Compared to the old CRT (cathode-ray tube) TVs, modern OLED televisions are considerably thinner and lighter but more fragile. The slim profile means resting the TV on a table or a similar platform is almost next to impossible. Mounting the TV on a wall is, therefore, the right way to set it in place.
To mount an OLED TV on the wall, you can mount the TV slightly away from it or use a mount that allows you to unclip the bottom rail. This will ensure access to the cables and connectors. There are also motorized wall mounts that let you effortlessly change the TV’s direction. An OLED TV can be mounted to a wall to make it appear like a wall painting.
Mounting an OLED or any flat-panel TV is a great way to seamlessly set up a TV in your living room or bedroom. There are multiple ways to do the mounting, by the way. Continue reading if you’d like to know in detail everything there is to mounting an OLED TV on a wall.
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Why Wall-Mount Your OLED Television?
Wall-mounting is the ideal way to set a flat-screen TV in place. This is particularly so if the room is small and/or you don’t want the television to occupy any shelf or floor space of its own. An OLED TV looks much better and a lot more modern (like it should) when mounted rather than when placed on a pedestal.
In fact, unlike the tube televisions of yore, flat-screen OLED or LCD TVs are designed to seamlessly blend into their environment without occupying much ground or air space. When mounted correctly, the TV can be the focal point of pretty much any living area or room.
Some of the newer OLED TVs can serve as wall painting, too, when their TV functions are not used. Of course, you could turn off the wallpaper functionality when you don’t need it. The huge bezels of a traditional TV wouldn’t have made this possible.
Most modern TVs–particularly the high-end or more premium ones–come bundled in with their wall mounts. If the TV you purchased didn’t come with one or came in with a sub-par wall mount, buy the mount separately.
There are quite a few ways to mount your TV on the wall.
Fixed Mount
A fixed TV mount is a robust and sturdy wall mount bracket and, as the name indicates, facilitates zero screen movement. Though the bracket design sounds antiquated, it still has its place in the world of tilting and pivoting wall mounts for a good reason. In other words, if you’ve placed your TV at a height you consider ideal, and you don’t think you’ll need access to the TV’s various ports regularly, a fixed TV mount is perfect.
A fixed TV mount simplifies the installation process, and it’s the least expensive of all TV mount types. Also, your OLED TV will be positioned much closer to the wall with the mount, which means less usage of aerial space.
Not to mention, pretty much all fixed mounts have a slim profile, which means a lot more elegant-looking installation. And if you pair the TV mount with skinny OLED TVs like the 4.9mm (0.19 inches) thin Sony Bravia TVs or the above-mentioned 3.85mm (0.15 inches) LG OLED “Wallpaper” TV, it won’t look like there’s a TV in the room.
The downside is that accessing your TV’s rear with a fixed TV mount can be quite tricky. Even if you do not foresee the need to get behind your TV, you would still need to see your TV’s back to remove or add an HDMI cable, for instance.
Tilting Mount
The “tilt” mount permits up and down movement by a few degrees – usually in the 5 to 15-degree range. This ability to change your TV’s angle vertically comes in handy when you’re reclining on your couch watching the TV. The mount, however, doesn’t move or swivel sideways.
The TV mount holds your TV around a couple of inches further from the wall. It doesn’t offer the flush appearance a fixed TV mount provides, but it makes up for that with its tilting convenience. Not to mention, a few inches of gap between the TV and the wall means the rear of the TV is easy to access.
Articulating Mount
An articulating or full-motion TV mount does everything a tilt mount is capable of and more. The TV mount lets you orient your TV in multiple ways. It comes with extending arms that articulate and swivels in almost all possible directions. And if you want your TV to go flat against the wall, the arm could be folded onto itself and minimized too.
A full-motion mount comes in handy in various scenarios. For instance, if natural light enters your room directly and reflects off your TV screen, you can avoid the light and the ensuing eyesore by changing your TV’s angle. Moreover, if you would like to watch television from another room in the house or your dining area, an articulating mount setup makes that possible.
The mount is comparatively pricier and complicated to install for its advantages over its less capable siblings. But if you were to equate the mount’s price and its value proposition, the higher price would seem negligible. Not to mention, the TV mount offers you comfortable and complete access to the rear of your TV. This means configuring and rearranging the cables are quite simple.
