Wall and Ceiling Mounting of TV, VCR, and DVD

by Brian Simkins

The latest technological developments with television sets, coupled with a marked increase in the popularity of sleek interior design, has led a boom in the trend of hanging flat screen televisions and their peripherals on the wall or from the ceiling. A whole new world of possibilities has been opened up with regard to incorporating the entertainment center into the design and function of a room. In the past, a sitting room may have been very well decorated, but was broken up by the presence of a television set or a large entertainment center that was just haphazardly dropped into the room. Now, the entertainment system is taken into account and serves as an integral part of the rooms overall design and function. The television no longer sits obtrusively in the room; the television instead enhances the space and makes it even more comfortable. While the entertainment pieces themselves can be quite pricey, it is good to know that they hardware and equipment needed to mount them on the ceiling or wall is affordable and not to difficult to install.

The first step is to determine what kind of mounting hardware you need. The best way to do this is to go ahead and design your space. Figure out if you want to hang the television over the fireplace, on the big flat wall at the end of the room, or if you want to mount it at an angle in the corner of the room. The possibilities are endless, so feel free to be creative with your design. The second step is to figure out where you want to put your accessories. While the television might work very well up in a high corner, it’s probably not a good idea to mount the DVD player or VCR right up there with it. You will get frustrated very quickly if you have to get out a stepladder every time you want to load a DVD into the player. It is best if you can find an out of the way corner or some unobtrusive shelf to house them. Don’t forget to also design the placement of your surround sound speakers. If you’ve decided where to put the television, then you’ve probably already figured out how your furniture is going to be laid out. Decide before you begin where you want to locate the speakers so that you can get the wires pulled to the correct locations before you begin the installation.

That leads us to the next step. You need to make sure that electricity and speaker wire, coax or whatever other kind of cables that you are using are accessible. Ideally, you are working in a new construction setting and you can design your space and have the electrician install boxes with the appropriate hook ups wherever you need them. If you are working in an existing space, then you will need to retro fit and electrical outlet behind the television and will need to use a fish tape to pull the various speaker wires and cables to the proper locations. This can be a bit of a pain, but if you utilize the space in your attic or in your basement, then you can run the wires without to much trouble to the correct locations.

Once you know where everything is going to go and you have all of the necessary cables and power supplies run to the correct locations, its time to begin hanging the hardware and mounting brackets. There are a lot of home improvement projects where it probably okay to vary from the manufacturers specific instructions in order to make things fit better or to meet your custom needs. Altering the mounting the bracket that will hold your very expensive entertainment equipment is NOT one of those times. You need to follow the manufacturer’s instructions to the letter to insure that your investment is safe while it is hanging several feet above the floor. This is not a good time to get creative and to put your own engineering skills to the test. Another thought concerning strength: Though the manufacturer probably included some anchors with the bracket so you could mount it into drywall, it is always better if you can secure the mounting hardware directly into a wall stud. Drywall anchors are great, but they can and do fail, especially if the drywall were to get wet for some reason. It doesn’t seem like a possibility when you think about it, but what happens if your kids overflow the bathtub on the second floor that happens to be right over the wall where your television is mounted? Take the time to find the studs. It’s worth it.

If you do decide to hang your DVD and VCR, you may want to consider a system that has pull out shelves instead of static ones. The ability to pull out the shelves will give you easier access to the cables on the back of the implements and will make it easier to use and top loading machines. You shouldn’t have to shop very hard to find this kind of shelf system.

The final step is to call your neighbors, pour the drinks and host a party to watch the next big game. They can’t help but be impressed when they see the fully function entertainment system that you now have. Impress them further by telling them how you installed the entire thing yourself. They will regret every penny that they spent having the dealer come in and hook up their systems. Better yet, install the wall-mounted television in your bedroom and set aside and entire Saturday to spend in bed watching movies. Now you are living. It doesn’t get any more decadent than that.