Although tilting a tv up so the tv is angled more towards a ceiling might not be useful — save for the instances in which there might be glare on the tv screen — tilting the tv downward can help create a better tv-viewing experience if you have to place your screen higher on the wall. Pull-Down Mounts Pull down tv brackets are a popular type of bracket due to their capacity of movement and can be used to adjust your tv to the optimal height. Pull down tv bracket mounts, like the MM340 Standard, MM540 Enhanced, or the MM700 Premier, for instance, have a vertical travel movement, swivel capabilities, in addition to the ability to tilt. If you’re dealing with a tv mounted in a particularly high spot, like for instance above a fireplace, a pull-down mount can be a great solution. You just need to discover which wall mount best fits your tv before you commit to one of our state-of-the-art models. Full-Motion Mounts An articulating, or full-motion, tv mount is a mount that combines the three aspects of panning, tilting, and swiveling; and as all movements are able to be used with these types of tv mounts, articulating mounts can also be referred to as full motion tv mounts. The flexibility of the range of movements in which the tv can be viewed when seated and standing are often attractive for those who own articulating tv mounts. One drawback, however, of an articulating mount is that there needs to be enough room for the movement of the mount for the user to be able to sufficiently utilize the mount to its fullest capabilities.

When you think of television, the first thing you likely think of is the picture and how whatever show, movie, or sport you are watching looks in an aesthetic or visual way. However, the audio experience should not be neglected. When you are as immersed in a show or movie as you can be, it is probably due to — not taking the comfiness of your couch and blanket situation into consideration — both audio and visual elements.  What’s the deal, however, with people who have a surround sound system? Is it that much better than a sound bar or simply changing the tv settings on your television? We look into that here.  Best Sound Setup for Your TV We’ve all been there: you’re watching a quiet — or quieter — show and then BAM! You’re hit with the advertisement sound, or maybe it’s classified as noise, and you’re taken out of your tv watching or movie watching-induced trance that you had been in. Even when that happens, you’ll want the best tv sound setup, so despite the loud blasting sound that occasionally happens with ads, at least it’ll be a pleasing noise. We’ll lay out some of the best tv sound settings — including understanding what the best equalizer settings for movies or television might be — but here is a list of accessories that might just enhance the sound quality for your tv so you have the best picture quality and sound setup. Enhancing sound on your television can be costly or cost-effective; no decision is the best so you might want to ask yourself: what is the best kind of media experience I want out of my tv viewing? Surround Sound System Installing a surround sound system is far and away the most costly method to make your tv or movie watching experience more of a rounded experience. However, it can be a popular approach because once the system is installed, it’s easy enough to simply have a “set it and forget it” mentality. A surround sound system is likened to having a movie theater audio system setup in a residential home. With having multiple speakers create a surround sound effect, it usually costs at least $1,000 and sometimes closer to $2,000 if a proven system is wanted or needed. A surround sound system enhances the audio/visual experience by creating a more immersive experience for the viewer.  When it comes to placement of the speakers for your surround sound system, keep in mind the seating locations of you and your friends and family. Although you will undoubtedly want a centralized speaker placed near the screen, the fun part is next as you’ll be able to situate speakers to enhance the audio clarity and quality. Don’t have an open concept room where speakers can be placed in a semi-circle behind a couch or futon? Keep in mind about the placement of the speakers, the look of what the surround sound system will look — aesthetically — within the room, and take into consideration how the sound will bounce off furniture and the walls.  With regard to placement and the angles, speakers sometimes come with speaker placement recommendations, however, there’s usually a rule of thumb for the number of speakers (whether it’s 4, 6, or more) and the enhancement of the audio. Sound Bar Attachments Is a surround sound system too expensive or too complicated? A sound bar is an ideal way to enhance your tv’s audio and for you to experience an ideal tv sound setup in your home without shelling out more money than you’d want.  An advantage of purchasing a sound bar attachment is that they sound much better than the audio that emanates from the television on its own. Some sound bars even have features such as a compatibility with Dolby Atmos — and anyone who has seen a big-budget action film in a Dolby theater knows the experience is fulfilling.  If a sound bar attachment is high on your priority list, think about the MantelMount SBXL Sound Bar Adapter XL, which is compatible with our tv mounts like the MM540 Enhanced Mount and MM700 Premier Pulldown Mount. Although the MM340 Standard Mount does not include a sound bar attachment like the other MantelMount pulldown tv mounts, it also is compatible with the sound bar attachment.  What’s special about the MantelMount Sound Bar Adapter is that it is universal, fitting most flat and curved screen televisions, able to be placed below or above the tv, and accommodates larger sound bars that have wider spacing between the mounting holes.  TV Sound Settings Even if you’re unsure about investing in a surround sound system or utilizing a sound bar system, the next best bet is to ensure that your television’s sound settings are to your liking. Whether it’s figuring out the best equalizer settings for movies or enhancing the bass settings for the hard-hitting action in any sports match or game you might enjoy, making sure the correct tv sound setup is working for you is of utmost importance. We’ll look into figuring out the best tv sound settings for your tv’s audio next. Best TV Sound Settings Even if you do have a surround sound system or have your sound bar and its sound bar attachment set up to have a more theater-like experience at home, you’ll still want the best sound setup for your tv.  Your tv’s sound settings are simple enough to change, but so often they’re neglected. One of the more fun things about a tv’s sound settings is playing around with them. Want a more crisp sound with dialogue in a drama so clear that it’s like the actors are speaking to you in your living room? The settings is where you can customize your tv’s audio. Find the “Audio” section on your television (sometimes it can be called “Sound”) and that’s where you’ll want to pay most attention as within the selection there are further elements. If you’d like programmed audio solutions, then it’s more of a set and forget approach: standard, theater (this is likely the best equalizer setting for movies and television shows), music, and news (this option is good for news shows and tv shows with the bulk of the show that has crisp dialogue) are the most likely options with which you’ll be encountered. If you’d like a customized version of your tv sound setup, take into consideration what you usually watch: movies, comedy shows, dramas, or sports? Think about the treble and the bass of the in-show or in-game audio and the advertisements that might blow out the show or movie’s sound. Once you have that in mind, play around with the bass and the treble, if you want the sound to come through one or multiple stereos, or even if you want the audio to be in a digital format.