Kindly note, the degree of motion could vary between mounts. Some, for instance, can swivel up to 60 degrees. And some could rotate a bit more, up to 90 degrees.
Corner Mounting
If your OLED TV is headed to a corner, look for a corner mount. A corner mount is a variant of the articulating motion but has purpose-designed brackets to fit into a corner.
Designed with pre-drilled plates and articulating arms, the wall mount lets you install pretty much any flat television to a corner. If you want to put dead corner spaces in your house to good use, a flat-screen TV installation will do the trick.
Corner TV mounting is not standard, but it has its advantages. Besides saving space, your TV’s chances of getting knocked over accidentally are low when positioned in a corner. Corner-mounted TV is also more likely to eliminate glare from natural light.
A couple of things to consider before mounting your television in the corner are the TV’s size and how high you should mount it. The bigger your TV, the more extension you might need with your TV mount arms. As far as height goes, a 42-inch (107 cm) TV should be placed at the height of around 56 inches (142 cm) from the floor.
TV Mount Stand
If you’re not a fan of drilling holes into your wall but still want your TV to hang and not be directly placed on some platform, consider a TV mount stand.
The advantage of using the stand is there is no drilling required. Though not as robust as a wall, the stand is quite sturdy and can be wheeled around too. This means you can cart your TV between rooms, provided you are okay with plugging and unplugging the TV every time you push it around.
As far as negatives go, a TV mount stand cannot offer the clean, aesthetic look a wall mount usually provides. Moreover, a stand is not as robust as an actual wall. In other words, the chances of the screws not being firmly in place are higher with the stand.
Fireplace Mounting
Though not ideal, an OLED TV can be mounted onto the wall over a fireplace too. Since mounting a TV over a fireplace and watching TV without a neck sore do not go hand in hand, fireplace mounts come with arms that easily pull out, and the TV pushed down above the mantel when watching TV. Just make sure the fireplace is not at work when you’re watching TV.
Ceiling Mounting
In some instances, a wall mount may not be practical. In other words, if you have no empty wall, the available space is a bit constricted, or you have a brick wall to deal with, a wall mount will not work. In such situations, consider a ceiling mount. A ceiling mount is also ideal if you fancy hanging your TV in the center of your room, away from the walls.
Equipment/Tools Needed to Mount Your OLED TV
Mounting a TV on the wall is straightforward but not too easy to be considered a child’s play. This is particularly true if you want to make sure the mounted TV looks tidy, remains secure, and has no cables visible.
Before mounting your TV, make sure you’ve got the necessary equipment handy. The things you’ll need include:
- Power drill and drill bits: If the TV is particularly big or bulky, you’ll need drill bits to power it into a solid wall.
- Stud finder: If the wall you are mounting your TV onto is hollow, a stud finder will help situate the wooden studs supporting it. The wall-mount will be bolted onto the wooden studs. Stud finders also help find out wiring and/or pipes in hollow walls. Mounting the bracket to a block or concrete wall would need special hardware that will likely not be included in the wall mount product package.
- Tape measure: A tape measure ensures the TV is positioned the way you prefer.
- Spirit level: Specific brackets come with built-in spirit levels. If the one you have doesn’t, find out a way to ensure the mount is level.
- Screwdriver: The tool helps attach your wall mount to the rear of your TV. Though last on this list, a screwdriver is the most essential and fundamental piece of equipment you’ll need for this DIY project.
If you’d like to know in a bit more detail about how to put these various tools and equipment to use when wall-mounting a TV, check this video out:
Things to Consider Before Buying a TV Mount
Besides the affixed or flexible nature of the TV mount, a couple of other important things must be looked at before buying a TV mount:
VESA
Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) has set up a TV mounting standard to ensure uniformity across the board. The standard consists of four mounting holes that affix to the rear of your TV. Depending on your TV’s model and size, the distance between the mounting holes would increase or decrease.
The measurements are taken down in millimeters (mm) both horizontally and vertically. TV and mounting stand manufacturers must conform to VESA standards to ensure their products are compatible with each other. The VESA pattern of a TV can usually be found in the product manual or on the manufacturer’s website.
