Question About Mounting a TV

[Steve Siwek]

Hello,

I have a question for those experienced with mounting a TV. I'm building out the bar area in my basement. I'm going to put up 2x4s flat against the wall instead of perpendicular to save on space (small basement and need to save all the space I can). The wall is 1' of concrete and behind that is the old stone foundation. Most of the lag screws I see for tv mounts are around 3"-3.5". Is it safe to use a little shorter lag screw so that I go into the flat 2x4 or would I be better to get concrete lag screws and just go through the 2x4 and into the concrete? IF it helps the tv is only going to be in the 34-42 inch range so I'm not putting up a big tv.

Thanks for the help.

[Adam Herman]

that will be just fine. The screws / lags in the kits seem to be made of some kind of hard cheese anyway and twist off. new TV's are very light weight anyway. our new 55 last year weighs about half of what the 10 year old 32 did, both LCD flat screens. i do really like the harbor freight mount that we got, with the arms that allow tilt and to pull away from teh wall a bit. Helped a friend mount with a similar mount from somewhere else and it was not as sturdy.

[Charlie Velasquez]

Glue and screw the flat 2x; it should be plenty strong enough. If you have concerns you can go 2x6 or 2x8 to increase the glue surface.
Buy your mount ahead of time and do a dry run before you put up the sheetrock. It will help you verify the nailers are in the right spot and you have all the wiring for a/v where you want it. Don’t forget your speakers.

[Steve Siwek]

that will be just fine. The screws / lags in the kits seem to be made of some kind of hard cheese anyway and twist off. new TV's are very light weight anyway. our new 55 last year weighs about half of what the 10 year old 32 did, both LCD flat screens. i do really like the harbor freight mount that we got, with the arms that allow tilt and to pull away from teh wall a bit. Helped a friend mount with a similar mount from somewhere else and it was not as sturdy.

Cool, thanks for the info and the tip on the Harbor Freight tip!

[Steve Siwek]

Thanks Charlie! I've got a thin layer of insulation board against the wall, I'm going to use a powder actuated gun to nail the 2x4s into the concrete. I'll definitely need to mount ahead of time though, make sure it all lines up.

[Tom M King]

TV mounts used to require a heavy mounting system. These days, they've figured out how to make them out of next to nothing, so they don't weigh much at all.

[Jim Becker]

Yes, the shorter lags are fine if you use the correct size drill bit for pre-drilling so they can grip. And honestly, current generation TVs are not all that heavy anymore...

[Doug Dawson]

I have a question for those experienced with mounting a TV. I'm building out the bar area in my basement. I'm going to put up 2x4s flat against the wall instead of perpendicular to save on space (small basement and need to save all the space I can). The wall is 1' of concrete and behind that is the old stone foundation. Most of the lag screws I see for tv mounts are around 3"-3.5". Is it safe to use a little shorter lag screw so that I go into the flat 2x4 or would I be better to get concrete lag screws and just go through the 2x4 and into the concrete? IF it helps the tv is only going to be in the 34-42 inch range so I'm not putting up a big tv.

I wonder if it's really worth it to save 2" of room dimension on the tv wall so that you can have weird cable routing issues in perpetuity, and have to use ballistic fastening for a wall mount (for a tv that is already too small, in the opinion of future generations.) At some point you will stand back and assess, and ask yourself, what were you thinking? Unless you don't have much longer to live. In which case, think of the children. :^/

[Kev Williams]

Well geez, a recip saw can cuts some V grooves for wire into the side of the 2x4's pretty easy--

As to the strength of gluing boards to cement walls, what was the go-to stuff they used 40 years ago, PL-200, 300? I forget, but great stuff--
All these shelves and all the crap on them--
shf1.jpg
--are held up by five 1x2 fir strips glued to the wall, and one nail on top of each driven into the floor plate-
shf2.jpg
The nails are simply keeping the strips against the wall, the glue is holding up all the weight, the strips are not supported by the tables.

These shelves have been there since the 70's, and they'll likely be there till the next 70's...

[Bill Jobe]

If the floor joists are bare, maybe you could attach the mount up there?