Houses and apartments come in many different shapes and sizes. From open concept floor plans to more traditional-style homes with walled off rooms, every layout presents a unique challenge for a homeowner. One particular challenge for homeowners and renters moving into a new place is where to put the tv. If you’re lucky, your home may have an obvious location against a wall without a window, but if you find yourself in a new apartment or home without obvious wall space for your tv, it can be difficult to discover the next best spot. As experts on the best distance, height, and angle for tv-viewing, we’ve guided homeowners through almost every scenario when it comes to tv placement. If you find yourself in a predicament where you have no wall space for your tv, don’t worry, we have some great solutions for you to try so you can create the optimal tv-viewing experience regardless of your home’s unique layout. Why It’s Important to Find the Right Location for Your TV Believe it or not, tv placement is a bit of a science. From using the 8:1 ratio to determine furniture placement to calculating the best distance between the bottom third of your screen and the floor (trust us, it’s a real thing), there are a lot of things to consider when picking the perfect place for the family tv. But why? As you can probably guess, the placement of your tv can make or break the picture quality and your comfort while viewing the tv. Consider this: when we walk into a movie theater, there’s a reason we take so much time to choose the perfect seat. Maybe you head straight to the back row or you find comfort closer to the screen. Either way, deciding where to sit in a movie theater is a critical component of watching a movie. We want to be comfortable. At home it should be no different—especially considering the average person in America watches 411 hours of tv per month and so much of that tv is consumed while binge-watching. Simple adjustments like finding the right height for your tv on the wall or the right distance from your furniture can improve tv picture quality, in some cases, by 200%. 3 Possible Scenarios When There’s No Wall Space You may have already identified your unique problem within this post, like an open concept room, or maybe a small living room in an apartment where the only available wall space sits above a fireplace, placing the tv too high. But here are some additional possibilities you may be facing and 3 viable tv solutions for no wall space.     Problem #1: Where to put a tv in a room with lots of windows. A home or apartment with a lot of windows is a great find. But a lot of windows can pose a problem for art placement and the placement of your tv. Some things to consider when choosing where to put a tv in a room with lots of windows is picking a spot that doesn’t create glare on the screen. Putting the tv’s back to a south-facing wall, if possible, will help reduce glare. But if you’re worried about squinting because you, the viewer, are facing the direction of the most sun, pick a western or eastern facing wall. There may be different times of day when your screen has a glare, but you can add blinds or a curtain if it becomes a problem during the day. The other issue you run into when choosing where to put a tv in a room with lots of windows is blocking a potential view. The truth is, sometimes you can’t avoid it. If you truly have no wall space for your tv, you may have to pick the best (worst) view to partially block. You can offset this by purchasing a tv on the smaller side or investing in a tv that lowers into a piece of furniture. The Solution: Place your tv in front of a south-facing window to reduce glare or choose an east or west-facing window, avoid a north-facing window. Purchase a smaller flat screen tv to minimize the obstruction of your view or invest in a tv lift or a tv that can lower into a piece of furniture, out of view.     Problem #2: Where to put a tv in a small living room. Another issue that homeowners and apartment-dwellers face is just not enough space. Period. If you live in a condo or a tight apartment in an urban environment, it’s not unusual to run into a situation in which the reason you have no wall space for a tv is simply because your living room is too small. The Solution: Sometimes, the fix for this problem occurs upstream with the purchase of the right tv for your space. If you already own the tv you intend to use, choosing a tv mount that can articulate and tilt can help you overcome the space issues you face in terms of square feet. MantelMount makes a great model for flat screen televisions of any size and the pull down motion and pivot capabilities make it possible to position your tv into the best spot while you’re watching and out of the way when you’re not.     Problem #3: Where to put a tv when you’re an art lover. If you love art, it can almost be soul-crushing to make room for a tv. But, if you love art to the point that you don’t have any free wall space, it might be time to thin out your collection. There’s is something to be said though, for those art lovers who figure out a clever way to incorporate a flat screen tv into their home. The Solution: The best thing to do, if you don’t want to sacrifice your art collection, is to incorporate your tv into the art. The Samsung Frame TV is a great option for the art lover if you can’t get away with forgoing a tv all together. What’s better is if you can recess your tv mount into the wall so the Frame sits flush with the wall. This will make your tv essentially disappear into the art in your living room. Of course, if you already have a high-def tv for your home, a MantelMount pull-down tv mount will allow you to position your tv into the perfect viewing-position—in front of your art collection—and up and away when you simply want to enjoy your art. Again, you can take your tv set up to the next level and recess your MantelMount so your tv protrudes just as far as the picture frames in your collection.

Placing your tv at the wrong angle or too high on the wall can have greater consequences than a skewed picture; it can cause eye strain and even neck pain! If you’re a tv aficionado looking to achieve manufacturer-level clarity and color quality, check out these tips for finding the perfect angle, height, and lighting settings for your tv. Can lighting affect the tv-viewing experience? Lighting can, indeed, affect your tv viewing. Whether that’s due to poor lighting around your tv or a setting on your tv, lighting is one of the key components to creating the perfect viewing angle tv experience.  For the television screen light, ensure that the brightness is turned down enough so you’re still able to clearly see the picture, but doing so won’t strain your eyes. Whether your furniture is positioned at the best angle for watching tv or not, having the tv screen light emit a more palatable glow will help ease eye strain. In addition to your tv’s settings, achieving the right atmospheric lighting can also be challenging, especially if you’re watching tv in an unconventional place like a patio or covered porch. Most experts recommend facing your tv north so southern exposure is always behind your tv screen. But if that’s not an option in your living, just make sure your tv isn’t in direct sunlight. Additionally, you can add bias lighting to the back of your tv. What is it, you ask? Bias lighting is a weak light source placed behind a screen or a projector to reduce perceived brightness. Incorporating bias lighting helps lessen eye fatigue because it offsets the brightness of the main light source, in the case the tv, and allows the eyes to focus more comfortably.  If bias lighting is chosen as part of a way to strengthen the viewers enjoyment in tv watching, consider a bulb that is around 6,500K. Another factor that puts a strain on the eyes, besides the lighting (or lack thereof!) in the tv’s room, is the viewing angle. Why is it best to place your tv at eye-level? As someone who has watched movies and tv before, you can probably list a dozen reasons why placing a screen at eye-level creates the best viewing experience. But did you know that proper tv height is actually a manufacturing recommendation, too?  For the highest quality tv picture, manufacturers suggest that the bottom third of your screen should sit below your eye-level. This is because when a tv screen sits too high above the eyeline this results in a 20% reduction in color depth and brightness, and a 200% reduction in contrast, making it much harder to see details on the screen. This is one of the most common issues when mounting a tv from a high position like above a mantel. Even when viewed from a standard distance, the typical height above a fireplace will be well above the manufacturer-suggested viewing height. By pulling your tv down towards eye-level with MantelMount, you’re assured a much finer picture color and clarity, as well as your greatest level of enjoyment.   So, what is the best tv-viewing angle? Once you’ve discovered the perfect lighting, consider the best angle for watching tv. The audio and visual entertainment company THX has stated that for the best tv viewing angle for watching a show, movie, or game, the viewer’s line of sight should be the center of the screen. If that’s not possible, for instance you’ve mounted your tv above a console table, they suggest a gradient above or below the center of the television at 15 degrees (or less).  While this suggestion comes from a highlight authoritative source, think about the last time you went to the movie theater a say slightly too close to the screen so you have to crane your neck back and look up to properly see. It can get exhausting and painful to hold your neck in that position for the duration of a film or a good Netflix binge. So we recommend being a little conservative with this 15 degree suggestion and opt for as close to placing the center of your screen at eye-level as possible—after all, we’re tv-viewing experts too! Not only are your eyes working overtime if the lighting on the tv is poor and the lighting in the room is poor, your eyes will strain with an unfavorable viewing angle due to the picture quality, including the clarity of the light emissions emanating from the tv itself. For a comparison of plasma versus led versus OLED and QLED televisions when it comes to the richness and quality of the picture, take a look at our blog for more insight. Using a tv mount to achieve the perfect viewing angle Although 15 degrees is the rule-of-thumb for stationary televisions, a wall mount tv angle can give you some leeway in terms of how high you place the center of your tv screen. Because tv wall mounts, like MantelMount’s MM540 Enhanced or MM700 Premier, allow for vertical and swivel adjustments, no matter if you’re sitting or standing, you can get a perfect height and angle every time. Even though you can achieve a variety of wall mount tv angles with a pull down mount, you can also manipulate the perfect tv-viewing angle with proper furniture placement. For wall-mounted televisions or for those on a media console or other viewing platform, there is a common ratio used for the distance placed in between the couch or seating area and the tv. Once you’ve achieved the perfect lighting and you’ve positioned your tv at just the right angle, you’re ready to kick back and enjoy your favorite shows and movies—uninterrupted by neck pain or tv glare.

