Mountting a flat scrren TV on your wall isn't as hard as most people think, but there are some saftey issues and shortcuts most people don't know. In this step-by-step I will explain the types of mounts the world has to offer, the cables required to use your components, the tools and hardware required to complete the job, and some other tricks and shortcuts I`ve learned over the years. I'll also explain how to run your component cables through your wall, so your tv actually looks like a floating picture.

Choosing the right mount for your TV is crucial. The mount not only has to support the weight of your TV but also has to tilt and move the way you want it to move. It also has to look good. There are a couple basic styles you can choose from;

• Low profile: This is the basic mount. It has very little vertical tilt, so the TV is only and inch away from the wall. This mount is ideal for smaller rooms where you want a low profile. This mount works with all size TV's.
• Tilt mount: This mount is simillar to a low profile except this mount tilts verticaly 15 degrees. Because of this tilt it leaves the TV approx. 3 inches from the wall. this mount is ideal for TV's that are higher then eye level or above certain fireplaces(I'll get into this later). This mount works with all size TV's.
• Single Wishbone: Wishbone mounts are the ones that require some saftey observation. A single wishbone is like the low profile and the tilt mount except you can pull the TV 2 feet away from the wall, and get approx 60 degrees of horizontal tilt. This mount is ideal for place where you watch TV in your livingroom and kitchen, meaning you can leave the TV against the wall when you watch in the living room or you could pull it out and swival it so you can watch TV in the kitchen. This mount works safely with TV's smaller then a 50 inch LCD or a 46 inch Plasma.
• Double Wishbone: A double wishbone is like a single wishbone except instead of having a single arm that holds your tv a double has 2 arms accordian style. Your tv will pull out 2 feet and have approx. 90 degrees of horizontal tilt. this has the same application as a single it's just stronger. This mount works with all size TV's.

***NOTE: when you purchase your mount read the specifacations on the box. Don't mount a TV thats heavier then the max weight of your mount.***

Now that you have your TV, mount and cables it's time to figure out where its going to be mounted. Is it going to be mounted to wood studs, metal studs or a brick/masonary wall? Each type of wall has it's own type of mounting hardware. Here is a list of tools used in all 3 applications then I'll get into special hardware;

• Safety Glasses
• Pencil
• Measureing Tape
• Level
• Stud Finder
• Drill with philips and robertson bits (1 & 2)
• Drill Bits
• Gyprok Saw
• Pry Bar
• Hammer
• Electrical Tape
• Fish Tape
• Screw Drivers (Philips & robertson)
• EZ Anchors (Drywall anchors)

Wood Studs:

• Lag Bolts

Metal Studs:

• Toggle Bolts
• Magnet (To find studs)

Brick/Masonary:

• Concrete Anchors
• Concrete Drill with Masonary drill bits
• Cable Covers (sold at most places where TV's are sold)

Step 1: Installing Rails to TV

The first step is to mount the back rails to your TV. depending on the mount you purchased, it's either 2 vertical rails or a single plat that attaches to your TV. All mounts are different so my advice to you is to read the directions of your mount to know what is supposed to be where. I'd get into more detail but there are literaly hundreds of mount configurations. Basicly there are 4 screw holes on the back of every flat screen TV. If your mount has 2 vertical rails just make sure the two rails are level with each other and you cant see them when you look at the front of the TV. If you have a back plat, just make sure it's level.

This is the most important step for safety. If the wall plate isn't safely secured to the wall your TV will fall off. First step is to find the studs on the wall you're mounting to. Use a stud finder or a magnet depending on what studs you have (wood or metal) Ideally you want at least 2 studs holding your plate. If there's only 1 stud in the space your mounting too don't worry. So now you've found your studs and it's time to figure out where you want your TV positioned. Measure the distance between the bottom of the rails on the TV to the bottom of the TV. with that measurment you know where the bottom of your wall plate has to go. Example; if you're mounting the TV above a fire place, just add the distance you want the bottom of the TV to be away from the top of the fireplace(mantel) and add it to the previous measurment.

Example 2; If your measurment from the bottom of the TV rails to the bottom of the TV is 9 inches and you want the TV to be 4 inches from the mantel, then the bottom of the wall plate will be 13 inches from the mantel.

