MantelMount

Houses and apartments come in many different shapes and sizes. From open concept floor plans to more traditional-style homes with walled off rooms, every layout presents a unique challenge for a homeowner. One particular challenge for homeowners and renters moving into a new place is where to put the tv. If you’re lucky, your home may have an obvious location against a wall without a window, but if you find yourself in a new apartment or home without obvious wall space for your tv, it can be difficult to discover the next best spot. As experts on the best distance, height, and angle for tv-viewing, we’ve guided homeowners through almost every scenario when it comes to tv placement. If you find yourself in a predicament where you have no wall space for your tv, don’t worry, we have some great solutions for you to try so you can create the optimal tv-viewing experience regardless of your home’s unique layout. Why It’s Important to Find the Right Location for Your TV Believe it or not, tv placement is a bit of a science. From using the 8:1 ratio to determine furniture placement to calculating the best distance between the bottom third of your screen and the floor (trust us, it’s a real thing), there are a lot of things to consider when picking the perfect place for the family tv. But why? As you can probably guess, the placement of your tv can make or break the picture quality and your comfort while viewing the tv. Consider this: when we walk into a movie theater, there’s a reason we take so much time to choose the perfect seat. Maybe you head straight to the back row or you find comfort closer to the screen. Either way, deciding where to sit in a movie theater is a critical component of watching a movie. We want to be comfortable. At home it should be no different—especially considering the average person in America watches 411 hours of tv per month and so much of that tv is consumed while binge-watching. Simple adjustments like finding the right height for your tv on the wall or the right distance from your furniture can improve tv picture quality, in some cases, by 200%. 3 Possible Scenarios When There’s No Wall Space You may have already identified your unique problem within this post, like an open concept room, or maybe a small living room in an apartment where the only available wall space sits above a fireplace, placing the tv too high. But here are some additional possibilities you may be facing and 3 viable tv solutions for no wall space.     Problem #1: Where to put a tv in a room with lots of windows. A home or apartment with a lot of windows is a great find. But a lot of windows can pose a problem for art placement and the placement of your tv. Some things to consider when choosing where to put a tv in a room with lots of windows is picking a spot that doesn’t create glare on the screen. Putting the tv’s back to a south-facing wall, if possible, will help reduce glare. But if you’re worried about squinting because you, the viewer, are facing the direction of the most sun, pick a western or eastern facing wall. There may be different times of day when your screen has a glare, but you can add blinds or a curtain if it becomes a problem during the day. The other issue you run into when choosing where to put a tv in a room with lots of windows is blocking a potential view. The truth is, sometimes you can’t avoid it. If you truly have no wall space for your tv, you may have to pick the best (worst) view to partially block. You can offset this by purchasing a tv on the smaller side or investing in a tv that lowers into a piece of furniture. The Solution: Place your tv in front of a south-facing window to reduce glare or choose an east or west-facing window, avoid a north-facing window. Purchase a smaller flat screen tv to minimize the obstruction of your view or invest in a tv lift or a tv that can lower into a piece of furniture, out of view.     Problem #2: Where to put a tv in a small living room. Another issue that homeowners and apartment-dwellers face is just not enough space. Period. If you live in a condo or a tight apartment in an urban environment, it’s not unusual to run into a situation in which the reason you have no wall space for a tv is simply because your living room is too small. The Solution: Sometimes, the fix for this problem occurs upstream with the purchase of the right tv for your space. If you already own the tv you intend to use, choosing a tv mount that can articulate and tilt can help you overcome the space issues you face in terms of square feet. MantelMount makes a great model for flat screen televisions of any size and the pull down motion and pivot capabilities make it possible to position your tv into the best spot while you’re watching and out of the way when you’re not.     Problem #3: Where to put a tv when you’re an art lover. If you love art, it can almost be soul-crushing to make room for a tv. But, if you love art to the point that you don’t have any free wall space, it might be time to thin out your collection. There’s is something to be said though, for those art lovers who figure out a clever way to incorporate a flat screen tv into their home. The Solution: The best thing to do, if you don’t want to sacrifice your art collection, is to incorporate your tv into the art. The Samsung Frame TV is a great option for the art lover if you can’t get away with forgoing a tv all together. What’s better is if you can recess your tv mount into the wall so the Frame sits flush with the wall. This will make your tv essentially disappear into the art in your living room. Of course, if you already have a high-def tv for your home, a MantelMount pull-down tv mount will allow you to position your tv into the perfect viewing-position—in front of your art collection—and up and away when you simply want to enjoy your art. Again, you can take your tv set up to the next level and recess your MantelMount so your tv protrudes just as far as the picture frames in your collection.

