Hiding TV cables can be quite a chore, sometimes requiring you to run cables behind the wall to a television panel in the room behind your fireplace. If that's not possible, there are other options to help you hide the cables when you install a TV over fireplace.
Step 1
Find the studs on your wall. Slide a stud finder horizontally across the wall above your fireplace and mark stud locations with a pencil.
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Step 2
Hold the base of your TV mount up against the wall and, using your stud markings as a reference, determine where above your fireplace you want to install the mount. To properly support your television, you need to drill every hole into a stud, so keep that in mind as you determine the installation location of the mount. Mark with your pencil the spots where you will drill to install a mount to the wall.
Step 3
Place a level up against the wall between your two top markings to make sure the mount will be level if you install it using those markings as a reference. Make adjustments as needed so your mount will be perfectly level when you install it.
Step 4
Drill pilot holes into the studs on the four markings you made previously. Drilling pilot holes helps ensure you indeed hit the stud and makes it easier for you to install the thick-gauge screws when you install the mount above the fireplace.
Step 5
Mount the base above the fireplace. Hold it in position, and then drill thick-gauge screws, provided with your mount, into the four pilot holes you drilled.
Step 6
Attach the front plate of your television mount to the back of your TV. Use the screws enclosed with the mount to screw the front plate into position so it securely holds your TV.
Step 7
Connect all of the cables between your television and the devices you plug them into when you mount a TV above a fireplace. It's too difficult to connect the cables neatly when the TV is already on the wall.
Step 8
Hide your cables so they don't clutter up your fireplace mantel. You can cut a small hole in the wall behind your television and run the cables behind the wall, or you can hide them behind surface mounted channels, which you can buy in a variety of colors to help camouflage the wiring.
Step 9
Hang your television on the mount above your fireplace. Even though LCD and plasma televisions are thin, they can be heavy. Plan to have at least one person help you do this. The front plate has arms that stick out and sit on the base.
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