So, you’ve just decided to up your tv-viewing game with a state-of-the-art curved tv — congratulations! It’s good to see it sitting pretty on the media console. Except, it does take up a lot of surface area, and the furniture holding it up limits where you can position it. As this beauty is a bit bulkier than the average flat-screen, you need a sturdier stand, a larger piece of furniture for supporting the extra weight. Could there be a better solution? Like a flat-screen television, can you wall mount a curved tv? Can You Easily Mount a Curved TV? The answer is emphatically, yes! With the right tv wall mount, there are no issues wall mounting a curved tv, just as you would a flat screen. After all, nothing is really different with the mounting holes; it’s merely the screen itself that’s curved! Do Curved TVs Need Special Mounts? Another simple answer, no. In fact, a MantelMount pull-down tv mount will likely work well for your curved tv! When speaking to compatibility, MantelMount’s models can support from 20 lbs to 125 lbs, depending on the model. Despite the larger size of the average curved tv (compared to regular flat-screens), wall mounting a curved tv will still be possible. One caveat once you mount a curved tv is that optimal viewing requires you, the viewer, to be centered with respect to the screen’s orientation. However, what if your curved television is placed in an open concept room or in your bedroom with a different layout? That’s when you’ll be glad for choosing a tv wall mount that provides a true full range of motion. MantelMount tv mounts can easily optimize your television viewing experience through changing the height and angle. Another technical specification that should be considered is lighting. The right tv wall mount can make a huge difference for your curved tv’s performance in swiveling, tilting, and, best of all, moving vertically to adapt to the ambient light conditions in your new home theater. Which TV Wall Mount Should You Get for Wall Mounting a Curved TV? We’ll have to say MantelMount, of course, and with good reason! The patented technology and features for our wall mounts set the bar for safety, ease of use, and providing an optimum viewing experience. If you have experienced issues with glare on the screen, or you’d simply prefer the best color, clarity, and picture quality from your television, you might want to consider any MantelMount tv wall mount for wall mounting a curved tv. With the ability to tilt, swivel, and, with vertical travel possible, regardless of if it’s the MM540 Enhanced Pull Down TV Mount or the MM700 Premier Pull Down TV Mount, these mounts will avoid screen reflection and give a better picture quality. With pull down tv mounts allowing for shows to be viewed with the manufacturer-suggested bottom third of the screen below eye level, our tv mounts can help you have an even more sublime experience — with crisper, cleaner, and better picture and color quality — than you thought you could have with your television viewing. The Best Way to Wall Mount a Curved TV As an example, let’s say you have a Samsung curved tv, and a curved sound bar from Samsung to match. Can you wall mount a curved tv and sound bar together? The tv installation is actually fairly straightforward — just check your wall material and stud positions, or lack of studs, and carefully follow the install manual of your chosen tv wall mount model. For the sound bar, you may need an extra piece — an L-bracket that is incorporated in most universal sound bar attachments and commonly purchased separately. Why do you need this? It has nothing to do with the curvature of your television. It’s because this particular sound bar, like a few others on the market from LG, Bose, Sonos, and the like, has the mounting holes on the base of the sound bar, rather than the back (the more common position). For another example, say you have a Curved LG Oled tv — does this change things? Yes, because of the vertical alignment of the mounting holes in the 200 x 300 x 120 pattern. Not to worry, though, as there are accessories on the market to accommodate non-standard VESA patterns. If you follow this advice and devise a plan before you tackle mounting your tv to the wall, you should have no problem mounting your curved tv!

Reviewed by tech expert Dave TaylorOriginally Published on Sep 26, 2017 Updated on August 26th, 2022 I watch a lot of shows and movies on my 4K TV; there are so many good things to watch! Problem is, where to actually put the tv? I can have it on a tv stand but then it just sits. Boring. Instead, I opted to mount it above the mantel of my fireplace. It's a perfect spot and the contrasting wall color behind even makes the image pop.  But mounting a tv above a fire has one huge lurking danger: Heat! That's why I opted for a MantelMount MM540 tv mount. Attached to the wall, it lets me push my tv flush against the wall when not in use, and pull it out and down, then swivel it to get just the right viewing angle. Great! Better yet, the MantelMount tv fireplace mount has a heat reactive handle so it'll quickly alert you if your tv is being exposed to damaging heat, before the tv gets damaged. A must-have for any smart installation.  In this MantelMount MM540 review video, tech expert Dave Taylor of Ask Dave Taylor has the MantelMount MM540 installed and shows off its various features and capabilities. Watch the MM540 review below!

Flat-screen televisions have become an essential piece of household technology. However, whether your setup uses a tv without a stand or works best displayed on a console or tabletop, your flat screen and its hardware are fragile and need to be properly installed to ensure their longevity. If the decision is made to use a tv without a stand, then a pull down television mount might be best; but if a tv stand is wanted, there are some ways to, essentially, create a DIY tv stand mount. Also, these makeshift tv stands can be used if you’re still deciding on where to place a MantelMount tv mount, such as the MM540 Enhanced Mount. So until you can make the dream of having your television mounted above your fireplace — or maybe you’re simply unsure of where to place your tv when considering the size of the space you have then keep these DIY tv mount stand ideas in mind. DIY TV Stand Mounts and Other Alternative Ideas We’re all guilty of tossing out the accoutrement that comes with a new technology purchase. Whether you accidentally tossed out a charger container or something more substantial like the tv stand your tv originally came with, you have some options when it comes to finding a replacement or crafting your own solution. Thrift it. Rather than making a DIY tv stand mount right off the bat, thrifting for one second-hand might be an option to consider. Plus, if you’ve thrifted before, you may already have an idea of where to look, in which case, this may be the quickest option (and the most fun). Before you go thrifting, make sure you have a slip of paper or a note on your phone with the proper tv model number. This number is likely found on the product information label on the corner of the back of the flat-screen television and will allow you to better match any tv stands you may find to what your television requires. Despite having the tv model number and finding a stand match through thrifting, be careful with the quality of the stand as the condition of secondhand items can run the entire range from poor to excellent. Make a DIY tv stand. If you’re the creative type who likes to take on projects, this solution is right up your alley. A quick scroll through Pinterest, YouTube, or your favorite blog will show you a variety of ways to make a DIY tv mount stand.  These options also show a range of materials, from wood and tubes to reusable items, that you can grab around your house. This can be a really cost-effective and sustainable solution. If DIYing a tv stand is your preference, you will see that it provides a lot of freedom in how you build your homemade tv base. From old televisions consoles and furniture to easels and old metal frames, you can use whatever works best for your needs. Upgrade to a pull-down mount. If you’re searching for how to prop up a tv without a stand, the best way might be using a tv without a stand by choosing to go down the route of a pull-down tv mount. If you’ve been looking for a way to declutter the area around your television so your entertainment area is not as crowded, opt for a MantelMount tv mount. Before purchasing any wall mount, familiarize yourself with common bracket terminology you might read about when searching for a tv mount, in addition to understanding the VESA standards for your television. Types of TV Mounts Fixed-position wall mounts work as the name suggests: these mounts place your TV flat against the wall in a fixed place and position. Once fixed-position wall mounts are in place, they cannot be adjusted. Keep the factor of adjustability, and a pleasing viewing experience, in mind if you are looking for using a tv without a stand or are searching for wall mounts. Fixed tv mounts. Not only is the fixed bracket the most common type of tv mount, it’s also the easiest to install. Fixed brackets are a great option for those that want a low profile mount. However, if you are swayed on having one in your home, note that a downside to a fixed mount is that they do not allow for screen adjustment like a tilt or swivel mount. Tilting tv mounts. Unlike fixed TV mounts, tilting tv mounts offer a bit more flexibility to the viewer in terms of the entertainment experience. These also are mounted flat on the wall, but they allow for some viewing optimization since the tv can be tilted up or down, five to fifteen degrees on average. The ability to tilt the tv allows for some grievances to be resolved, like better tv angles. Depending on how high you are looking to mount the tv, such as you mount it over a fireplace mantel, a tilt mount might not be the best solution. Pull Down tv mounts. Pull down tv mounts are a popular type of mount due to their capacity of movement. They can be used to adjust your tv to the optimal height and viewing angle, providing a better picture quality and a more comfortable viewing experience. Pull down tv bracket mounts have a vertical travel movement, swivel capabilities, and the ability to tilt.  Full-Motion tv mount. Another option besides a tilting mount or an articulating mount, would be a full-motion television mount. Full-motion tv mounts would likely offer the best viewing experience after taking into consideration the pull-down, swivel, and tilt functionalities. The versatility of full-motion tv mounts make watching a tv without a stand a thing of the past. Through using a full-motion tv mount, not only does the height matter as the tv is more suited for those watching at eye-level, but the picture will be clearer.  Whether you are wanting to utilize your tv without a stand, investing in a pull-down tv mount, or getting creative by using a DIY tv stand mount, there are options to choose from when considering the best way to watch your favorite show or movie.

