New HDTV - Question regarding hardwood selection for mounting baseplate.

[Scott Mark]

Greetings,

My wife & I have a new tv & wall mounting bracket. The part of my brain that remembers physics was not excited about extending a 40lb tv 26" inches out from the wall. It will rarely, if ever, be fully extended. None the less, the possibility is there and must be taken into consideration After spending most of the day scouring the internet for guidance I've found a solution I'm comfortable with. Cut off the drywall and put in a board that spans multiple studs. Plywood the suggested material. I'm not here to beat this dead horse.

The wife side of my brain arrives home and will not tolerate plywood in any shape or form. Oak, birch, or any surfaced plywood is also out. Solid hardwood or bust.

I've been on the internet since 1992 so it's rare that I come up blank. I came up blank on this topic. I found the tables of physical & mechanical properties of hardwoods. The numbers are helpful but I'm out of my league in this situation. In any craft there are innumerable intangibles far above our capacity to communicate.

My gut instinct was ash or hard maple. Pouring over the tables turned up hickory.

I'd appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks!

[Jamie Buxton]

Consider a piece of hardwood -- any hardwood -- say 3/4" thick, 8" tall, and wide enough to lagscrew to two studs. Now think about trying to yank that thing off the wall. What's going to break? The lagscrews are not going to pull out of the studs. The hardwood is not going to break. The TV's mounting bracket probably has lagscrews to go into the hardwood, and they're not going to pull out. So you're good to go. If you want to be really cautious, lagscrew to more than two studs.

You can remove the drywall if you want, but you can just as well leave the rock in place, and just run your lags through it.

One other suggestion... While you're messing with the wall, consider installing chase in the wall for the TV's cables. There's nothing as ugly as a nice sleek TV with cables dribbling down the face of the wall below it.

[Mark Bolton]

I'm not sure i even understand your concern?

The tv mounting brackets usually are wide enough to span a pair of studs @ 16" o/c with a series of holes allowing you to shift the bracket left of right? Perhaps this isn't what you have.

These brackets are specifically engineered to carry the design load when fastened over drywall to the studs as per the installation instructions?

Pehaps you have some different mount but I would think any TV mount would call out specific mounting requirements to insure the manufacturer of the mount doesn't have to buy everyone's tv when it peels off the wall.

Unless there is some vague installation requirements I wouldn't see any need to second guess the manufacturer.

[Gregory King]

Scott, I think I am following along correctly with you. You mentioned about opening the wall cavity and installing plywood or hardwood so that it is flush with the face of the existing drywall. Why not go a step further and dado out a few studs and install a piece of 3/4" plywood flush with the stud face and then patch with drywall and joint fill. That's usually the way in new construction to mount towel bars and toilet paper brackets. Greg

[Matt Day]

I installed our tv, similar size, weight, and arm extension, with simple lag screws per the manufacturers instructions. You're overthinking it.

[Matt Day]

Scott, I think I am following along correctly with you. You mentioned about opening the wall cavity and installing plywood or hardwood so that it is flush with the face of the existing drywall. Why not go a step further and dado out a few studs and install a piece of 3/4" plywood flush with the stud face and then patch with drywall and joint fill. That's usually the way in new construction to mount towel bars and toilet paper brackets. Greg


I'm not sure about residential, but commercial construction for sure does not dado anything. Wood blocking is installed between the studs, and that blocking is usually 2x8 or 2x10 - no hardwoods.

[John Lanciani]

I'm not sure i even understand your concern?

The tv mounting brackets usually are wide enough to span a pair of studs @ 16" o/c with a series of holes allowing you to shift the bracket left of right? Perhaps this isn't what you have.

These brackets are specifically engineered to carry the design load when fastened over drywall to the studs as per the installation instructions?

Pehaps you have some different mount but I would think any TV mount would call out specific mounting requirements to insure the manufacturer of the mount doesn't have to buy everyone's tv when it peels off the wall.

Unless there is some vague installation requirements I wouldn't see any need to second guess the manufacturer.

+1. Don't over think it, just screw the bracket to two studs and be done with it. There are millions of tv's installed on wall brackets and there is no epidemic of them falling down. Do you think the average weekend warrior is removing drywall to put up their new tv in time for the superbowl?

[Matt Meiser]

You're coming up blank because you are taking it beyond the extreme. ;)

[Bill Huber]

I have a 50" and the problem I had was that the wall I wanted it on had 24" centers so the mount would not bolt to the studs. I used oak boards 3/4"x4" and lagged them to the studs with lag screws and large washers, then lagged the mount to the oak, been there for 4 years.

I did make caps for the lag screws and then painted it the same color as the wall, looks great and works as well.

[Bruce Page]

My lumber rack is simply bolted into the studs with lag screws. It weighs a lot more than any TV and hasn’t fallen down yet.

[Mark Bolton]

I have a 50" and the problem I had was that the wall I wanted it on had 24" centers so the mount would not bolt to the studs. I used oak boards 3/4"x4" and lagged them to the studs with lag screws and large washers, then lagged the mount to the oak, been there for 4 years.

I did make caps for the lag screws and then painted it the same color as the wall, looks great and works as well.


Bill,
That was my other thought and provided he isnt opposed to some 3/4" cleats and an extra 3/4" of projection that would be my solution as well.

Like John said, they wouldnt be selling many wall mounted TV's if it involved tearing your drywall apart for installation.

[Darius Ferlas]

I have a 56" wall mounted LCD. Its attached to a corner monitor mount so it is always extended about 2 feet away from the mounting plate attached to the studs with 3 lag bolts. 3 years and no signs of the monitor crashing down on the floor.

[Jason Roehl]

I agree with the others that you're WAY over-thinking this. 40 lbs at 26" is only about 83 ft-lbs of torque on the bracket. That's really not much. A single pine 2x4 stud in a wall assembly will easily withstand that with only minimal deflection.

However, if I were going to over-engineer this, I would use two pieces of angle iron let into the studs and drywall with parallel, horizontal saw kerfs, then lag-screwed to the studs. Then the TV's mounting bracket would be bolted to the angle iron. You could use the angle iron that comes with holes in it already (like the stuff with which your garage door opener is likely mounted, only thicker).

[Scott Mark]

Thanks to everyone who responded. My wife will have me eating crow tonight.

My woodworking history is actually full of over-engineering. I spend too much time thinking and not enough doing. Time and time again I put on my thinking hat instead of picking up tools.

God willing, I'll put up a few pictures to let you know how it turned out.

[Art Mulder]

My lumber rack is simply bolted into the studs with lag screws. It weighs a lot more than any TV and hasn’t fallen down yet.

ding-ding-ding. And we have a winner, folks. I think Bruce gave the most succinct and visual counter-argument yet. :D


+1. Don't over think it, just screw the bracket to two studs and be done with it. There are millions of tv's installed on wall brackets and there is no epidemic of them falling down.

A 42" unit came crashing down in the grad club (bar/restaurant) here on campus.
They'll do that when you don't screw them to the studs. Not sure who did that install!