Installing an LCD wall mount

[KurskKnyaz]

My friend is going to purchase an LCD TV and he wants to mount it to a wall. I agreed to do this for him since Best Buy want about $300 for installation. These are my questions:

1. How difficult is it to install? I never installed one before but I am generally good with my hands. Can anyone recommend any useful links or advice?

2. Does the wall mount have to be mounted to the wooden supports behind the drywall or is it mounted in many places and supported by the dry wall?

3. If I do need to install it to the wooden beams do I really need one of those electrical devices to locate them or can I just do it by knocking on the wall and locate them due to the differences in sound. Can I tell if they have wires mounted to them by somehow detecting an electrical field with a multimeter?

4. These wall mounts are universal right?

 

[KurskKnyaz]

Also, can anyone reccommend a 1080P LCD at least 36", with at least 1 HDMI, and under $1500

 

[Schadenfroh]

There are standardized wall mounts (cant recall the name of it right now). I helped my uncle install his Samsung 36" LCD on his wall and it was a pain (but he was putting it on a very high wall to boot). Once you get it mounted, it is very nice. You mount the arm on the wooden studs in the wall, not the dry wall. If you are good, you can find the studs by knocking or probing (although that leaves marks).

 

[Pyramix]

Westinghouse 37" or 42" 1080p HD

 

[montypythizzle]

VESA mount

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: montypythizzle
VESA mount

That is what I was thinking of!

 

[ObscureCaucasian]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
There are standardized wall mounts (cant recall the name of it right now). I helped my uncle install his Samsung 36" LCD on his wall and it was a pain (but he was putting it on a very high wall to boot). Once you get it mounted, it is very nice. You mount the arm on the wooden studs in the wall, not the dry wall. If you are good, you can find the studs by knocking or probing (although that leaves marks).

If you aren't good you can buy stud detector (although I'm not sure if they're cheap enough to be practical for this use).

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: ObscureCaucasian

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
There are standardized wall mounts (cant recall the name of it right now). I helped my uncle install his Samsung 36" LCD on his wall and it was a pain (but he was putting it on a very high wall to boot). Once you get it mounted, it is very nice. You mount the arm on the wooden studs in the wall, not the dry wall. If you are good, you can find the studs by knocking or probing (although that leaves marks).

If you aren't good you can buy stud detector (although I'm not sure if they're cheap enough to be practical for this use).

It would still be far less than 300$ overall though

They usually go from 10-50$ at lowes

 

[hemiram]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
There are standardized wall mounts (cant recall the name of it right now). I helped my uncle install his Samsung 36" LCD on his wall and it was a pain (but he was putting it on a very high wall to boot). Once you get it mounted, it is very nice. You mount the arm on the wooden studs in the wall, not the dry wall. If you are good, you can find the studs by knocking or probing (although that leaves marks).

Or you can use a stud finder that costs like to bucks. Your Uncle's neck will remind him constantly that mounting a TV above normal eye level is a huge mistake. A friend complained of neck pain for weeks to me every time I talked to him on the phone. I went to his house to help him fix his car and when I saw the TV 6' up on the wall, I said, "Well, I solved your neck problems!" He just stared at me with his mouth open. Two days later, the TV got moved down to eye level and no more neck pains.

 

[hemiram]

Originally posted by: KurskKnyaz
My friend is going to purchase an LCD TV and he wants to mount it to a wall. I agreed to do this for him since Best Buy want about $300 for installation. These are my questions:

1. How difficult is it to install? I never installed one before but I am generally good with my hands. Can anyone recommend any useful links or advice?

Unless you are going to run wires through the wall, it's a very easy thing to do. A stud finder, a level, and a drill and bits is all you need.

2. Does the wall mount have to be mounted to the wooden supports behind the drywall or is it mounted in many places and supported by the dry wall?

Yes, it has to be mounted on the studs. Drywall isn't something to hang a high dollar item off of.

3. If I do need to install it to the wooden beams do I really need one of those electrical devices to locate them or can I just do it by knocking on the wall and locate them due to the differences in sound. Can I tell if they have wires mounted to them by somehow detecting an electrical field with a multimeter?

It's a whole lot easier to just buy a decent stud detector for 15-20 bucks, and use it. If there isn't a wall socket right below the stud, there usually isn't any wires to worry about. My $20 sud detector does a decent job of detecting AC wires too.


4. These wall mounts are universal right?

Yes, that means you shouldn't pay very much for one. All I did with my cheapo mount is buy better screws at the hardware store to replace the amazingly brittle ones that came with the mount. Total for the mount, shipping and screws was $46. $20 of that was shipping. It's a hunk of steel, almost surely made in China or India, so it shouldn't cost much.

 

[KurskKnyaz]

thanks for the advice