Now that you know where the bottom of the wall plate is going you mark it out. Have a helper hold the mount level with bottom mark, insuring that the studs you marked out previously line up with the holes of the wall plate. Mark out all holes on the wall plate (even if your not useing them all. Now remove the wall plate and put it to the side. You should be looking at two level lines of oval circles. This shows you where your mounting hardware will be going. Lets forget about the stud holes for a minute and talk about the rest of the holes. The rest of the holes will be in gyprock. This is where the EZ anchors come into play. The strongest drywall anchors i've seen are EZ anchors. they look like fat metal screws with a hole in the end. Any metal drywall anchor will work. All drywall anchors should be in two's, meaning if you put a drywall anchor in the 2nd slot on the top, you put one in the 2nd slot of the bottom.

Now that you have the anchors in the correct places, lets talk about the studs. for wood studs your going to use lag bolts. Use the lag bolts that come with your mount. They should be about 3-6 inches long (depending on mount) with a six sided head. Pre-drill a pilot hole into all the studs where lags are going. Your pilot hole should be NO bigger then 1/3 the diameter of the lag bolt. If your wall has metal studs you'll be using toggle bolts.  A toggle bolt is a 3-6 inch bolt with a robertson head. The "toggle" portion of it is a spring loaded nut that screws onto the end of the bolt. The way they work is the toggle colapses onto itself to fit into the wall, then once in the wall it springs open causeing a "T" like bracet. Now you want to drill into the metal stud using a drill bit that is just big enough to fit a CALAPSED toggle through it.

So at this point you should see 2 level lines of EZ anchors and piloted stud holes for lags or drilled out metal stud holes for toggles. If you have wood studs you can mount you plate, if you have metal studs there's just one more step before you mount. you need to attach the toggles to the wall plate. Insert the bolts in the coresponding wall plate holes and screw on the toggles onto the back of the wall plate just enough to hold them on( the toggles should look like "T's" not crosses). now you can mount the wall plate. Push the toggles through first then attach your EZ anchors.

***NOTE: Once the wall plate is mounted to your likeing give it a weight test before you hang the TV. Don't put all your weight on it but most of it.***

 Now that you have the TV ready to hang it's time to fish your component cables through the wall. there's a couple of options varing in cost. You can use the proper cable plates(HDMI plate, Component plate...ect) or you could use a pass-through plate. A pass-through plate is like a power outlet with a hole in it. It's cheaper then a specific plate (HDMI, component..ect) and it works with all cables, it just doesn't look as nice. But first you need to figure out where your components(DVD player, SHAW box, PS3...ect) will be placed. Normally the're keep on a shelf just to the side of where the TV is mounted, but it's up to you. The cables you'll be fishing will be run (starting a TV connections) down to the floor, across the base boards then up to the plate. you'll have to pre-messure to figure out the size of the cables you'll need.

First you'll have to remove the base boards that are between the TV and the plate.

Next, cut the hole for the plate to fit into but dont install it yet, as it's easier to fish without the plate in the way.

Depending on the mount you are using the hole your cables will come throgh at the TV end will differ. If your using a Tilt or Low-Pro mount i suggest you just feed the wire through the wall plate seeing ass you wont be able to see behind your TV. The best way to do this is to cut away the drywall inside the wall plate. You'll notice that there is either circles or squares cut into the wall plate, they are for cables. If you are using a Single/Double wishbone I suggest using a second Pass-through plate seeing as you'll be pulling your TV out two feet from the wall.

Next, drill 2-3 inche holes (depending on the size of your baseboards) on either side of the studs, behind the base board you've taken off in the previous step. The reason for this is so you can "sew" the cables in and out of the wall so they are hidden. Once you have a hole drilled on either side of all the studs(between plate and TV) use a gyprock saw and turn the 2 holes into 1 oval. This way the cables won't be in the way when you put the base board back on.

Now your ready to fish. Start at the TV side and fish ALL the cables down to the first hole on the floor. From there you can "sew" the cables along the floor in and out of the wall till you reach the stud bay that the plate will be in. The method of "sewing" is this; Start at the first hole you came out of from the TV, then go around the front of the stud and then back into the wall and out the next hole ect ect. til you reach the stud bay where the plate will be located then just simply fish up to the plate hole.

***NOTE: Take into account that on wishbone mounts you're going to need 2 feet of cable behind the TV to use the mount properly***

Finally, install all plates and re-install the baseboard. You might need to put a bead of caulking across the top of the base board depending on color and style. Now you can hang your TV and connect all corresponding wires. Also hook up all your components near your plate, either on a shelf or stand. Congratulations! You've installed your TV by yourself, told you it wasn't so hard. I'd like to thank everyone who has viewed this hub and hope it answered  any and all questioned you might have had. If you have any other questions or commentsa please feel free to ask, I'm always willing to help out a fellow TV buff.

Thank you for your time,

Jebus