Now that you have taken your new television out of the box, how do you plan to mount it on the wall? Before you immerse yourself in watching your favorite movies and shows, you’ll need to find the right place to mount the TV. But, there’s one tiny problem — you don’t have any studs to work with for the TV mount, or it could be that, if you’re renting an apartment, your landlord insists no drilling is allowed. But there’s no need to panic.  Whether you have a brick or uneven stone façade, or mounting a TV above a fireplace, mounting a TV can be tricky, but even more so when mounting a TV without studs. Even though drywall can support a TV up to 100 lbs., it’s still brittle and the mount can require additional support. If you want to create the perfect TV-viewing experience but you aren’t sure how to safely mount your TV on a wall without studs, check out these tips and get your TV up on the wall and in the perfect spot today. What Is a Stud? Before mounting your TV on a wall, you should always attempt to locate a stud or inspect the wall’s integrity. But it can be difficult to locate a stud if you don’t know what you’re looking for. A stud is a vertical framing device used to create a frame for a wall. It is commonplace to find either wood studs or metal studs. These wooden or metal reinforcements are evenly spaced within a wall and are typically used to create a framework for a wall consisting of drywall. Because many modern home interiors are constructed with drywall, not mason, there’s a good chance that you should be able to easily locate a stud within your home’s walls. If you live in a high rise, you likely have studs made out of metal. Similarly, commercial buildings often have metal framework as well that will require additional care if mounting a TV or appliances into a stud. 4 Simple Ways to Find Studs in the Wall Finding studs have a lot of uses beyond simply mounting your TV. Especially if you are a homeowner undergoing home improvement projects — if you want to hang a heavy picture, mount an appliance to the wall, do trim work in your home, or fix electrical outlets — it’s very useful to be aware of the location of the studs in your walls. The main question is: how do you accurately locate a stud, with or without a stud finder or a stud finder app? 1. Locate studs with a stud finder One of the easiest ways to do this is with a stud finder, a small handheld device that measures the density of drywall. The Spruce has a comprehensive list of options to buy online or at your local hardware store. Using a stud finder is simpler than finding the right one. All that is needed is to place the stud finder against the drywall and slowly drag it horizontally along the wall until it beeps. Beeping indicates that you’ve found a stud. You can estimate the center of the stud by running the stud finder over the location repeatedly until it stops beeping. Then, once you know where the stud is located in the wall, make a mark with a pencil. 2. Measure 16” from the corner Don’t have a stud finder or stud finder app? That’s okay! A go-to technique is to measure 16 inches from the corner of where the interior wall and the exterior wall meet to approximate where studs will be located throughout the room. Typically, studs are evenly spaced 16”-24” inches apart, so if you measure the total length of your wall, you should be able to approximate the location of each stud. Now, not every room is going to evenly divide by 16 or 24, but again, that’s okay. Follow up this measurement effort by knocking on the wall where you suspect the stud to be. Knocking on a stud will create a muffled sound while knocking directly next to the stud will create a hollow sound. 3. Check your trim If you aren’t handy with a tape measure or you don’t have access to a stud finder, another option for you are the other wall features: trim nails, electrical outlets, and light switches all indicate the location of a stud. 4. Use a powerful magnet If you’re having trouble locating studs, you may have better luck locating the metal that holds them in place. Commonly, studs are secured with metal fasteners spaced vertically about 12” apart. With a strong magnet, place it against the wall and move it slowly up and down until you feel it stick slightly. This will indicate that you’ve located a metal fastener and, therefore, a stud. How to Mount a TV Without Studs If you’ve done your due diligence to locate studs and you can’t find any, you discover the studs are metal, or there are no studs located in the area where you want to mount your TV, you do have options for mounting your TV with no studs. Whether you are looking for a little DIY action with mounting a TV or you merely are looking to gain knowledge and want to know what the handyman is doing while installing a TV mount, here, we can walk you through it all! 1. Mounting a TV with drywall anchors Expanding anchors or conical anchors are one of the simplest ways to mount a TV when studs aren’t available. The wing-like grooves lock into place behind the wall when a screw is screwed in and this can provide ample support for things like pictures with a heavy frame or a lightweight TV.  How does one do this? Simply drill a hole accordingly, insert the sleeve, and slide in the anchor piece. You can even pull it close to the wall with the disposable pull tool. The pulling motion locks the anchor in place, so it won’t loosen while you insert the screw. 2. Mounting a TV with anchors or molly bolts Toggle anchors and toggle bolts look like regular screws, but they come with a butterfly toggle at the end. When placed in the wall, the toggle anchors work by attaching to the back of the drywall. Pulling at the screw or applying some external force has little impact as the toggle causes the whole sheet of drywall to respond, rather than just the crumbly center. It’s the distinction between pulling the entire wall and removing a single screw. Mounting a TV with drywall anchors or bolts is a great option if you can’t drill into a stud. You’ll need to use a hollow wall anchor that looks similar to a regular screw, with a butterfly toggle at the end. Once they’re placed in the wall, they’ll attach to the back. These have proven to be extremely strong on their own when it comes to mounting a TV with no studs, but, as a general rule, it should not be paired with a full-motion mount. Mounting a TV without studs can be a safe and reliable solution if careful consideration is made about the limits of the wall and the toggles. Molly bolts are an interesting anchor for a no-studs TV mount. They combine the ease of installation with a lot of strength — a large molly bolt can hold up to 50 lbs. They are a little harder to use over other drywall anchors, but they are sturdy and well-suited for a medium to heavy load. They come in two variations: a pointed molly bolt will have a sharp tip that can be installed with a hammer, whereas a non-pointed molly bolt, which is better to use in plaster walls, requires that you cut out an installation hole first. Molly bolts stay thin when left untightened, but once tightened in your walls, the sleeves expand, creating an anchor to the back of your wall — a similar mechanism as toggle anchors. Once the molly bolt is securely anchored, you can remove the screw and replace it with the screws for your TV wall mount. 3. Mounting a TV with a mounting plate A mounting plate is a good choice when it comes to mounting a TV with no studs. Mounting plates help the anchors carry the tv weight with more ease and provide an opportunity to add more anchors, making it a more secure mount. Although the mounting plate doesn’t look that aesthetically appealing, you can always consider a mounting plate that is smaller than the TV and choose one in a color and style that works well with the look of your room, or paint over it. If you’re looking to go this route, both the MantelMount SSB40 Single Stud Wall Adapter and the WPC00 Wall Plate Covers can be used with the MantelMount MM340 Standard Pull Down TV Mount. Please note that our WPC00 Wall Plate Covers are included with the purchase of a MM540 Enhanced Pull Down TV Mount. Things to Keep in Mind Before Mounting a TV With No Studs Although anchors, toggle bolts, mounting bolts, and mounting plates are effective ways to keep TV wall mounts in place when mounting a TV with no studs, here are some other extraneous things to keep in mind. Be Aware of the TV’s Weight and the Condition of the Wall Whether mounting a TV with drywall anchors or with a mounting plate, or frankly, any other way, ensure that the anchor screws are rated to carry the television’s weight. TV weights vary from model to model, but an average 32’ television usually weighs about 25 to 30 lbs, which means that a larger screen will weigh more.  If the choice is mounting a TV with drywall anchors, check the load capacity for the selected anchors. It won’t make a difference if the strongest wall anchors are used if you live in an old house with a wall that can’t sustain the load. If the wall appears flimsy, it may bend under the weight of the TV and there is a chance that it could potentially break at some point, wrecking both the wall and your television. Use the Right Type of Mount for Your TV A standard pattern for wall mounts is to ensure that they will fit any TV. However, mounts are rated to fit specific television sizes and weights. A wall mount for a 32’ TV would not be able to support the weight and dimensions of a 40’ TV. Choosing the wrong mount, then, could potentially be dangerous for your TV. (Bonus hat tip: If you’re looking for a new television, make sure to take a look at our New TV Buying Guide, which highlights some possible questions you might be asking about details on TV types.) Whether the question is how to mount a TV to a wall without studs or if it’s more to the tune of how high to mount a flat screen TV, most of the anchor options for a wall with no studs work best with fixed and tilt mounts. Fixed mounts are static and set at a singular position, while pull down and articulating and tilting TV wall mounts allow you to change the angle of the mounted television.  Toggle bolts and other wall anchors should not be used with anything other than fixed mounts. Mounts which have arms and swivels that allow for complete angle adjustments, naturally add more weight. The constant movement that comes with adjusting your mounted TV can cause increased stress on your anchor points and the wall itself.