If your TV has no VESA measurements detailed, you may go ahead and manually take down the horizontal and vertical measurements from one mounting point to another. Checking your TV’s VESA pattern before buying a mount for it is imperative.
Load Bearing Capacity
Just because the holes line up doesn’t automatically mean the mount is ideal for your TV. It, for instance, may not be robust enough to bear your new TV’s weight. Some big-screen TVs can easily weigh above 30 kg (66 pounds). Therefore, ensure the mount you’ve picked is up for the challenge.
If you regularly upgrade your TVs, look for a universal wall mount or a mount that accommodates OLED TVs’ weight and size. If you’re looking for a wall mount that can handle TVs with up to 55-inch (140 cm) screens, consider the USX MOUNT Store XMM-006 Full Motion Articulating Wall Mount Bracket.
Choosing the TV Mounting Spot
Before drilling the holes for the mount, know where you want the TV to go. Even a few centimeters off from what’s ideal may mean an awkwardly positioned TV. Use your TV’s box for measurements if that helps. Using the product box will also help you mark the corner positioning on the wall for your TV.
The wall you choose would also help with hiding those cables. For instance, if the spot selected is close to the power supply, the need to run the cable several meters won’t arise.
Do Not Wall-Mount Your TV Over a Fireplace
Mounting a TV over a fireplace is a real practice, and it is also mentioned above as one of the mounting techniques. If you’re contemplating the idea, however, read this before you go ahead:
- Heat and smoke from the fireplace can lead to a hazy, thick film of filth building up on your television’s internal components.
- Excessive heat exposure can also cause the conductive materials inside the TV to sprout tiny metal whiskers, triggering shorts in your TV’s circuitry.
- Since the TV will be mounted over the fireplace, the likelihood of the TV being above your eye level is greater. The “looking up” posture could cause your neck muscles to become sore. It also means improper breathing, overuse of certain muscles, pain in the region, etc.
Additional Reading: Is it Safe to Put a TV Near a Radiator?
Ideal Height
Talking about the height from the floor, the center of your TV’s screen should be 42 inches (107 cm) high from the floor. This height is ideal, or the TV will be at eye level if you’re watching seated on a couch. But this standard height recommendation may not apply to all TV sizes. As mentioned above, a 42-inch (107 cm) TV must be positioned a little higher on the wall.
Attaching the Wall Mount
Once the correct mounting spot has been determined, get rolling with the installation process. Start drilling the already marked areas in the wall. Make sure the drill bit you use matches the bolts’ size. If you’re working with a solid wall, do a couple of pilot or trial indentations to ascertain the mount bolts’ drill bit size.
The mount has two parts: one that goes into the wall and the other one that fits onto the rear of your TV. The mount will usually come with an assortment of screws. If you’ve done your VESA homework, you should not have any trouble fitting the screws into the holes of your TV. Before bringing together the two components of the bracket, attach the required cables to your OLED TV.
Irrespective of how light or small your TV is, you cannot pull the task off as a single individual. Therefore, hire help. Have assistance on standby before you go ahead with the mounting. If you’re not sure about mounting the stand yourself, you can always hire professional services.
Hiding the Cables
A wall-mounted TV will have a couple of cables running from and to it – one line for power and the other to hook it up with your peripherals such as your Blu-ray player, gaming console, etc. You could be dealing with more than two cables if the various connected devices use their lines.
Irrespective of whether you have two cables or half a dozen of them to work with, stow them away as discreetly as possible for a clean looking setup. Use cable trunks or trays to conceal the cables.
Another method is running the cables behind the wall, using an in-wall power kit. This Echogear EGAV-CMIWP1 Wall Cable Management Kit is the power kit to consider if you opt for this method.
Conclusion
Most separately sold wall mounts come pre-assembled and also pack in the drill template and screws needed for the job. If it’s your first time installing a wall mount, look for pre-assembled kits so that you need not begin from scratch.
Also, look to buy a wall mount from established brands to benefit from a quality product and good customer support. Suppose you made a blunder during the installation or need professional installation services at any point during the process. In that case, a capable support team will look out for your needs and concerns better.