Now that you have taken your new television out of the box, how do you plan to mount it on the wall? Before you immerse yourself in watching your favorite movies and shows, you’ll need to find the right place to mount the TV. But, there’s one tiny problem — you don’t have any studs to work with for the TV mount, or it could be that, if you’re renting an apartment, your landlord insists no drilling is allowed. But there’s no need to panic.  Whether you have a brick or uneven stone façade, or mounting a TV above a fireplace, mounting a TV can be tricky, but even more so when mounting a TV without studs. Even though drywall can support a TV up to 100 lbs., it’s still brittle and the mount can require additional support. If you want to create the perfect TV-viewing experience but you aren’t sure how to safely mount your TV on a wall without studs, check out these tips and get your TV up on the wall and in the perfect spot today. What Is a Stud? Before mounting your TV on a wall, you should always attempt to locate a stud or inspect the wall’s integrity. But it can be difficult to locate a stud if you don’t know what you’re looking for. A stud is a vertical framing device used to create a frame for a wall. It is commonplace to find either wood studs or metal studs. These wooden or metal reinforcements are evenly spaced within a wall and are typically used to create a framework for a wall consisting of drywall. Because many modern home interiors are constructed with drywall, not mason, there’s a good chance that you should be able to easily locate a stud within your home’s walls. If you live in a high rise, you likely have studs made out of metal. Similarly, commercial buildings often have metal framework as well that will require additional care if mounting a TV or appliances into a stud. 4 Simple Ways to Find Studs in the Wall Finding studs have a lot of uses beyond simply mounting your TV. Especially if you are a homeowner undergoing home improvement projects — if you want to hang a heavy picture, mount an appliance to the wall, do trim work in your home, or fix electrical outlets — it’s very useful to be aware of the location of the studs in your walls. The main question is: how do you accurately locate a stud, with or without a stud finder or a stud finder app? 1. Locate studs with a stud finder One of the easiest ways to do this is with a stud finder, a small handheld device that measures the density of drywall. The Spruce has a comprehensive list of options to buy online or at your local hardware store. Using a stud finder is simpler than finding the right one. All that is needed is to place the stud finder against the drywall and slowly drag it horizontally along the wall until it beeps. Beeping indicates that you’ve found a stud. You can estimate the center of the stud by running the stud finder over the location repeatedly until it stops beeping. Then, once you know where the stud is located in the wall, make a mark with a pencil. 2. Measure 16” from the corner Don’t have a stud finder or stud finder app? That’s okay! A go-to technique is to measure 16 inches from the corner of where the interior wall and the exterior wall meet to approximate where studs will be located throughout the room. Typically, studs are evenly spaced 16”-24” inches apart, so if you measure the total length of your wall, you should be able to approximate the location of each stud. Now, not every room is going to evenly divide by 16 or 24, but again, that’s okay. Follow up this measurement effort by knocking on the wall where you suspect the stud to be. Knocking on a stud will create a muffled sound while knocking directly next to the stud will create a hollow sound. 3. Check your trim If you aren’t handy with a tape measure or you don’t have access to a stud finder, another option for you are the other wall features: trim nails, electrical outlets, and light switches all indicate the location of a stud. 4. Use a powerful magnet If you’re having trouble locating studs, you may have better luck locating the metal that holds them in place. Commonly, studs are secured with metal fasteners spaced vertically about 12” apart. With a strong magnet, place it against the wall and move it slowly up and down until you feel it stick slightly. This will indicate that you’ve located a metal fastener and, therefore, a stud. How to Mount a TV Without Studs If you’ve done your due diligence to locate studs and you can’t find any, you discover the studs are metal, or there are no studs located in the area where you want to mount your TV, you do have options for mounting your TV with no studs. Whether you are looking for a little DIY action with mounting a TV or you merely are looking to gain knowledge and want to know what the handyman is doing while installing a TV mount, here, we can walk you through it all! 1. Mounting a TV with drywall anchors Expanding anchors or conical anchors are one of the simplest ways to mount a TV when studs aren’t available. The wing-like grooves lock into place behind the wall when a screw is screwed in and this can provide ample support for things like pictures with a heavy frame or a lightweight TV.  