There comes a time when your neck has gotten perpetually sore from looking up at your tv that’s situated at a bad angle. Or maybe you’ve suffered through months of your tv sitting on the floor or a piece of furniture, slouching so you can see a clear picture. Whatever your setup may be, there comes a time to turn to the professionals and get your tv hung on the wall in the most optimal place for tv-viewing. If you’re ready to call in the cavalry or you’re preparing to go it alone, there are some key considerations to make about when to use a professional tv mounting service or if you can mount a tv by yourself.  Can You Mount a TV by Yourself? Although you can mount a tv by yourself, often it’s better to ask, do you want to? Many modern tv mounts are relatively easy to install. MantelMount Pull Down TV Mounts in particular come with very comprehensive install guides and videos that make the installation process easy enough that you can mount a tv by yourself. Whether you have purchased a MM340 Standard Pull Down TV Mount, the MM540 Enhanced, or the MM700 Premier, the installation instructions allow just about anyone to be able to mount a tv themselves rather than hiring someone to mount a tv. In most cases if you can mount a tv by yourself, there are a few items that are typically needed or useful to have on hand, including: A marking device such as a pencil and/or painter's tape A tape measure A stud finder A manual or electronic level A drill with its corresponding drill bits And your selected tv mount Once all of the necessary installation items are handy, you can get started mounting your tv to the wall. Start by marking the area on the wall where you intend to drill your pilot holes. If you aren’t sure how high to mount your tv, you can follow the 8:1 ratio rule. If you’re able to, secure your tv mount to studs in the wall or use a drywall anchor when studs aren’t available. Add washers to the end of your screws, and secure the bracket to the wall through the bracket slats. You may need an extra set of hands for the next step, which requires you to line up the tv mount on the back of the tv with the bracket against the wall. If you did not hire someone to mount your tv, but rather, you are installing the tv mount yourself and are using a MantelMount product, keep in mind that our friendly and knowledgeable customer service representatives are available to troubleshoot and guide you through the installation procedures. Hiring Someone To Mount a TV We understand, the steps to successfully install a flat screen in the perfect spot can be daunting. If you’re stuck staring at a blank wall or you don’t have the right tools for the job, it might be time to take someone up on professional tv mounting. Step 1. Match with professionals and compare quotes. The first step is to get a quote. You can easily get matched with a professional in your area using a service like Angi’s List or reach out to a friend or family member to refer someone. If you can’t seem to find a specialist in your area, you can always reach out to a general contractor and compare at least 3 quotes. Step 2. Read reviews diligently.  The last thing you want to have happen when hiring someone to mount your tv is for their work to cause damage or for them to overcharge you for their services. Once you’ve had a chance to review pricing, try Googling your professional’s name or searching for their LLC on Trustpilot or Yelp. While your instinct may be to go with the lowest quote, if the professional tv mounting services have received poor reviews online, you’ll want to avoid hiring them. Step 3. Call your professional. If after reading reviews and comparing prices you think you’ve found the one, give your prospective professional a call and speak to them on the phone. This conversation will give you a sense of their professionalism and capabilities. This phone call will also give you a chance to talk about any specifics of the project that may affect final project costs. How Much Does It Cost To Mount a TV? In addition to asking yourself how to find an expert to install your tv, you may also be asking yourself how much does it cost to mount a tv?  The overall cost for mounting a tv can vary depending on the material of your wall, the amount of labor required for the project, even where you live in the country—think, New York City compared to Little Rock. Generally speaking though, the average cost for mounting a tv on a wall is between $159 and $361, according to HomeAdvisor. More specifically, if you hire an electrician, HomeAdvisor says you can expect to pay between $50 to $100 per hour while a handyman can cost between $60 to $130 per hour. This should give you an idea about how you can expect to pay if you hire one of these professionals to install your flat screen.  

