Plasterboard Fixings For TV

With proper care, it is perfectly safe to secure your TV to a plasterboard wall.  With wooden stud walls, it is normally the best option to mount the TV directly to the wood, but with metal stud walls it may be easier to use special plasterboard fixings to mount the TV directly to the plasterboard. 

There are important considerations for larger TV models, as their weight can be difficult to support. In this guide, we explain how to properly bracket your TV and the best ways to secure your TV to both timber and metal stud walls.

Properly Bracketing Your TV

Most TVs use VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) standards for their bracketing. The VESA standards mean that you can easily find the correct wall mount for your TV by measuring the distance between the holes on the back of your TV. While the numbers should be available within your TV manual, using a tape measure to find the distance between the horizontal holes and the vertical holes (in mm) will give you your VESA dimension. For example, if the distance between the horizontal holes is 150mm and the distance between the vertical holes is 100mm then your VESA dimensions are 150x100.

If your TV doesn’t use VESA standards there are universal mounting brackets available, which will need to be adjusted manually by you to align with the holes.

The heavier your TV, the more important a heavy-duty mount becomes. Make sure the mount you are buying is designed to support the weight of your TV. Both the weight of your TV and the maximum supported weight of your TV mount should be listed in the technical specifications and available online.  

Mounting Your TV to Wooden Studs

While it is possible to find the wooden studs with the knock test (knocking along a wall to detect wooden frames within walls), it is much safer to use a stud finder, which will detect wooden or metal studs within the wall. Using a stud finder, mark on your wall at two neighbouring studs, which should be either 400mm or 600mm apart.

Once you have the stud locations identified you can use a spirit level and tape measure to sketch out the four holes for your mount. You can use a conventional flat TV wall bracket, making sure to drill into the centre of the studs for the mount to be as secure as possible.

Mounting Your TV to Metal Stud Walls

It is possible to drill through metal studs, though it is vital to drill through the exact centre of the studs. You can use a stud finder to mark each edge of a stud, and then mark the centre by using a tape measure. 

Once you drill through the centre of the studs use toggle bolts to anchor with the other side of the studs. A toggle bolt is a metal bolt with wings that open inside a hollow wall, bracing against it to give better support by increasing the surface area and making contact with the back of the hollow wall.

 The drill bit needed for the toggle bolt holes will be included in their specifications. To better support the metal studs, insert the toggle bolts so they open horizontally rather than vertically.

Mounting Your TV Directly to Plasterboard

It is also possible to secure a TV directly to the plasterboard, allowing you to put your TV wherever you want on the wall. Before you do so, you must carefully check the area of the wall where you will be drilling with a stud finder, to make sure that you will not be drilling into pipes or wiring. 

Use a spirit gauge and tape measure to mark for your four fittings, to ensure they will fit the TV bracket and support your TV at the right angle. Again, you can use toggle bolts for these fittings to better spread weight. There are other products specifically built to secure heavy objects like TVs to plasterboard, such as Geefix or Gripit, which operate similarly to toggle bolts but may be easier for those with less experience.

Need Plasterboard Fixings?

With preparation and thoroughness fixing your TV to a plasterboard wall is completely possible. There are factors to be careful with, such as the weight of your TV, where you drill on your studs, and where you place your markings. But a plasterboard wall is not a barrier to fixing a bracketed TV, and it is not a job that requires a professional.

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