Any hints or suggestions on mounting a flat screen LCD to the fireplace?

doraemonkerpal

doraemonkerpal

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Hey CAGs,

A family member of mine bought a new TV and wants to mount it above his fireplace (he never uses the fireplace hehe). How easy would it be to mount it on the fireplace? Or if you all think that would be too serious of a job, would anybody be able to recommend a place that can do it for him in southern California? Thanks in advance!

doraemonkerpal
 
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I love seeing commercials where people's tv's fall off the wall, especially that one where the guy throws the controller at the screen while they're playing the baseball game.
 
I know someone who just did it themselves and it was a pain. Basically the drilled through the brick and anchor a piece of wood to the fireplace. The wood was wrapped completely with a fire retardent material to be on the safe side. Then they mounted the lcd tv onto the piece of wood. I would say between running the cable, electrical, and mounting the tv they spent 2 weekends on the project. Just to add they really knew what they were doing as well. Pay a professional would be my suggestion.
 
[quote name='kjauburn']I know someone who just did it themselves and it was a pain. Basically the drilled through the brick and anchor a piece of wood to the fireplace. The wood was wrapped completely with a fire retardent material to be on the safe side. Then they mounted the lcd tv onto the piece of wood. I would say between running the cable, electrical, and mounting the tv they spent 2 weekends on the project. Just to add they really knew what they were doing as well. Pay a professional would be my suggestion.[/quote]

That underboard technique works I have seen it done with FRT plywood painted with heat resistant black paint.
Question: Does the fireplace have gas logs in it or is it the real-deal (some of those gas logs pump out even more BTU's than a real-fireplace and might melt the bezel).

If you are not sure at all I wouldn't try and DIY (Destroy-it-yourself).
When in doubt in a situation like this- call a pro.
 
Not worth it. First of all you probably have to drill into the brick and permanently mess up your home. Second of all, who wants to look up way above the fireplace to watch TV. Third, what about connections to the TV, wires, inputs, etc. Unless they barely use the TV it is a bad idea. It's one of those things where its completely aesthetics above functionality/practicality.
 
What are you mounting the TV on? Is it brick, stone, drywall? Is there a chimney behind it, or is it just a gas insert fireplace? If there's no chimney and you're mounting into drywall you could get away with the wall mounting kits they sell in just about every electronics department/store. Just make sure you hang it on studs.. Concealing the wires would probably be the hardest part of it all.

Also, might want to check if the TV looks good when viewed at a lower angle. A lot of LCD TVs lose their picture quality if they're mounted a lot higher than the viewing position, not to mention you'll get a sore neck.
 
[quote name='J7.']Not worth it. First of all you probably have to drill into the brick and permanently mess up your home. Second of all, who wants to look up way above the fireplace to watch TV. Third, what about connections to the TV, wires, inputs, etc. Unless they barely use the TV it is a bad idea. It's one of those things where its completely aesthetics above functionality/practicality.[/QUOTE]

I agree. I just mounted my LCD on a bare wall last night, and I already regret how high it is. Eye level for where you sit should be about center of the screen, unless you're sitting 15' back or something.

MjC
 
These are all good points. Thanks for the suggestions and comments everybody.

It's a wood burning, brick fireplace that he never uses. The downstairs living room is quite small and it's an odd layout. I'll see if I can draw something on MS Paint (LOL) to show the layout and maybe you all can get a better picture of his situation. Thanks.
 
I've mounted one on a wall with stone before. I took a masonary drill bit and drilled out pilot holes, then I took larger screws (self tapping, ya I know I already drilled pilot holes, but self tapers hold better) and mounted a TV bracket from lowes on to the wall. Hardest part is getting the bracket to sit flush with the stone, because most of the stone is uneven. (Then consealing the wires was a bit tricky also) Mounting it wasn't hard, but in your situation with a fireplace, you would have to weight the risks. Also, the stone on my wall is cultured stone, so it's only about 2 inches thick. I would think that the fireplace would be the same, but if its a very old home, it may be pure stone.
 
[quote name='MCalvert1']I agree. I just mounted my LCD on a bare wall last night, and I already regret how high it is. Eye level for where you sit should be about center of the screen, unless you're sitting 15' back or something.

MjC[/quote]

The mounts that I like he best have been about 6-8 inches above eye level with an adjustable mount with the LCD tilted about 12-15% downward. It's nice how that cuts the glare and reduces the dust build-up on the screen.
 
Ok, here is what I came up with in Microsoft paint. The light blue colors represent sliding doors, a door, the hallway and a window. The unnamed brown object is a bar/cabinet and the red, slanted piece in the corner is the fireplace. Also, the greyed out area is a slope in the ceiling because of the staircase, and nothing would be functional in that space.

livingroomls4.png


The home was built in the 1970's I believe.
 
This is doable. Get a hammer drill for the bit. They run ~30 and will save a headache of drilling. It will take literally seconds to pop holes in the bricks.