Picture a spacious yet cozy living room, with comfortable couches, a coffee table, a toasty fireplace, and above it, as a finishing touch, the family flat-screen TV. For many households, coming together at the end of the day looks like hunkering down on the couch to watch a beloved show or movie. You may have an abundance of space in the living room and be able to display your TV on a console as part of an entertainment center or in a TV cabinet; but if space is a challenge — or your couch fits perfectly in front of your fireplace — mounting the TV over the mantel may be your best option.  This, of course, brings up the question of how to go about mounting a television above a fireplace.  Fireplaces can present some unique challenges when it comes to mounting your TV. For instance, mounting your TV into the fireplace may require you to drill into brick. Or you may be dealing with an uneven surface like stone. On the other hand, you may not know what type of material the wall is (Is it drywall? Is it plaster?) above your fireplace is made of. Whatever the challenge may be, we’ve compiled a complete guide filled with our recommendations for safely mounting your TV over your mantel. SELECTING THE RIGHT TV MOUNT FOR THE JOB The first step when mounting a TV above a fireplace is to choose a mount suited for over the mantel. Consider: the spot above your fireplace may position your tv too high for comfortable viewing.  This, in combination with a couch that sits just a little too close to the hearth, can create an uncomfortable TV-viewing experience — potentially even neck or back pain. MantelMount pull-down TV mounts are designed specifically for above-the-fireplace TV-viewing. Why? Because every MantelMount TV mount is built with counterbalance technology that gently guides your screen safely over your mantel and into a comfortable viewing position at the optimum eye-level. Ranging from our MM340 Standard and MM540 Enhanced to the MM700 Premier, each MantelMount is designed with patented gas pistons and lightweight alloys that make adjusting and positioning your TV seamless and enjoyable. Our latest TV mount, the MM815 Motorized Drop Down and Swivel TV Mount, is the most effective at allowing anyone — from child to adult — to enjoy their favorite show or movie, with the TV positioned at the best viewing angle for that person, all with the press of a button. MM815 Consumer Video D2C 03-10-23 from MantelMount on Vimeo. Using a MantelMount TV mount is one of the best ways to mount a TV over a fireplace because it’s precisely built for the space above your fireplace. There is flexibility with a TV mounted above a fireplace as it can be left in the stowed position when not watching, while also being able to adjust the height and angle when it’s TV-watching time. No more neck strain or eye strain. No more screen glare. The perfect TV picture color and clarity. What’s more, the MM540 Enhanced, the MM700 Premier, and the MM815 Motorized TV mounts are all designed with heat-sensing handles that turn red if the temperature above your fireplace exceeds a safe temperature, making you aware that you need to turn off the fireplace and/or raise your television to the stowed position. The temperature sensor is a visible alert to keep your TV’s delicate hardware safe from overheating with your subsequent actions to your fireplace or TV. Regardless of whether you have a gas fireplace or a wood-burning fireplace, your family can feel safe and secure in the knowledge that installing a TV over a fireplace with a MantelMount TV mount will likely see through the lifespan of the TV, even with the fireplace heat below it. See what we mean about being built for the space above your fireplace? HOW TO MOUNT A TV ABOVE A FIREPLACE IF THE WALL IS MADE OF STONE OR BRICK When it comes to fireplaces, both stone fireplaces and brick fireplaces are commonplace in homes. Despite the fact that stone and brick can be tough materials to work with when mounting a TV above the fireplace, that doesn’t mean that you can’t mount a TV over your fireplace. If you’re asking yourself how to mount a TV above your fireplace and the wall is made of brick, we have this handy guide to make sure you don’t fear mounting a TV over your brick fireplace. On the other hand, if you are dealing with a stone wall and want to mount your TV, use our guide to get started. In any case, here are some of the tools you’ll need to get started: Painter’s tape Tape measure A level Concrete anchors and lag bolts — these items come in every MantelMount box Concrete screws and washers Drill with a hammer drill function Concrete drill bit Socket adapter, ratchet, or rubber mallet Our original accessories can also be added to achieve the correct look. For instance, if the stone or brick is part of a flimsy facade, you can simply purchase MantelMount’s AB40 Adapter to provide the necessary support needed. Are you a sound or audio nerd and want to enhance your TV watching to have the picture quality match with the audio quality? Try out our SKB00 Universal Sound Bar Adapter Kit to make what you watch really come to life. WHAT ABOUT MOUNTING A TV ABOVE THE FIREPLACE WHEN HEAT AND ELECTRONICS SHOULDN’T MIX? One of the most common concerns when mounting a TV over a fireplace is that heat and electronics should not mix. That includes not just the television, but also the attached wires and making certain that the wires are hidden away from the heat source.  A small amount of heat can damage items like entertainment and media cords and cables, so it’s likely that the TV isn’t the only thing on your mind with having a fireplace TV mount. However, televisions that are made today, for the most part, produce very little heat on their own. The concern, of course, is the extreme heat from the fireplace when it’s lit. One way that MantelMount TV mounts are unique is through the built-in, smart heat-sensing handles which turn red when a temperature of 110 degrees Fahrenheit or more is detected. Shop Our TV Mounts Made For Fireplaces THE BEST WAY TO MOUNT TV OVER A FIREPLACE WHEN THE MANTEL IS TALL The height of a fireplace mantel can certainly interfere with your home entertainment setup and overall enjoyment. If you already know how to mount a TV above a fireplace but are unsure of the height of where the TV should be, that’s something that should be addressed.  When mounting a TV above the fireplace, understand that it might be on a higher place on the wall to secure the TV further away from heat and if the mantel is tall. Watching television, however, is meant to be fun and a relaxing experience so make sure that you don’t end up installing a TV over the fireplace too high as to cause discomfort.  Additionally, as our MM815 Motorized TV Mount has two memory presets on the remote control that lowers and swivels the mount, there are options for finding the best focal point for the tall fireplace mantel. By taking these instructions to heart, mounting your TV over the fireplace won’t seem like such an insurmountable task, and it could actually be your best option!

Whether you’re buying a new home or a new car, large purchases in life always require a bit of research. For instance, many new homeowners first learn about escrow accounts when they’re in the process of making their first down payment. On the other hand, a car buyer may be introduced to a manufacturer’s credit offer. Likewise, we see a TV mount as an investment; one that is helpful to know and understand the vocabulary. So, if you’re in the market for a new TV mount, or you’re buying one for the first time, there are essential terms, names for parts of a TV mount, and standards that can help you choose the right one for your TV, saving you time and a headache at installation. If you’re ready to buy a new mount or you’re getting ready to install one yourself, find out more about different types of and the parts of TV wall mounts. Familiarizing Yourself With TV Mount and TV Mounting Hardware Terms If you recently purchased a new TV mount, or you’re in the market for a new one, it’s a good idea to get to know the different parts of your mount — especially, if you decide to install it yourself. Here are some terms to know when researching different types of TV mounts. Full Motion Pull Down TV Mount Mount Bracket Mounting Arm Wall Plate (sometimes known as a Mounting Plate) Recess Box Anchors Tilt Articulation Understanding the parts of your TV mount — like the bracket, arm, wall plate — and installation hardware, like TV screws, spacers, anchors, or washers, will help you better prepare for the installation process. For example, if you’re mounting your TV into a stone wall, you’ll need to be sure to choose the correct anchors for the job, such as concrete anchors. Thinking about mounting on a brick wall? You can do that, but be aware of the strength of the wall and have the proper equipment and mount accessories, if desired. If you’re mounting your TV in an open concept room or one that receives high traffic (like a kitchen or office) you may want to research television mounts that articulate, tilt, or swivel for flexible TV viewing. Frankly, the more you know about the TV and the mount, the better decision you’ll make in the end. What is a Mounting Bracket? “Mounting bracket” is a general term for a device that holds two items together. Typically, this is done at a 90° angle, like mounting a shelf to a wall with an “L” bracket but it can also include flush mounts with interlocking to secure a heavy mirror or picture in place. As it relates to TV mounting, the mounting bracket or mounting plate is the metal frame that attaches the flat screen TV to the mounting surface. The backs of many modern televisions include standardized mounting holes, called VESA patterns, that allow different wall bracket types to work with different TVs.   What is the Difference Between a TV Bracket and the Mounting Bracket? If you’ve ever heard someone say “All Scotch is whisky, but not all whisky is Scotch,” you’ll likely understand the logic behind the answer to this question. When referring to a “TV mount”, that often includes every component of the installation hardware including the TV arm, adapter plate, as well as the bracket. And this can make it difficult to understand the different parts of your new TV mount. The TV bracket, or the TV brace, is essentially the portion of the TV mount that attaches to the arm and the wall bracket (the portion where the TV rests/hangs). It’s important to understand the difference so when you find the right TV mount and install it, you can troubleshoot every aspect of the installation if the TV ends up looking crooked or hangs too low or too high. Considerations of the TV Bracket and Mounting Bracket While the bracket is an essential part of TV mounting, it’s also important to consider the right TV set-up for your space. For example, placing a TV over a fireplace may require a bracket and mount that sits flush to the wall, like MantelMount’s MM540 Enhanced Pull Down TV Mount. On the other hand, renters may want to avoid drilling into their walls, in which case using a TV stand or a bracket that doesn’t require drilling would be a better option.  