How does one do this? Simply drill a hole accordingly, insert the sleeve, and slide in the anchor piece. You can even pull it close to the wall with the disposable pull tool. The pulling motion locks the anchor in place, so it won’t loosen while you insert the screw. 2. Mounting a TV with anchors or molly bolts Toggle anchors and toggle bolts look like regular screws, but they come with a butterfly toggle at the end. When placed in the wall, the toggle anchors work by attaching to the back of the drywall. Pulling at the screw or applying some external force has little impact as the toggle causes the whole sheet of drywall to respond, rather than just the crumbly center. It’s the distinction between pulling the entire wall and removing a single screw. Mounting a TV with drywall anchors or bolts is a great option if you can’t drill into a stud. You’ll need to use a hollow wall anchor that looks similar to a regular screw, with a butterfly toggle at the end. Once they’re placed in the wall, they’ll attach to the back. These have proven to be extremely strong on their own when it comes to mounting a TV with no studs, but, as a general rule, it should not be paired with a full-motion mount. Mounting a TV without studs can be a safe and reliable solution if careful consideration is made about the limits of the wall and the toggles. Molly bolts are an interesting anchor for a no-studs TV mount. They combine the ease of installation with a lot of strength — a large molly bolt can hold up to 50 lbs. They are a little harder to use over other drywall anchors, but they are sturdy and well-suited for a medium to heavy load. They come in two variations: a pointed molly bolt will have a sharp tip that can be installed with a hammer, whereas a non-pointed molly bolt, which is better to use in plaster walls, requires that you cut out an installation hole first. Molly bolts stay thin when left untightened, but once tightened in your walls, the sleeves expand, creating an anchor to the back of your wall — a similar mechanism as toggle anchors. Once the molly bolt is securely anchored, you can remove the screw and replace it with the screws for your TV wall mount. 3. Mounting a TV with a mounting plate A mounting plate is a good choice when it comes to mounting a TV with no studs. Mounting plates help the anchors carry the tv weight with more ease and provide an opportunity to add more anchors, making it a more secure mount. Although the mounting plate doesn’t look that aesthetically appealing, you can always consider a mounting plate that is smaller than the TV and choose one in a color and style that works well with the look of your room, or paint over it. If you’re looking to go this route, both the MantelMount SSB40 Single Stud Wall Adapter and the WPC00 Wall Plate Covers can be used with the MantelMount MM340 Standard Pull Down TV Mount. Please note that our WPC00 Wall Plate Covers are included with the purchase of a MM540 Enhanced Pull Down TV Mount. Things to Keep in Mind Before Mounting a TV With No Studs Although anchors, toggle bolts, mounting bolts, and mounting plates are effective ways to keep TV wall mounts in place when mounting a TV with no studs, here are some other extraneous things to keep in mind. Be Aware of the TV’s Weight and the Condition of the Wall Whether mounting a TV with drywall anchors or with a mounting plate, or frankly, any other way, ensure that the anchor screws are rated to carry the television’s weight. TV weights vary from model to model, but an average 32’ television usually weighs about 25 to 30 lbs, which means that a larger screen will weigh more.  If the choice is mounting a TV with drywall anchors, check the load capacity for the selected anchors. It won’t make a difference if the strongest wall anchors are used if you live in an old house with a wall that can’t sustain the load. If the wall appears flimsy, it may bend under the weight of the TV and there is a chance that it could potentially break at some point, wrecking both the wall and your television. Use the Right Type of Mount for Your TV A standard pattern for wall mounts is to ensure that they will fit any TV. However, mounts are rated to fit specific television sizes and weights. A wall mount for a 32’ TV would not be able to support the weight and dimensions of a 40’ TV. Choosing the wrong mount, then, could potentially be dangerous for your TV. (Bonus hat tip: If you’re looking for a new television, make sure to take a look at our New TV Buying Guide, which highlights some possible questions you might be asking about details on TV types.) Whether the question is how to mount a TV to a wall without studs or if it’s more to the tune of how high to mount a flat screen TV, most of the anchor options for a wall with no studs work best with fixed and tilt mounts. Fixed mounts are static and set at a singular position, while pull down and articulating and tilting TV wall mounts allow you to change the angle of the mounted television.  Toggle bolts and other wall anchors should not be used with anything other than fixed mounts. Mounts which have arms and swivels that allow for complete angle adjustments, naturally add more weight. The constant movement that comes with adjusting your mounted TV can cause increased stress on your anchor points and the wall itself.