Also check out a cantilever armed mount they run $100+ ($45+50 Shipping on ebay even). They will allow you to bring the TV away from the weal and tilt it down and at an angle to give the best position while viewing. They will then allow you to twist two nuts (Wing nut type I believe) and move it back flush to the fireplace when not in use.

The angle will be taken care of. The wires on the other hand will be a more difficult part.
 
I'd rearrange the sofa and do a REPAIRABLE mount on the wall. Fudge the dining table, you should just eat on the couch if you're going to watch tv while eating.
 
[quote name='freshzen']I'd rearrange the sofa and do a REPAIRABLE mount on the wall. Fudge the dining table, you should just eat on the couch if you're going to watch tv while eating.[/quote]

The problem with that solution is it's an "L" shaped couch. If they moved it to the dining room area, it would block off access to the kitchen and the hallway. Either that or it would stick out right in front of the fireplace at an odd angle. Also, there is a chandelier above the dining room table which they would have to move as well.
 
[quote name='doraemonkerpal']The problem with that solution is it's an "L" shaped couch. If they moved it to the dining room area, it would block off access to the kitchen and the hallway. Either that or it would stick out right in front of the fireplace at an odd angle. Also, there is a chandelier above the dining room table which they would have to move as well.[/QUOTE]


If your looking for an alternative get the mount I mentioned and mount it above the bar. That way you can repair the wall if needed, you have no heat issues, you can hide the wiring inside the wall (clean look), you wont have to sit oddly on the couch to get a good view of the TV, and if you get a three way adjustable one you can push it against the wall when done.

apamm_slr4.jpg


Ebay Item# 230204906516
 
[quote name='J7.']Not worth it. First of all you probably have to drill into the brick and permanently mess up your home. Second of all, who wants to look up way above the fireplace to watch TV. Third, what about connections to the TV, wires, inputs, etc. Unless they barely use the TV it is a bad idea. It's one of those things where its completely aesthetics above functionality/practicality.[/quote]

I agree 100% here. It's tough enough to hang a TV on a wall and run all the cables behind, etc. Drilling through brick just doesn't seem like a good idea... but if you must, velcro solves everything!!
 
Have a pro do it, I would only consider having doing it yourself, if it was normal wall fish install.


http://www.myinstall.net/id6.html

(this guy started his own buisness , I can vouch for this guy. I've seen his installs from a co-worker)


or

http://www.flexinstalls.com/

(I can't say much, just did a quick search via craigs)


It will cost anywhere from $100-$250 ( that's with the mount and wall fishing included)
 
masonry screws and bits arent that hard to find (home depot, etc) and are MUCH cheaper than a pro install. Also, the people at your local hardware store SHOULD be able to help you figure out how to do it (it isn't too hard). as long as the bricks dont crumble while drilling into them, it will be sturdy enough to hold the TV. hiding the wires might be a bit of a pain, but if that is where he wants it, hes better off.

Two other options:
put it where the bar is (better viewing angle anywho) or just put something in front of the fireplace (like a TV stand)
 
Drill your pilot holes, use plastic anchors in the holes, put your screws into the anchors. Very simple project, my 300 lbs tool box is mounted this way on brick in my garage with 2 screws and it has been up without falling for over 6 years. Go to home depot and tell them what you are doing and they will help you find the masonary drill bit and screws with anchors it will cost you less then 20 bucks. Hiding your wires is going to be the challange.
 
Great ideas, comments & suggestions everybody. I'll be visiting him soon and will go through every single point you all mentioned. I'll probably try and persuade him to put it on the wall above the bar/cabinet because we don't have much experience with tools. The most I've ever accomplished for home improvement would be installing hardwood floors & tiles. This sounds like it'll be a little more technical than my previous project. :lol:

Thanks for all your help! :)
 
[quote name='doraemonkerpal']Hey CAGs,

A family member of mine bought a new TV and wants to mount it above his fireplace (he never uses the fireplace hehe). How easy would it be to mount it on the fireplace? Or if you all think that would be too serious of a job, would anybody be able to recommend a place that can do it for him in southern California? Thanks in advance!

doraemonkerpal[/quote]

what's he gonna do, turn it on to a cracklin' fire? wouldn't it be on the floor anyways? why not above the fireplace? or is it a brick chimney stack?
 
[quote name='doraemonkerpal']Great ideas, comments & suggestions everybody. I'll be visiting him soon and will go through every single point you all mentioned. I'll probably try and persuade him to put it on the wall above the bar/cabinet because we don't have much experience with tools. The most I've ever accomplished for home improvement would be installing hardwood floors & tiles. This sounds like it'll be a little more technical than my previous project. :lol:

Thanks for all your help! :)[/QUOTE]

If you have done a complete tile floor then you should have no problems here. Just because it has some electrical plugs does not mean its hard.

Good luck.
 
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