52" LCD TV Wall-mount

[Sam Bhanji]

Hello,

I am looking into making a simple wall-mount to hang my 52" LCD TV that weighs about 85 lbs. The retail mounts are ridiculously costly. I was thinking of using 1" walnut to create a frame that will mount to the wall as well onto the TV.

Has anyone endeavored into such a design? If so, can anyone share their experiences please.

I am more concerned about whether the 2x4 studs and 1" walnut can support such a weight.

Thanks,
Sam.

[John Keeton]

Sam, I wouldn't be concerned about supporting the 85#, but you may want the tilt feature of the retail mount depending on the height at which you mount the TV. I think I paid about $75 for mine. It is tilt, but not articulating.

Check this link http://www.ergomart.com/LCD_WALL_MOUNTS/WM30HD-Wall-Mount-dtl.htm

Most of these are not visible except from an extreme side view.

[Bruce Page]

I toyed with the idea when I bought our 46” XBR but decided that a failed joint or under engineered mounting frame would be a lot more costly than a commercial mount.
YMMV

[Justin Leiwig]

I toyed with the idea when I bought our 46” XBR but decided that a failed joint or under engineered mounting frame would be a lot more costly than a commercial mount.
YMMV

That's what I was thinking too. You just spent $2500 on a 52" flatscreen and you want to cheap out on a $200 mount? Doesn't make much sense to me. Then again I learned from the school of hard knocks that when you think it is cheaper and easier to make something yourself, by the time you get done it will have taken you 10 times longer than you thought and cost you 3 times what the retail version would have cost.

[John Keeton]

And, whatever one does, it needs to be VESA compatible. It can probably be accomplished with structural integrity, but the point is that it will take a lot of work, and won't show! When I use a piece of walnut on something, I want to see it. I didn't even consider tackling this task to hang our 42".

Sam, I would encourage you to look around for mounts. I think Wal-Mart and Sam's have them, as well as other big box stores. I think mine came from Best Buy, but they are plentiful and not that expensive.

[Christopher Stahl]

You can order a nice Sanus mount off Amazon for about $90. They are excellent and have a smooth tilt mechanism. They have different models that provide different depths and features. Take a look at the Sanus VMPL50B, it's going to be what you're looking for.

[Robert Parrish]

Make sure that the mount you get allows the TV to swing out from the wall so you will have access to install new cables. I mounted my 52" Sony flat to the wall and had to remove it to install a new HDMI cable when I added a home theater. Some TV's have cable access to the sides but mine only had one and the rest in the rear. I used a Peerless mount from Amazon.

[Jamie Buxton]

I'm with you, Sam. Those mounts seem pretty expensive to me, too. A lot of them also have another drawback: the depth. You're paying top dollar to get a TV which is super-slim, and then the mount is deeper than the TV. Devising your own mount may address that issue.

To answer your questions.. Yes, I'm sure the studs in the wall can hold up the TV. The 1" walnut may well be able, but it depends on how you're using it.

The other posters do have a point about the cables. With the expensive mounts, you can often hang the TV on the wall, and then pull it out to attach cables. Your TV is big and awkward, so holding it up yourself while you fiddle with cables is not a good idea. I've done one installation where we put an access panel through the wall, and the homeowners fiddle with the cables while standing in a closet. That also handled the potential ugliness of cables visibly draping down the wall below the TV. I used what was essentially a French cleat to hang the TV.

[Jim Becker]

Lee Valley has very reasonable priced mounts. There is merit in using them as they are designed to match up with the VESA hole patterns and to carry the weight. They also provide an extra level of security from theft as it's not a 'fast' job to remove the TV from the wall once the installation is complete. I used these mounts for both of our LCDs and couldn't be more pleased with both the product and the price...especially considering the value of what they are holding securely to the wall.

[Frank Hagan]

The big box stores often sell things like cables and mounts at extremely high mark ups ... I guess to make up for the skinny profit margins on the tv sets.

I had a co-worker who ordered his cables and mounts through monoprice (http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=109&cp_id=10828). I have used their cables, but not the mounts, so I can't personally vouch for the mounts. He ordered one of the $25 swivel mounts, but I'm not sure which one (he was also laid off a month ago, so I can't verify). But before building one, I would go with one that's between 25 and $80 from them.

[Jerry Balzell]

I just mounted a 42" LCD. I bought an articulating mount off of Amazon for 79.00. I also went to the large stores and refused to pay the unreasonable prices that they wanted. The item I purchased is still on Amazon for the same amount. If you go to the Amazon web site, type in tv wall mount. I mounted mine to a piece of ply wood that cover four studs and secured it to the wall with lag screws.

[Matt Meiser]

[QUOTE=Frank
I had a co-worker who ordered his cables and mounts through monoprice (http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=109&cp_id=10828). I have used their cables, but not the mounts, so I can't personally vouch for the mounts. He ordered one of the $25 swivel mounts, but I'm not sure which one (he was also laid off a month ago, so I can't verify). But before building one, I would go with one that's between 25 and $80 from them.[/QUOTE]

I just ordered a premium non-swivel mount from Monoprice. I'll let you know what I think. I ordered a ton ov AV cables, keystone jacks, in-wall spreaker wire, and a few other items as well. The prices are incredible and the reviews excellent.

[Scott Conners]

I install TVs in large custom homes for a living, as part of whole-house automation and media systems (Control 4). We use mostly peerless mounts, they are quite good. Basic flat mounts are just metal versions of a french cleat. It'd be very simple to make a pair of french cleats, attach them to the tv and the wall, and hang the TV. Lots more measuring and planning than with a metal mount (no vertical adjustability, two separate pieces to mount on wall, measuring bolt patterns etc). The peerless standard flat mount is less than 7/8" deep and comes with everything you need for a wood or block wall. In most houses I can come in and using only a measuring tape, a 18v drill or impact driver, a torpedo level and the mount package I can have a tv hung in about 30 minutes if I have a helper and the wires are in place.

The 2x4 walls will be plenty strong - I always check any mount that used more than one stud and 4 boltsd or more (32"+) by hanging my full weight on it. Two of us would hang on the 60"-65" mounts. Four or six 1/4" lags are very strong if they are in good wood. I imagine a cleat of 1" walnut would be plenty strong to hold that TV.

If I needed tilt or swivel, I wouldn't try to make my own, I'd just buy commercially, especially for a 52" tv. Too much weight, and the engineering has been done already.

TVs have a standard 4 bolt mount pattern (VESA) in the back, though bolt size and depth are variable. Check depth in EVERY hole on the tv before selecting length, going too deep can easily damage the mount lug or circuit boards! (DAMHIKT), and sometimes it's only 1 that is only 1/2" deep. TVs need airflow around them, the instructions will give guidelines but most spec about 1" free air all around.

[Frank Hagan]

I just ordered a premium non-swivel mount from Monoprice. I'll let you know what I think. I ordered a ton ov AV cables, keystone jacks, in-wall spreaker wire, and a few other items as well. The prices are incredible and the reviews excellent.

I know the cables are great. Really a good value there, and they ship quickly. I'm interested in the wall mounts for when I re-do the family room and get a 52" LCD.

[Justin Leiwig]

also check out partsexpress.com I believe they sell the peerless mounts that Scott referred to.

[Todd Crawford]

I was able to pick up a mount for our 42 inch for around $50 on Amazon. I don't remeber what brand it was, sorry, it's been a couple of years, but it was super easy to install, I wouldn't waste my time trying to build one myself. There are deals to be had. I think the smaller one for our bathroom was only $15 on Amazon....

[Matt Sollars]

another vote for Monoprice.com. Several flawless transactions and fantastic products. Great Company.