Mounting TV Wall Bracket

[huddie71]

I've bought a TV wall bracket and when I opened the instructions I found it says it should only be mounted by a professional. It indicates that a "3/16 drill bit, 1/2" masonry bit" is needed. I'm a complete DIY novice with no skills and all I have is a general purpose, £40 drill with a hammer option. It's good enough for drilling into masonry to, say, hang a picture, but I'm not sure if it's adequate for this task. Also, I don't have the required bit, just the normal sized masonry one you'd use for everyday pictures, brackets, etc. I'm not sure what size it is but it's only a fraction of the size of the lag bolts that come with the bracket.

I was wondering should I get a handyman with a proper masonry drill to do this for me, or go and buy the aforementioned bit and try using my own drill to do it ? It's not a stud wall so as far as I'm aware it's brick, though it could also be cinder block as I don't know what that is. The bracket can only be mounted on masonry. If you're interested, the TV bracket is a Levv WB2337TB and I'm mounting a new 32" TV on it. Any advice from someone who knows about this stuff would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ChrisFrost]

Well firstly the bracket instruction state professional install only because the world is full of idiots and ambulance chasing lawyers ready and willing to convince them that their stupidity is someone else's fault.

Second, if you really don't know what you are doing then by all means get a DIY man in. Fitting a wall bracket isn't brain surgery, but if you aren't confident dealing with whatever is lurking beneath the plaster then it'll be the safer course of action.

If you decide to go DIY then the net is full of 'how to' guides both written and videos to give hou an idea. Your drill will be fine for brick or breezeblock. Just get the right size drill bits to match the bolts or plugs you are using.

 

[huddie71]

Thanks ChrisFrost. I agree with your comments about ambulance chasers, etc. Just wonder how I'd know if the wall is cinder block or masonry and also if my drill's powerful enough.

 

[ChrisFrost]

Your drill: lower cost drills have less powerful motors which means it takes a bit longer to drill the hole; that's all there is to it really. If you want to make it easier you can drill the holes with a thinner bit first then use a larger bit to open them out.

What the wall is made of: use you smaller masonry bit and drill a test hole. Bricks are made of clay. Clay is red. If the dust is red then you have brisk. Breeze or cinder block dust is grey.

 

[Sam Gangee]

If the dust is red then you have brisk

Or even "bricks".

And if there's a bang and sparks come out, you've found electrical wiring!

(My mate once hit a gas pipe inside a cavity wall. That was fun! Luckily, he'd just extinguished a cigarette and the gas board was VERY quick to come out.)

 

[ChrisFrost]

Or even "bricks".

No, definitely "brisk" Don't ya just love predictive text when replying to forums on a mobile ha ha ha

And if there's a bang and sparks come out, you've found electrical wiring!

That made me lol

 

[huddie71]

Thanks all. Got the necessary drill bit from a mate, who is pretty sure it's brick and not cinder block. Will have a go tomorrow. If you don't hear back from me you can assume I've electrocuted or blown myself up.

 

[EFCLee1]

Am guessing you had it done by now so if anyone else needs advice my 2 pence worth!!

I had no issues fitting mine, I knocked all my plaster off the wall which served 2 purposes

1. It allowed me to see every brick of the wall the bracket was being installed to so positioned in such a way that each of the 8 bolts were going into brick as oppose to mortar

2. My bracket has a large clearance off the wall so it decreased it by just short of an inch, paid £70 in maplin and soon as I seen it I knew it was going to make the TV look quite a distance from the wall, so I Only knocked off plaster the size of the bracket which meant the TV was closer to the wall when mounted

I went straight in with the right size bit and I buy the cheap nasty ones that ya throw away when there blunt


Hope this helps anyone!

 

[Sam Gangee]

Drilling brick and NOT into the mortar between bricks is important.

A gap between wall and TV is essential for ventilation. 100mm is desirable. If you decrease that, you'll also decrease the life of the TV. Having a decent gap also makes it easier to fit connections.

If you really don't like a gap, fit a swing bracket that lets you put the TV against the wall when not in use.

 

[Monkeh]

I went straight in with the right size bit and I buy the cheap nasty ones that ya throw away when there blunt

You must throw them away straight out of the packet then, because masonry bits are always blunt.

 

[imamartian]

For anyone reading this and hanging such a bracket onto a stud wall, quite often the bracket's holes won't sit on the studs. So a good idea is to screw a piece of ply (smaller than the tv, but at least as wide as two of the studs in the wall) onto the wall into the studs, and then attach your bracket onto the ply. You get a decent fix, and it spreads the load.