There comes a time when your neck has gotten perpetually sore from looking up at your tv that’s situated at a bad angle. Or maybe you’ve suffered through months of your tv sitting on the floor or a piece of furniture, slouching so you can see a clear picture. Whatever your setup may be, there comes a time to turn to the professionals and get your tv hung on the wall in the most optimal place for tv-viewing. If you’re ready to call in the cavalry or you’re preparing to go it alone, there are some key considerations to make about when to use a professional tv mounting service or if you can mount a tv by yourself.  Can You Mount a TV by Yourself? Although you can mount a tv by yourself, often it’s better to ask, do you want to? Many modern tv mounts are relatively easy to install. MantelMount Pull Down TV Mounts in particular come with very comprehensive install guides and videos that make the installation process easy enough that you can mount a tv by yourself. Whether you have purchased a MM340 Standard Pull Down TV Mount, the MM540 Enhanced, or the MM700 Premier, the installation instructions allow just about anyone to be able to mount a tv themselves rather than hiring someone to mount a tv. In most cases if you can mount a tv by yourself, there are a few items that are typically needed or useful to have on hand, including: A marking device such as a pencil and/or painter's tape A tape measure A stud finder A manual or electronic level A drill with its corresponding drill bits And your selected tv mount Once all of the necessary installation items are handy, you can get started mounting your tv to the wall. Start by marking the area on the wall where you intend to drill your pilot holes. If you aren’t sure how high to mount your tv, you can follow the 8:1 ratio rule. If you’re able to, secure your tv mount to studs in the wall or use a drywall anchor when studs aren’t available. Add washers to the end of your screws, and secure the bracket to the wall through the bracket slats. You may need an extra set of hands for the next step, which requires you to line up the tv mount on the back of the tv with the bracket against the wall. If you did not hire someone to mount your tv, but rather, you are installing the tv mount yourself and are using a MantelMount product, keep in mind that our friendly and knowledgeable customer service representatives are available to troubleshoot and guide you through the installation procedures. Hiring Someone To Mount a TV We understand, the steps to successfully install a flat screen in the perfect spot can be daunting. If you’re stuck staring at a blank wall or you don’t have the right tools for the job, it might be time to take someone up on professional tv mounting. Step 1. Match with professionals and compare quotes. The first step is to get a quote. You can easily get matched with a professional in your area using a service like Angi’s List or reach out to a friend or family member to refer someone. If you can’t seem to find a specialist in your area, you can always reach out to a general contractor and compare at least 3 quotes. Step 2. Read reviews diligently.  The last thing you want to have happen when hiring someone to mount your tv is for their work to cause damage or for them to overcharge you for their services. Once you’ve had a chance to review pricing, try Googling your professional’s name or searching for their LLC on Trustpilot or Yelp. While your instinct may be to go with the lowest quote, if the professional tv mounting services have received poor reviews online, you’ll want to avoid hiring them. Step 3. Call your professional. If after reading reviews and comparing prices you think you’ve found the one, give your prospective professional a call and speak to them on the phone. This conversation will give you a sense of their professionalism and capabilities. This phone call will also give you a chance to talk about any specifics of the project that may affect final project costs. How Much Does It Cost To Mount a TV? In addition to asking yourself how to find an expert to install your tv, you may also be asking yourself how much does it cost to mount a tv?  The overall cost for mounting a tv can vary depending on the material of your wall, the amount of labor required for the project, even where you live in the country—think, New York City compared to Little Rock. Generally speaking though, the average cost for mounting a tv on a wall is between $159 and $361, according to HomeAdvisor. More specifically, if you hire an electrician, HomeAdvisor says you can expect to pay between $50 to $100 per hour while a handyman can cost between $60 to $130 per hour. This should give you an idea about how you can expect to pay if you hire one of these professionals to install your flat screen.  

