Enthusiastic about hanging that new telly on the wall? You’re not alone. Wall-mounted TVs have turn into one thing of an ordinary in trendy properties throughout the UK. They give the impression of being sensible, save priceless house, and provides any room that polished, up to date really feel. However right here’s the factor – whereas these DIY YouTube tutorials make it look useless easy, there’s extra to mounting a TV than drilling a couple of holes and hoping for the very best.
I’ve gone each routes myself. First tried the DIY strategy (with less-than-stellar outcomes involving a barely crooked 55-inch that gave everybody a sore neck), then correctly referred to as within the professionals for my front room centrepiece. The distinction was night time & day. Belief me on this one.
1. Correct Gear & Experience
Skilled TV mounting companies come armed with specialised instruments most owners merely don’t have mendacity about within the backyard shed. They’ll arrive with stud finders that truly work (not like that low cost one accumulating mud in your drawer), correct drill bits for various wall varieties, and mounting brackets particularly suited to your TV mannequin and dimension.
What actually struck me was how rapidly they assessed my wall. The chap who mounted mine tapped a couple of spots, made some measurements, and instantly knew precisely what we had been coping with. Apparently, my “solid-looking” wall had some quirks that might’ve fully escaped my discover — probably resulting in a catastrophic TV tumble.
These specialists have mounted a whole lot, maybe hundreds of TVs. They’ve encountered nearly each attainable wall kind, from normal plasterboard to concrete, brick, and people difficult interval property partitions with surprises lurking behind them. This expertise is just inconceivable to match as a weekend warrior with a drill and optimism.
2. Security First – Defending Your Funding
Let’s be brutally trustworthy — TVs aren’t low cost! The very last thing you need is your £1,200 OLED masterpiece crashing to the ground due to mounting failures. PROFESSIONAL installers perceive weight distribution and load-bearing necessities for various TV sizes.
They’ll guarantee your mount is correctly secured into studs or utilizing acceptable anchors on your particular wall kind. This isn’t guesswork for them — it’s normal process. They usually’ll double-check every part earlier than they depart.
I nonetheless bear in mind my installer testing my mount by really hanging from it briefly (which almost gave me coronary heart failure) earlier than declaring it strong sufficient to “assist an individual, not to mention your telly.” Extreme? Maybe. Reassuring? Completely.
3. Cable Administration That Doesn’t Look Like Spaghetti Junction
One of many BIGGEST benefits of wall-mounting is attaining that clear, minimalist look. However that stunning imaginative and prescient rapidly evaporates if you’ve acquired a tangled mess of HDMI cables, energy cords, and speaker wires dangling out of your TV like some digital ivy.
Skilled installers are wizards at cable administration. They’ll route cables by means of the wall for a very hidden set up (the place constructing laws allow). Alternatively, they’ll use discreet cable trunking or channeling programs that mix together with your décor.
My installer really recommended an answer I hadn’t even thought of — a small shelf beneath the TV that homes the cable field and recreation console, with a intelligent system for hiding the cables inside an identical column. Sensible stuff that I’d’ve by no means considered myself!
4. Excellent Positioning & Viewing Angles
There’s a science to TV placement that the majority of us aren’t conscious of. Skilled installers perceive optimum viewing angles primarily based on room dimensions, seating preparations, and TV dimension. They’ll assist decide the perfect peak and place to stop neck pressure and maximise viewing expertise.
I assumed I needed my TV fairly excessive on the wall (“like in lodges”) till my installer gently defined why that’s really horrible for house viewing. He measured my seating distance, thought of the TV dimension, and beneficial a peak that originally appeared too low to me. After dwelling with it for a couple of weeks, I realised he was spot-on — no extra neck craning throughout film nights!
{Many professional} companies additionally provide tilting or full-motion mounts, permitting you to regulate your TV for various seating preparations or to scale back glare from home windows. They’ll stroll you thru these choices primarily based in your particular room format.
5. Extra Companies & Upgrades
Past simply hanging your telly, {most professional} companies provide extra companies that add large worth. They’ll set up soundbars, arrange encompass sound programs, join all of your gadgets, and even programme common remotes.
My installer seen I had a number of gaming consoles and streaming gadgets and recommended a intelligent HDMI switching system that simplified every part. He even took the time to indicate me the right way to use it correctly — one thing no instruction handbook has ever succeeded at!
Many companies additionally present steering on complementary merchandise like cable concealment programs, bias lighting (which reduces eye pressure throughout night time viewing), and even acoustic remedies for those who’re creating a correct house cinema surroundings.
6. Time & Frustration Financial savings
What may take you a whole weekend of frustration, a number of journeys to B&Q, and presumably some alternative language can typically be accomplished by professionals in beneath 2 hours. They arrive with every part wanted, work effectively, and depart you with a superbly mounted TV.
I nonetheless chuckle fascinated about my DIY try that concerned three separate ironmongery shop journeys, a borrowed drill that wasn’t highly effective sufficient, and finally giving up after creating a number of “exploratory holes” that wanted patching later. The skilled set up was accomplished in 90 minutes flat, together with cleansing up afterward!
For many of us with busy lives, the time saving alone justifies the price of skilled set up. Plus, there’s one thing to be mentioned for preserving your weekend for extra gratifying actions than arguing with wall studs that appear to intentionally transfer if you’re not trying.
7. Guarantee & Peace of Thoughts
Respected TV mounting companies stand behind their work with warranties. If something goes fallacious with the mounting (brackets loosening, surprising points), they’ll come again and repair it at no extra value.
This peace of thoughts is price its weight in gold. I sleep higher figuring out my TV isn’t going to mysteriously crash to the ground at 3am. Plus, many installers will advise you on whether or not your current wall is appropriate within the first place — probably saving you from a doomed challenge.
Some companies even provide accomodation for future wants, like for those who improve to a bigger TV or have to relocate the present one. These relationship-based companies can turn into invaluable over time.
8. Insurance coverage Compliance & Rental Property Issues
When you’re in a rental property, skilled set up ensures that modifications are executed correctly and may typically be reversed if you transfer out. They perceive the right way to mount TVs with minimal wall harm — an vital consideration for getting your deposit again!
From an insurance coverage perspective, some house insurance policies might not cowl harm ensuing from improperly mounted fixtures. If a DIY mounting job fails and damages your TV, flooring, or injures somebody, you may end up with out protection. Skilled set up documentation can present proof of correct set up ought to points come up.
My neighbour realized this lesson the onerous manner when his self-mounted TV fell and broken not simply the telly but additionally his costly console desk beneath it. His insurance coverage declined the declare citing “improper set up” — an costly lesson certainly.
The Backside Line
Wall-mounting your TV may appear to be a easy weekend challenge, however the actuality entails extra complexity than most individuals realise. Skilled set up sometimes prices between £50-150 relying in your TV dimension and mounting necessities — a small worth to pay for correct set up of what’s probably some of the costly & steadily used objects in your house.
When you’re like me, you’ll discover that the mixture of experience, correct gear, security assurance, and sheer comfort makes skilled TV mounting a type of companies that’s completely price each penny. Typically the neatest DIY determination is figuring out when NOT to DIY!
Revealed by HOLR Journal.