TV mounts come in all shapes and sizes. They can come equipped with a range of capabilities like the ability to swivel or tilt. One of the qualities that sets MantelMount apart is its smooth pull down ability. With lightweight alloys and counterbalance technology, MantelMount is easy to mount high on the wall and suspend at eye level. What’s more, MantelMount has a remote-controlled motorized TV mount, creating ease of watching television after you’re comfortable on the couch. This makes MantelMount a versatile fit for any room and easy-to-use for every TV viewer. What is a TV Arm? In researching types of wall mounts, you may come across the term “TV arm”, but what exactly does this refer to? Just as a wall mount comes equipped with a mounting bracket, many modern TV mounts also have an arm that connects the TV to the metal bracket. TV arms have become advanced over the years, allowing some TVs to swivel, sit flush against the wall, or extend outward. Some TV monitor mounts feature a single arm while others can have two. MantelMount TV mounts feature a single arm that contains multiple gas pistons, offering smooth pull down technology, allowing viewers to create their perfect TV-viewing experience. What is an Adapter Plate? If we briefly go back to our buying a car scenario, an adapter plate might adhere a custom transmission to the engine. Simply put, adapter plates are a mechanism that allows two different sized parts to adhere together. As it relates to different types of TV mounts, adapter plates will often contain the VESA pattern necessary for fitting the TV to the bracket and mounting the TV to the wall. In the box, it may look like a rather unremarkable piece of equipment. They’re often nothing more than a flat, metal panel filled with holes, but they allow a multitude of TVs (regardless of screen size!) to work with a variety of wall mounts, giving buyers more flexibility when choosing the right wall mount for their TV. Curious to know if MantelMount will work with your TV? Send its specs through MantelMount’s Install Calculator so you can be sure before you buy. Different Types of TV Mounts & Brackets When buying a TV mount, it’s also important to understand the different types of wall mounts and brackets. From fixed to full motion TV wall mount, viewers can pick a TV mount that not only matches their home’s aesthetic, but also their TV-viewing preferences. Read up on these common TV bracket terms so you know exactly what you’re buying the next time you’re searching for the right wall mount. Fixed TV Mounts The fixed bracket is the most common type of TV mount — it’s also the easiest to install. Fixed brackets are a great option for those that want a low profile mount. One downside to having a fixed bracket mount, however, is that they do not allow for screen adjustment like a tilt or swivel bracket. Tilt TV Mounts A tilting TV wall mount is similar to a fixed mount in that it’s also relatively low profile. Tilting mounts, however, allow viewers to position the screen slightly downward. This is a great option for those who mount a TV high on a wall like in a bedroom or to keep out of reach of a small child. If you still have questions about choosing the right mount, we cover the difference between tilting vs articulating TV mounts. Pull Down TV Mounts Pull down TV brackets are a popular type of bracket due to their capacity of movement and can be used to adjust your TV to the optimal height. Pull down TV bracket mounts, like the MM340 Standard, MM540 Enhanced, MM700 Premier, or MantelMount’s latest (the MM815 Motorized), for instance, have a vertical travel movement, swivel capabilities, in addition to the ability to tilt. Full Motion TV Mounts If you’re looking for even more motion from your TV mount, you may want to consider a mount with a full motion bracket. Full motion brackets tilt and swivel, allowing TV watchers not only to adjust the angle of their screen up and down but also side to side. In some cases, up to 180°. Many full motion and swivel mounts feature single or dual arms that allow the device to achieve dynamic motion. How Do I Choose the Right TV Mount for My Space and My TV? There are always considerations to make when picking the right TV mount for your TV and your home. Consider things like how you like to watch TV. Do you want TV from a couch? In that case, consider finding a mount that allows you to place the television at eye-level and at the correct distance, using the 8:1 rule . Do you watch TV as you lay in bed? Then you may want to consider a tilting wall mount. Or maybe you’re working with limited space and a low-profile fixed mount could be right for you. Whatever your motivation may be, familiarizing yourself with the right TV bracket and mount terminology will only help you in your search to find the perfect TV mount and make an informed decision, and investment, for your home.

So, you’ve found the perfect flat screen tv for your space but you have no way to install it onto your wall. It’s time to look for a great tv wall mount, but where to start and what considerations should you make?  A great place to start, when searching for a new all mount, is to consider your tv room’s layout. Does your family have an open concept room where your tv is located so you need an articulating tv mount? Or do you have your tv in a bedroom so you are looking for a tilting tv mount? Before making a purchase, you may have simple questions like, “What is an articulating tv mount?”or “What is a tilting tv mount?” It’s also possible to have more in-depth questions regarding wall mounts and wall material like how to mount a tv into stone or brick. There are many different ways that a tv can mount to a wall ranging from tilting to panning and swiveling to rotating to articulating. Many tv mounts do just as their names suggest but to ensure descriptions are correct before shopping, we’re here to guide you through understanding what type of wall mounts are available. A panning tv mount is capable of panning the television left and right but is stationary in the action so it angles the tv. Similarly, a swivel tv mount also moves the television left and right but does so through moving in a horizontal motion — side to side — but does not angle the television.  A rotating mount, on the other hand, is not as popular of a tv mount due to its capability to rotate vertically and most tv-watchers desiring a horizontal viewing experience. A rotational mount, however, is useful for the fitness gurus out there that utilize a vertical experience with working out at home. Many at home tv viewers utilize a tilting tv mount or, especially due to its features, an articulating tv mount, but it is important to understand what they are before buying. What Is a Tilting TV Mount? A tilting tv mount is a fairly simple tv mount that tilts the screen. If you have ever used a camera that is fixed to a tripod, that camera does what a tilting tv mount does: moves up and down from the fulcrum. Although tilting a tv up so the tv is angled more towards a ceiling might not be useful — save for the instances in which there might be glare on the tv screen — tilting the tv downward can help create a better tv-viewing experience if you have to place your screen higher on the wall. When using a tilting tv mount, it is important to take into consideration how high on the wall your tv will be mounted. If the tv is mounted too low on the wall and it tilts down, it might lend to a worse angle than if it was a fixed tv that was not on a mount.  Tilting tv mounts are relatively common with simple technology. So what is an articulating tv mount and what are the disadvantages and advantages of each of the types of mounts? We’ll continue to look into that next. What Is an Articulating TV Mount? An articulating tv mount is a mount that combines the three aspects of panning, tilting, and swiveling; and as all movements are able to be used with these types of tv mounts, articulating mounts can also be referred to as full motion tv mounts. The flexibility of the range of movements in which the tv can be viewed when seated and standing are often attractive for those who own articulating tv mounts. One drawback, however, of an articulating mount is that there needs to be enough room for the movement of the mount for the user to be able to sufficiently utilize the mount to its fullest capabilities.  If you know what an articulating mount is, then you might think that you would need an articulated tv bracket. With an articulated tv bracket, a television viewer is able to take advantage of all of the ways that the articulating mount can be used rather than solely being able to utilize the panning or tilting aspects. An articulated tv bracket would be needed for a tv mount that does not include, in most cases, the panning capabilities to make the mount a full motion tv mount. Deciding Between an Articulating Vs Tilting Wall Mount Whether you’re waffling between an articulating vs tilting wall mount, or thinking about incorporating a different type of tv mount in the decision making process, it is important to take into account all of the factors including weight of the television, the wall material, the room layout and the size of the room that the mount will be in, the price, the lifespan of the mount, and even the ease of using the mount.  MantelMount is the choice for many tv owners who are seeking an enriched and relaxing time watching television while having options for tv placement including pulling down, tilting, and swiveling. With a MantelMount tv mount, a tv user can view their favorite shows, movies, or other programs with a mount that provides a vertical travel distance from anywhere between 26” to 30.5”, a swivel of up to 60 degrees in one way, and adjustable tilts. Whether you purchase a gateway tv mount like the MM340 Standard Pull Down TV Mount or a more advanced model like the MM540, MantelMount can help improve your tv-viewing experience. Whether you are deciding between an articulating vs tilting wall mount or your decision includes any other type of tv wall mount, if the verdict is to purchase a MantelMount tv wall mount, make sure to use the video guides and call our friendly and knowledgeable installers for any installation assistance.