Picture a spacious yet cozy living room, with comfortable couches, a coffee table, a toasty fireplace, and above it, as a finishing touch, the family flat-screen TV. For many households, coming together at the end of the day looks like hunkering down on the couch to watch a beloved show or movie. You may have an abundance of space in the living room and be able to display your TV on a console as part of an entertainment center or in a TV cabinet; but if space is a challenge — or your couch fits perfectly in front of your fireplace — mounting the TV over the mantel may be your best option.  This, of course, brings up the question of how to go about mounting a television above a fireplace.  Fireplaces can present some unique challenges when it comes to mounting your TV. For instance, mounting your TV into the fireplace may require you to drill into brick. Or you may be dealing with an uneven surface like stone. On the other hand, you may not know what type of material the wall is (Is it drywall? Is it plaster?) above your fireplace is made of. Whatever the challenge may be, we’ve compiled a complete guide filled with our recommendations for safely mounting your TV over your mantel. SELECTING THE RIGHT TV MOUNT FOR THE JOB The first step when mounting a TV above a fireplace is to choose a mount suited for over the mantel. Consider: the spot above your fireplace may position your tv too high for comfortable viewing.  This, in combination with a couch that sits just a little too close to the hearth, can create an uncomfortable TV-viewing experience — potentially even neck or back pain. MantelMount pull-down TV mounts are designed specifically for above-the-fireplace TV-viewing. Why? Because every MantelMount TV mount is built with counterbalance technology that gently guides your screen safely over your mantel and into a comfortable viewing position at the optimum eye-level. Ranging from our MM340 Standard and MM540 Enhanced to the MM700 Premier, each MantelMount is designed with patented gas pistons and lightweight alloys that make adjusting and positioning your TV seamless and enjoyable. Our latest TV mount, the MM815 Motorized Drop Down and Swivel TV Mount, is the most effective at allowing anyone — from child to adult — to enjoy their favorite show or movie, with the TV positioned at the best viewing angle for that person, all with the press of a button. MM815 Consumer Video D2C 03-10-23 from MantelMount on Vimeo. Using a MantelMount TV mount is one of the best ways to mount a TV over a fireplace because it’s precisely built for the space above your fireplace. There is flexibility with a TV mounted above a fireplace as it can be left in the stowed position when not watching, while also being able to adjust the height and angle when it’s TV-watching time. No more neck strain or eye strain. No more screen glare. The perfect TV picture color and clarity. What’s more, the MM540 Enhanced, the MM700 Premier, and the MM815 Motorized TV mounts are all designed with heat-sensing handles that turn red if the temperature above your fireplace exceeds a safe temperature, making you aware that you need to turn off the fireplace and/or raise your television to the stowed position. The temperature sensor is a visible alert to keep your TV’s delicate hardware safe from overheating with your subsequent actions to your fireplace or TV. Regardless of whether you have a gas fireplace or a wood-burning fireplace, your family can feel safe and secure in the knowledge that installing a TV over a fireplace with