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- 9 Sep 2025
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Hi All,
I have managed to get brain freeze on attaching a TV and bracket to a dot and dabbed plasterboarded chimney breast. The twist here is I previously located the plugs at a fixed height thinking it would be ideal for the TV. Cue life and trying to do a million other things and so now I don't know how the electrician chased the cable although I am sure its going down and hence makes fixing the bracket there a challenge.
I can fix a bracket above the plugs but then it will leak to a crink in the neck - but if I position it at a correct height without a too much of a tilt then its 30cm below the plugs and is in the electrics zone. I don't fancy trying to use screwdrivers and detectors so wanted to know the best way to use CLS timber to perhaps make an upside down U with 3x2 timber and attach some 18 or 25mm plywood as a spreader?
I need to ensure there are cut outs for the plugs as the horizontal support will be above the plugs and will help reduce the load or shear (forget which matters here).
I plan to fit a 65" led (right now its a heavy old 55 panny plasma) - and I plan to use a cantilever bracket that I already used in the old house (difference there was no electrical plugs in the way and could fix to a solid masonry wall).
To further complicate things I got rid of the old fireplace and wanted to fit a newer horizontal LED one - of course it won't fit in the old recess so I am making a slim frame for it to project out 6 inches altogether - I like the idea of the fireplace projecting out slightly but didn't want to do this for the whole chimney breast as I preferred to keep the TV above the fireplace and recessed. I may end up just building it all out to make it even.
For reference - Laser line in the pic shows where the fake fireplace will end - then I will have a gap for small shelf. The plugs are located at 140cm off the ground (muppet move in hindsight).
Does anyone have any suggestions about what they think would work best?
1. Build out the framing to match what will be made for the the fireplace below (140cm width / 60cm height / 15cm depth) - and use the timber and double up where the TV bracket will be over some plywood over 3x2s). is 3x2 sufficient?
2. Don't build out the framing any more than required and just create the plywood spreader where needed and fix 3x2 timber either side of the plugs and above and secure the bracket using bolts/screws as needed. I would use fischer DDF fixings for the timbers where it's in the "safe zone" and make a ladder - fixing edge face on the wall for the vertical supports.
I would also add some horizontal timbers where the bracket would go but these would be fixed to the verticals and not the masonry as that would be the cable area. I would use 70cm width to distribute the load and still ensure its hidden behind the TV and fix the bracket to the plwyood and timber underneath.
TIA forum members!
I have managed to get brain freeze on attaching a TV and bracket to a dot and dabbed plasterboarded chimney breast. The twist here is I previously located the plugs at a fixed height thinking it would be ideal for the TV. Cue life and trying to do a million other things and so now I don't know how the electrician chased the cable although I am sure its going down and hence makes fixing the bracket there a challenge.
I can fix a bracket above the plugs but then it will leak to a crink in the neck - but if I position it at a correct height without a too much of a tilt then its 30cm below the plugs and is in the electrics zone. I don't fancy trying to use screwdrivers and detectors so wanted to know the best way to use CLS timber to perhaps make an upside down U with 3x2 timber and attach some 18 or 25mm plywood as a spreader?
I need to ensure there are cut outs for the plugs as the horizontal support will be above the plugs and will help reduce the load or shear (forget which matters here).
I plan to fit a 65" led (right now its a heavy old 55 panny plasma) - and I plan to use a cantilever bracket that I already used in the old house (difference there was no electrical plugs in the way and could fix to a solid masonry wall).
To further complicate things I got rid of the old fireplace and wanted to fit a newer horizontal LED one - of course it won't fit in the old recess so I am making a slim frame for it to project out 6 inches altogether - I like the idea of the fireplace projecting out slightly but didn't want to do this for the whole chimney breast as I preferred to keep the TV above the fireplace and recessed. I may end up just building it all out to make it even.
For reference - Laser line in the pic shows where the fake fireplace will end - then I will have a gap for small shelf. The plugs are located at 140cm off the ground (muppet move in hindsight).
Does anyone have any suggestions about what they think would work best?
1. Build out the framing to match what will be made for the the fireplace below (140cm width / 60cm height / 15cm depth) - and use the timber and double up where the TV bracket will be over some plywood over 3x2s). is 3x2 sufficient?
2. Don't build out the framing any more than required and just create the plywood spreader where needed and fix 3x2 timber either side of the plugs and above and secure the bracket using bolts/screws as needed. I would use fischer DDF fixings for the timbers where it's in the "safe zone" and make a ladder - fixing edge face on the wall for the vertical supports.
I would also add some horizontal timbers where the bracket would go but these would be fixed to the verticals and not the masonry as that would be the cable area. I would use 70cm width to distribute the load and still ensure its hidden behind the TV and fix the bracket to the plwyood and timber underneath.
TIA forum members!