Whether you’ve recently moved in or have been living in your apartment for a few years, making a rental your own requires some creativity. Projects like hanging artwork, painting walls, and upgrading hardware could cost you your security deposit and cause you to pay a hefty price for some small improvements. Luckily, with a little elbow grease and a plan, any rental can be transformed into a more permanent-feeling space without sacrificing the security deposit. One of the biggest questions that hangs over renters' heads is whether or not they can mount a tv on the wall. Many leases prohibit renters from drilling holes in the wall, so it goes without saying that drilling into the drywall for a tv bracket would be very hard to cover up when it comes time to move. The obvious way around this obstacle is to find a renter-friendly TV mount — one that doesn’t require any drilling or placement on a wall. But if you’re working with limited space, placing your tv on a tabletop might not be an option! If you’re curious about how to go about mounting a TV in an apartment, we’ve got some tips for you renters out there. Why Mount a TV in a Rental Unit? According to the Census Bureau and Pew Research Center, there are 20 million rental properties in the United States. A majority of rentals are apartments, located in a complex or a large building with multiple units, but some landlords opt to rent out a single home, leasing individual rooms or floors. Regardless of the set up, the average size of an apartment is 882 square feet and the smallest apartments in the country are located in Seattle, Chicago, and New York. So it should be no surprise that when it comes to storing larger items like TVs, shelving, and storage units, renters look to their walls as a space-saving solution. Mounting your flat screen on the wall also frees up tabletop space that’s essential for other storage in a small rental. Placing a large item, like a TV, on the wall, makes tabletops and countertops available for storing game consoles, books, lamps, plants, and organizers to keep miscellaneous items tidy. But if you’re nervous about drilling into the wall, we don’t blame you. Consider an apartment-friendly TV mount, instead. Best Renter-Friendly Tv Mounts Even if you are hesitant to drill a hole for a wall mount, if you fill the hole and paint over it before you move out, you could easily walk away with your security deposit and piece of mind. If you aren’t ready to take the plunge and drill into your walls, there are other options for apartment-friendly mounts that don’t require any drilling. Pillar Standing TV Mount Some retailers offer furniture options that mimic the space-saving solution of mounting your tv. For instance, Wayfair’s Allejah TV Stand offers a sturdy, free standing tv mount that eliminates the need for a bulky entertainment console. You can adjust the height of this pillar TV stand to achieve the right viewing experience, and at just 26” at its base, this pillar stand is a great, low-profile way to hang a television without making holes. Corner TV Stands & Consoles Renters can also utilize each square foot of their apartment with corner-storage solutions. The Banaz Corner TV Stand from Wayfair tucks a 55” flat screen TV seamlessly into any corner while also offering cabinet space to tuck away game consoles and electronics, and exposed shelves for displaying your favorite decor items like books, a tabletop clock, or photos. No Stud TV Wall Mount If after reviewing furniture options, the best space-saving option is still to mount your television on the wall in your apartment, you can try the No Stud TV Wall Mount from Amazon to free up tabletop and floor space in your rental. This option allows renters to hang a tv without drilling because this bracket is secured into place with nails and comes with a foam backing to protect the wall behind. Once you nail the No Stud TV Wall Mount into place and you install the counter piece to the back of your TV, your flat screen locks into the bracket to seamlessly hang on the wall. When you’re ready to move, taking the TV off the wall is as easy as lifting the flat screen out of the locking mechanism and filling the nail holes with a little bit of spackling. How to Mount a TV in an Apartment If the no stud solution and furniture options won’t suffice, you’ll have to take extreme care to safely mount your tv into an apartment wall without causing unnecessary damage. Creating drill holes is much more permanent than a small hole created with a hammer and nail, so it’s important to create a plan and follow TV mounting best practices before going forward with installation. What You’ll Need: An awl #2 Phillips screwdriver Electric drill Drill bit A set of Allen wrenches Bubble level Stud finder Open end/box end wrench Socket wrench   Step 1. Check with your landlord. The first step is to check with your landlord. As unpleasant as it may be, giving your landlord a heads up will go a long way. If something should happen during the installation process, you won’t have to send an email after something has gone wrong. Start by asking about the building’s policy on TV mounting. If it’s a strict no, you may have to use the no stud solution or squeeze your flat screen onto a tabletop. You can also ask neighbors how they went about hanging their TV without making holes or, if they did make holes in the process, how do they intend to cover them up? On the other hand, your landlord may agree to let you mount your TV in your apartment as long as you pay to have any damage fixed. In which case, you can reassure your landlord that any holes will be patched by asking what color paint they used in the room. That way, you can keep a sample size of the paint color handy when it’s time to move. Step 2. Find the right location. We’ve talked extensively about finding the right location for a TV. Whether that involves choosing the right height for TV-viewing or creating a focal point in an open floor plan, before you start drilling, hammering, or placing your apartment-friendly TV mount in the television room, you need to first pick the right wall. If you’re still having difficulty visualizing where to put your TV, you can easily create an outline on the wall in a way that won’t cause damage to the paint or drywall. Measure the dimensions of your television and mark them on the wall with a pencil. Then, take a roll of painter’s tape and create the outline of your TV. If you need to adjust, you can simply pull up the painter’s tape and try again. Step 3. Locate any studs in the wall. Once you’ve determined the right location for your TV, it’s time to locate studs. You can of course hang your TV without studs using strong mollies, but a more renter-friendly method that is less damaging to the wall is to secure your wall mount into studs. The most efficient way to find studs in the wall is to use a stud finder. These can easily be purchased at your local hardware store or online. Once you have your stud finder, hold it to the wall you wish to use to display the television. If the stud finder beeps while scanning the wall, this indicates there’s a stud under the drywall. You can also test by knocking lightly along the wall with your knuckles to hear for any hollow spots — these are spots to avoid. Once you’ve confirmed you’ve found studs, mark the stud’s center with a pencil. Step 4. Make sure your measurements are level. You may need a partner for this step. Once you’ve indicated where your pilot holes will go, have a friend or family member hold the bracket’s slats over the marks. Place your bubble level on top of the bracket and ensure it sits level. If not, you may need to adjust one of the pilot holes slightly up or down so your TV sits straight. It’s important to verify this before drilling because once you start creating holes, it can be very difficult to troubleshoot without causing additional damage to the wall. And — as all renters know — pristine walls mean a happy landlord when it comes time to move out. Step 5. Mark & drill your pilot holes. To properly mount a TV in your apartment, you’ll have to create drill holes that are the correct size for your TV mount. Typically, a ¼” drill will work, but this can vary depending on the unique specs of your tv mount. As the saying goes in sewing, “measure twice and cut once”. Remeasure your TV, the bracket and mount, and double check that the drill hole marks you’ve made on the wall line up with your TV mount’s slats. When all of your measurements look correct, drill your holes into the studs. For TV mounting advice, always confer with the TV mount instruction manual or customer care line for the mount you decided to use. If you’re buying a MantelMount TV mount, you can always consult our FAQ for TV mounting tips, or call our customer service team with any questions that come up as you get ready to install your wall mount. Step 6. Attach your bracket to the wall & your TV to the bracket. Clear the drill dust out of your freshly-made pilot holes, add washers to the end of your screws, and secure the bracket to the wall through the bracket slats. Attach the tv mounting plate to the back of the TV and, with a partner, line up the TV mount with the bracket on the wall according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If you rent, there’s no need to feel discouraged about working within the limitations of your lease. There are plenty of ways to make your temporary living situation feel more like a permanent home. And be sure to check out MantelMount’s word-class TV mounts and TV accessories, if you’re in the market for a new flat screen mount.