a MantelMount TV mount will likely see through the lifespan of the TV, even with the fireplace heat below it. See what we mean about being built for the space above your fireplace? HOW TO MOUNT A TV ABOVE A FIREPLACE IF THE WALL IS MADE OF STONE OR BRICK When it comes to fireplaces, both stone fireplaces and brick fireplaces are commonplace in homes. Despite the fact that stone and brick can be tough materials to work with when mounting a TV above the fireplace, that doesn’t mean that you can’t mount a TV over your fireplace. If you’re asking yourself how to mount a TV above your fireplace and the wall is made of brick, we have this handy guide to make sure you don’t fear mounting a TV over your brick fireplace. On the other hand, if you are dealing with a stone wall and want to mount your TV, use our guide to get started. In any case, here are some of the tools you’ll need to get started: Painter’s tape Tape measure A level Concrete anchors and lag bolts — these items come in every MantelMount box Concrete screws and washers Drill with a hammer drill function Concrete drill bit Socket adapter, ratchet, or rubber mallet Our original accessories can also be added to achieve the correct look. For instance, if the stone or brick is part of a flimsy facade, you can simply purchase MantelMount’s AB40 Adapter to provide the necessary support needed. Are you a sound or audio nerd and want to enhance your TV watching to have the picture quality match with the audio quality? Try out our SKB00 Universal Sound Bar Adapter Kit to make what you watch really come to life. WHAT ABOUT MOUNTING A TV ABOVE THE FIREPLACE WHEN HEAT AND ELECTRONICS SHOULDN’T MIX? One of the most common concerns when mounting a TV over a fireplace is that heat and electronics should not mix. That includes not just the television, but also the attached wires and making certain that the wires are hidden away from the heat source.  A small amount of heat can damage items like entertainment and media cords and cables, so it’s likely that the TV isn’t the only thing on your mind with having a fireplace TV mount. However, televisions that are made today, for the most part, produce very little heat on their own. The concern, of course, is the extreme heat from the fireplace when it’s lit. One way that MantelMount TV mounts are unique is through the built-in, smart heat-sensing handles which turn red when a temperature of 110 degrees Fahrenheit or more is detected. Shop Our TV Mounts Made For Fireplaces THE BEST WAY TO MOUNT TV OVER A FIREPLACE WHEN THE MANTEL IS TALL The height of a fireplace mantel can certainly interfere with your home entertainment setup and overall enjoyment. If you already know how to mount a TV above a fireplace but are unsure of the height of where the TV should be, that’s something that should be addressed.  When mounting a TV above the fireplace, understand that it might be on a higher place on the wall to secure the TV further away from heat and if the mantel is tall. Watching television, however, is meant to be fun and a relaxing experience so make sure that you don’t end up installing a TV over the fireplace too high as to cause discomfort.  Additionally, as our MM815 Motorized TV Mount has two memory presets on the remote control that lowers and swivels the mount, there are options for finding the best focal point for the tall fireplace mantel. By taking these instructions to heart, mounting your TV over the fireplace won’t seem like such an insurmountable task, and it could actually be your best option!

So, you’ve found the perfect flat screen tv for your space but you have no way to install it onto your wall. It’s time to look for a great tv wall mount, but where to start and what considerations should you make?  A great place to start, when searching for a new all mount, is to consider your tv room’s layout. Does your family have an open concept room where your tv is located so you need an articulating tv mount? Or do you have your tv in a bedroom so you are looking for a tilting tv mount? Before making a purchase, you may have simple questions like, “What is an articulating tv mount?”or “What is a tilting tv mount?” It’s also possible to have more in-depth questions regarding wall mounts and wall material like how to mount a tv into stone or brick. There are many different ways that a tv can mount to a wall ranging from tilting to panning and swiveling to rotating to articulating. Many tv mounts do just as their names suggest but to ensure descriptions are correct before shopping, we’re here to guide you through understanding what type of wall mounts are available. A panning tv mount is capable of panning the television left and right but is stationary in the action so it angles the tv. Similarly, a swivel tv mount also moves the television left and right but does so through moving in a horizontal motion — side to side — but does not angle the television.  A rotating mount, on the other hand, is not as popular of a tv mount due to its capability to rotate vertically and most tv-watchers desiring a horizontal viewing experience. A rotational mount, however, is useful for the fitness gurus out there that utilize a vertical experience with working out at home. Many at home tv viewers utilize a tilting tv mount or, especially due to its features, an articulating tv mount, but it is important to understand what they are before buying. What Is a Tilting TV Mount? A tilting tv mount is a fairly simple tv mount that tilts the screen. If you have ever used a camera that is fixed to a tripod, that camera does what a tilting tv mount does: moves up and down from the fulcrum. Although tilting a tv up so the tv is angled more towards a ceiling might not be useful — save for the instances in which there might be glare on the tv screen — tilting the tv downward can help create a better tv-viewing experience if you have to place your screen higher on the wall. When using a tilting tv mount, it is important to take into consideration how high on the wall your tv will be mounted. If the tv is mounted too low on the wall and it tilts down, it might lend to a worse angle than if it was a fixed tv that was not on a mount.  Tilting tv mounts are relatively common with simple technology. So what is an articulating tv mount and what are the disadvantages and advantages of each of the types of mounts? We’ll continue to look into that next. What Is an Articulating TV Mount? An articulating tv mount is a mount that combines the three aspects of panning, tilting, and swiveling; and as all movements are able to be used with these types of tv mounts, articulating mounts can also be referred to as full motion tv mounts. The flexibility of the range of movements in which the tv can be viewed when seated and standing are often attractive for those who own articulating tv mounts. One drawback, however, of an articulating mount is that there needs to be enough room for the movement of the mount for the user to be able to sufficiently utilize the mount to its fullest capabilities.  If you know what an articulating mount is, then you might think that you would need an articulated tv bracket. With an articulated tv bracket, a television viewer is able to take advantage of all of the ways that the articulating mount can be used rather than solely being able to utilize the panning or tilting aspects. An articulated tv bracket would be needed for a tv mount that does not include, in most cases, the panning capabilities to make the mount a full motion tv mount. Deciding Between an Articulating Vs Tilting Wall Mount Whether you’re waffling between an articulating vs tilting wall mount, or thinking about incorporating a different type of tv mount in the decision making process, it is important to take into account all of the factors including weight of the television, the wall material, the room layout and the size of the room that the mount will be in, the price, the lifespan of the mount, and even the ease of using the mount.  MantelMount is the choice for many tv owners who are seeking an enriched and relaxing time watching television while having options for tv placement including pulling down, tilting, and swiveling. With a MantelMount tv mount, a tv user can view their favorite shows, movies, or other programs with a mount that provides a vertical travel distance from anywhere between 26” to 30.5”, a swivel of up to 60 degrees in one way, and adjustable tilts. Whether you purchase a gateway tv mount like the MM340 Standard Pull Down TV Mount or a more advanced model like the MM540, MantelMount can help improve your tv-viewing experience. Whether you are deciding between an articulating vs tilting wall mount or your decision includes any other type of tv wall mount, if the verdict is to purchase a MantelMount tv wall mount, make sure to use the video guides and call our friendly and knowledgeable installers for any installation assistance.

  If the kitchen is the heart of the home, it’s our personal opinion that the living room is the soul. From holiday celebrations to lazy Football Sundays, your living room is likely the hub of everyday life, and for that reason, it’s important that every aspect of your living room functions the way it's supposed to. One of the key components of any family room or living room is the entertainment center: the TV. And after you’ve picked the right-sized TV for your space, proper installation comes next. We’ve written extensively about TV mounting for any circumstance: mounting into brick, exterior walls to create outdoor living spaces, etc. We even have comprehensive install manuals for all of our world-class pull-down TV mounts. But what happens if after installation, you notice your mounted TV looks crooked? Well, don’t worry, as TV-mounting experts, we have the solution so you can fix a crooked TV yourself! Possible Reasons for a Crooked TV The first step to fixing your crooked TV is to identify the specific problem. There are many reasons why a TV might look off center and each one requires its own fix. For example, a TV might look crooked because the mount itself was installed crookedly. In this instance, you would need to fully remove the mount and reinstall it. Or your TV might look crooked because the ceiling is slightly crooked, which might occur in an older home or apartment, in which case, you can trick the eye with decor pieces or a paint color to offset ceilings, trim, or an old mantel that is slightly below straight. Here are some other top reasons your mounted TV looks crooked after installation. The mount’s base is crookedly installed on the wall The mount’s base — also known as the mounting plate — is installed crooked on the wall. If the mounting plate is installed crooked, everything else installed from the mount, including the TV, will also be crooked. The vertical hooks are not aligned properly The issue with your crooked TV may not be the mount’s base, however. This is when you can check the vertical hooks. There are vertical hooks that usually attach to the back of a television through the TV’s VESA holes. (If you need a refresher on VESA hole standards, take a peek at this MantelMount blog.) If those vertical hooks are not properly aligned, the television will also sit crooked once it is hung on the mount. Your mount’s hardware is loose Double check to make sure that all the necessary hardware is tightly secured on the mount. Additionally, you will want to make sure the wall does not have a slant or have some crooked parts to it. Surprisingly, there are many times little items, such as a loose bolt, will cause a TV to be crooked. Fixing a Crooked TV Once you’ve identified the problem, you can fix it with confidence, or reach out to the right professional to get a quote and repair it quickly. If you’re experiencing any of the issues above, here are some of our fix solutions you can try at home to straighten your crooked TV.  Make sure everything is level The most important aspect, when installing anything on a wall, whether we are talking a TV wall mount or a painting on a canvas, is to ensure everything is level. To do so, you must use a leveling tool. Using a good quality level throughout the entire installation will be helpful, but especially during the part of the process when attaching the mounting plate to the wall. By guaranteeing the mounting plate is level and straight, you will be setting the foundation up to be as straight as possible. Troubleshoot a post-installation level adjustment You will find that in most cases, mounts do have a failsafe for fixing or leveling a crooked TV. Say you find that your TV is crooked once you have finished your installation. If that should happen, there should be a post-installation level adjustment that comes with the mount. This type of adjustment is either a pair of screws or a knob that will allow for clockwise and counterclockwise adjustments. Secure your mount’s hardware Double check, and possibly even triple check, your installation. Even many seasoned TV-mounting veterans have to check that all the installation instructions were followed properly. Checking your installation work is important because, for instance, you might think that a mount is defective, but there might be one or two small and easy adjustments needed to fix the issue, like fully tightening a bolt at the very beginning of the installation process. Post-Level Adjusting Your MantelMount Pull-Down TV Wall Mount As wall mount experts with our own, word-class line of pull down articulating mounts and accessories, we specialize in TV installation and mounting best practices — particularly, when it comes to working out the rare kinks of a MantelMount wall mount installation. Whether you’re an owner of our Standard MM340 Pull Down Wall Mount or the MM540 Enhanced Pull Down Wall Mount, each one of our wall mounts comes with features like adjustable stops and patented auto-straightening to provide the best TV-viewing experience. If however, you finish installing your MantelMount in its desired location and notice your TV is slightly crooked, we recommend post-level adjusting your TV: Place a level on top of your TV while it’s in the up position. If the TV isn’t level, begin by loosening the leveling screws. Rotate the TV until it’s level. Tighten all the screws. Performing a post-level adjustment should straighten your TV before you finally tighten the screws, but if your mounted TV still looks crooked after the post-leveling, the bracket may need to be reinstalled. To troubleshoot any potential problems, we have a highly detailed and comprehensive FAQ page that can guide you through common installation issues, intricate troubleshooting tips in our installation manuals (in the MM540 manual, see pages 21 and 22), or reach out to a friendly member of our customer service team for more information.