Flat Screen TV Wall Mount

We just purchased a new 32" LCD smart TV for our play room, and thought that it would be better to have it hang off of the wall rather than sit it on a stand. Being "El Cheapo" that I am, I didn't want to spend a hundred bucks on a "real" wall mount bracket like I had to for our 50" living room unit. Granted, the living room unit weighs in at just under a metric ton, I didn't want to cheap out on that wall mount bracket and possibly have my $1800 flat screen give me a refresher course on the physics of gravity.

I started looking around the internet for cheap, or should I say, "inexpensive" wall mount brackets, and came across several designs that used wire to hang the TV on the wall like a picture frame.

"DING"... (light bulb moment)

I went down to the local hardware store and picked up:

4 - 1/2" rubber tips

4 - M6 x 30 bolts (Check what size your TV needs first)

4 - 1/2" x 3/16" Fender washers (I wanted 8 of these)

4 - 5/8" x 3/16" Fender washers (only because they didn't have 4 more of the 1/2" fender washers)

1 - 50 pound picture hanging wire (My TV is 35 pounds)

1 - 50 pound picture hanging hook with nail

Items I had:

Heat shrink tubing (not necessary but makes for a clean install)

Tools used:

Cordless drill

3/16" sharp point drill bit

Wire cutters

Phillips screw driver

Heat gun

Hammer

Drill a hole in the rubber tip, either the same size of your bolt or slightly smaller. If your rubber tips already have holes in them, bonus points for you.

Insert the bolts into the rubber tips. If you purchased large head bolts like I did, use the Phillips screwdriver to seat the head of the bolt all the way into the rubber tip. Add one of your fender washers to each of the rubber tips with the bolt sticking out of it. Set the other 4 fender washers aside for now.

Bend about 2 inches of wire from the end of the wire coil. Place the "V" of the bend over one of the bottom screw mount holes on the back of the TV. Then run the wire from bolt hole to bolt hole, connecting the other three dots by tracing the screw mount bolt holes on the back of your TV with the wire to get the length needed. You can also use a ruler or tape measure to measure in between the holes if you prefer.

Depending on how tall your rubber tips are, you should add one to two inches more of wire past where the last bolt hole is. Make a "V" bend in the wire just like the first one and cut the wire 2 inches past the "V".

Optional step: Insert the wire through the two pieces of shrink tubing and slide them up the wire, about 6" past the first "V" bend you made. Continue with the step above. After you have the length of wire figured out and the ends wrapped (next step), slide the heat shrink tube over the wrap and shrink them.

Place the "V" at one of the ends of the wire around the bolt sticking out of a rubber tip with washer. Twist the wire together to secure it. Do this for both ends of the wire.

If you have chosen to use heat shrink tubing, slide it down over the twisted ends and melt it to the wire using a heat gun or some other source of heat.

You can either add the other four fender washers to the bolts now, or place them on the back of the TV before screwing the bolts in partially. If your TV is on a flat surface, it is easier to lay the washers flat on the back of the TV. If the TV is standing up, put the washers on the bolts first before starting the bolts into the screw holes.

Once all the bolts and twin washers have been partially screwed into the TV screw holes, place the wire in between the two washer at each bolt. This helps to "pinch" them to the wire when they get tightened up.

Tighten up the bolts only finger tight and do not over tighten or there could be damage to the TV.

Once you have all the bolts tightened up, try to pick up the TV vertically with the wire to check the connections. Go back and correct any mistakes you may have made.

The only thing left to do is hang it on a wall like a picture. Since there are so many options on how this can be accomplished, I can not go into detail on the application that may apply to your particular wall type. I used a picture hanging hook and a nail since I have double wall framing (1/2" gypsum, 2x4 studs, 1/2" gypsum). I found a stud in my wall and pounded the hanger and nail in there at the height I wanted.

TA DA!!

Now kick back and enjoy your newly hung TV!