Mounted TV, but worried I missed the stud(?)


  #1  
Old 04-28-14, 10:10 AM
D
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 2
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Mounted TV, but worried I missed the stud(?)

(hope this is the right sub-forum; if not feel free to move)

I mounted a 32" flat-screen (only weights 20 lbs.) using this Cheetah wall mount that's certified up to 66 lbs.

I used a stud-finder, and I'm 95% sure I pre-drilled the 2 holes for the mounting bracket smack in the middle of the wooden stud.

Here's what I'm a little worried about, though: the mount bracket looks like this:


The upper 2" hex bolt felt like it went in really straight and solid. HOWEVER, the lower hex bolt started off going in nice and solid, but then began to feel like it was going in "too easy" if that makes sense. I realized that it was also going in at, like, a 15-degree downward angle, instead of perfectly perpendicular to the wall...but I didn't want to pull it out b/c I was worried the hole it created was already too big and I'd have to remove the upper bolt and make 2 new holes in my wall. Unfortunately, the last few twists of the bottom bolt felt like there was next to no resistance at all, and now it literally spins almost freely, even though it's all the way in (is there a name for this? It's not "stripped"...it's just that it's not "grabbing" at all)

So 2 questions:

1. What caused the bottom bolt to not "grab" like the upper one. I'm nearly positive it's in the middle of the stud...could it be because it went in at a 15-degree angle?

2. And the more important question: I hung the TV, and it feels pretty solid...but ugh i have a nightmare of it falling off the wall. BUT keep in mind: it's only a 20-lb. TV, the mount is certified for up to 66 lbs., and like I said, the UPPER hex bolt went in super super solid, and I feel somewhat confident could hold it on its own, even if the lower hex bolt isn't doing much. I know the "conservative" advice would be to remove both bolts and re-mount it a few inches lower, BUT i want to know, pragmatically, am I probably OK? (I also worry that drilling two new holes into the stud just a couple inches lower might be disastrous b/c there's already the 2 original ones I drilled...could the stud integrity be compromised?)
 
  #2  
Old 04-28-14, 07:10 PM
PJmax's Avatar
Group Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Jersey
Posts: 64,929
Received 3,949 Upvotes on 3,542 Posts
Welcome to the forums.

I have to tell you I'm a little bit leery of two bolt mounts in a single stud..... especially when the TV can be swiveled away from the wall.

I'm pretty sure you are not centered on the beam and it may have split close to the edge. When you are installing an item that requires absolute centering you use a small(very thin)punch to go thru the sheetrock to physically locate the exact sides of beam. It may require several small holes to find the edges but it is important.

I would move the bracket a couple of inches and remount it. Make sure you don't overlap existing holes. You could use your good top hole for the bottom of the bracket and redrill the top one.

What length lags are you using.... possible a little short ?
 
  #3  
Old 04-28-14, 07:36 PM
R
Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: USA
Posts: 646
Upvotes: 0
Received 67 Upvotes on 52 Posts
Something else to think about is you may be very close to hole drilled for the wiring, it could be the cause of looseness? I know, not something to be thinking but you never know.
 
  #4  
Old 04-29-14, 09:57 AM
D
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 2
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
What length lags are you using.... possible a little short ?
They're actually rather long: 2" lag bolts and...um, not sure about the width but they feel quite heavy duty...i think possibly 11mm.

The reading I've been doing online today has suggested that these heavy-duty 2" lag bolts are incredibly secure when properly drilled, and I'm inferring from that that I'll *probably* be OK with just the 1 doing most of the supporting...again NOT ideal, but...thoughts?

Also, *IF* I decide to remove and redrill, say, a few inches lower (can't move it up using my good top hole, though good idea), how big of a concern is the integrity of the stud, now that it's had two large-ish holes drilled through it on my first attempt? i.e. if I now make two more holes 2 inches below my original ones, is there a concern that the stud could splinter / break? (Is there a rule of thumb when it comes to how much distance you should put between old and new holes? Like...you obv wouldn't want to just move 5mm lower...)
 
  #5  
Old 04-29-14, 11:33 AM
PJmax's Avatar
Group Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Jersey
Posts: 64,929
Received 3,949 Upvotes on 3,542 Posts
You could try redrilling the bottom hole in an upward angle.... opposite of the angle you went down to see if you can catch solid wood. Moving the bracket 2" shouldn't present a problem.

Ron raised a valid point in reference to the lag finding the hole that was drilled for a cable in the wall.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: