Should You Get a TV Stand or a Wall Mount?
By
Erica Puisis
Erica Puisis
Erica Puisis writes about home products for The Spruce and specializes in interior design and plant care. She’s contributed to Forbes and smart home blogs like Smart Home Solver and TechDigg.
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Published on 03/05/23
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The TV is often the focal point of a living room. It is used to gather around and watch your favorite shows, catch up on news, and play games. Whether you are buying your first TV, replacing an old one, or simply changing where the TV sits, you are faced with a decision: Should I use a TV stand or a wall mount?
Both options have their pros and cons, and which is best suited for your space depends on multiple factors. Here we will look at scenarios where a TV stand versus a wall mount makes the most sense (and vice versa) so you can position your TV with confidence.
When You Should Use a TV Stand
A TV stand, or entertainment center, is a popular option for supporting your TV. These generally feature large amounts of storage, making them perfect for stashing away gaming consoles, remotes, extra cords, and other items.
TV stands make it easy to shift the TV and access the different ports, which is especially useful if you need to regularly change the equipment that is hooked up to the TV. Since the TV rests directly on the stand, any hanging wires are easily hidden away and out of sight.
Because of the above-mentioned features, TV stands are ideal for those with a large array of equipment that needs to be connected to the TV, as the stand not only hides the wires but acts as a storage center, keeping things neat, orderly, and contained.
TV stands are also quite easy to set up. This makes setting up your TV hassle-free and ensures you can cozy up for movie night right away. Some people decide to use a designated TV stand, while others opt for unique pieces, such as vintage dressers, to hold their TV. This not only acts as a sturdy stand but as an eye-catching focal point in the space.
Pros of a TV Stand
- Easy setup with no drilling into the wall
- Plenty of storage for gaming consoles, Blu-ray players, movies, and other electronics
- Cords can be hidden inside or behind the TV stand
- Easy to move the TV to another area or another room
- Easy access to the ports on the back of the TV
- Unique TV stands add personality to a space
Cons of a TV Stand
- TV stands take up a lot of floor space, and may not be practical in small rooms
- The TV is not mounted to anything and can be knocked down. Children or pets may knock the TV over, posing a serious safety hazard.
- The size of the stand will limit the size of the TV you can purchase
- TV stands do not allow you to adjust the height of the TV, so you must be sure to purchase a stand that is a comfortable viewing height; not too tall and not too short.
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When You Should Use a Wall Mount
Wall mounts attach the TV directly to the wall, eliminating the need for a stand. This offers the freedom to place the TV anywhere there is open wall space, regardless of whether you have the floor space below available. For instance, a wall mount is an ideal option for placing your television above a fireplace. Wall mounts also allow you to customize the height of your TV. This allows you to set it at the perfect height for the best and most comfortable viewing angle.
Although hanging a TV from the wall may seem precarious, wall-mounted TVs are actually very secure and can be much safer than those on TV stands. The secure mounts keep the TV firmly in place, eliminating any chance of the TV getting knocked over.
These factors make wall mounts ideal for small spaces, as there is no need to fit in a large entertainment center. Wall mounts offer a safer option for homes with pets and children as well. And for those who like to keep things minimal and streamlined, wall mounts eliminate visual clutter. Although hanging cords may seem like an issue, they can be hidden with on-wall cable hiders or by running the cords through the wall.
Pros of a Wall Mount
- Frees up floor space and eliminates the need for another furniture piece
- Keeps things simple, clean, and minimalistic
- Safe and secure, greatly reducing the chances of the TV falling or causing injury
- Freedom to purchase whatever size TV you wish. The only limit is the size of your wall.
- Customizable height
- Some wall mounts come with swiveling mechanics, allowing you to change the direction of the TV
Cons of a Wall Mount
- Installation requires tools and drilling into the wall
- Doesn’t offer any storage
- Hiding cords is tricker with a wall mount than a TV stand
- Accessing the ports on the back of the TV can be more challenging
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How to attach a hanging TV cabinet
Hanging TV cabinets visually expand the space, effectively complement the flat screen of a modern TV, look light and stylish in the interior. They are great for both spacious and small rooms. The only disadvantage of such furniture is the complexity of its installation. If the mount is unreliable, the TV cabinet may collapse along with its contents.
Therefore, the issue of mounting a hanging TV stand must be approached responsibly. After all, choosing a beautiful and reliable model is half the battle. That the purchased furniture has revealed its potential to the maximum and has become a luxurious addition to the living room, it must be masterfully fixed – in the right place, evenly, neatly and reliably. This task can be entrusted to professionals or solved independently.
Hanging TV stand
When it comes to hanging TV stand, there are 2 main ways – using anchor bolts and special canopies. The reliability of fastening furniture with anchor bolts largely depends on the strength of the wall. Therefore, both for reliability and aesthetics, it is preferable to use canopies with hooks in combination with a mounting plate. Their design and appearance may vary, but the photo shows a common example.
Each of these mounts can withstand a load of up to 120 kg or more, which allows you to fully use the cabinet for installing equipment and storing things in the internal compartments. After fixing the TV stand on the canopies, you can adjust the position of the furniture in height and depth in the range of 2 cm. Additionally, the kit includes a pair of plugs to mask the fasteners.
Although the canopy can withstand a significant load, it is not allowed to be limited to 1 fastening in the center. You need to use at least 2 fasteners and install them at the edges of the furniture. In this case, the load is evenly distributed between the canopies, and the risk of falling cabinets is reduced to zero. When installing a long pedestal, it is better to use 3 canopies – along the edges and in the center.
Sheds for fixing wall-mounted furniture
Modern sheds for wall-mounting TV cabinets and other types of furniture are no longer simple lug-shaped structures, but functional mounting plates with multi-directional adjustment. Adjustable awnings include:
- fixing foot – it hooks onto the mounting plate on the wall;
- adjustment block – it is made in a metal or plastic casing with several through holes designed to attach the suspension to the furniture body and adjust its position.
Suspension is adjusted by 2 screws hidden in the adjustment block. With their help, you can eliminate the skew of the cabinet or pull it close to the wall. To install an adjustable canopy, holes are made in the furniture body, and the fastener is screwed to the walls with self-tapping screws. Fasteners can be installed on the side walls of the cabinet, on the back wall or in a mortise way into the end of the side wall. Withstand load depends on the design of a particular model. Hangers for heavy furniture have reinforced sheet metal hooks.
Clearly horizontal
Hanging TV cabinets and other types of wall-mounted furniture often face difficulties in maintaining a strictly horizontal level. It is especially difficult to provide it when using traditional hinged loops. But during the operation of furniture, non-observance of the horizontal leads to skewed doors and other problems.
This is another reason to use adjustable canopies. In combination with the mounting plate, they ensure that the furniture is evenly positioned and can withstand heavy loads. Additional benefits of adjustable canopies are:
- possibility of self-assembly of furniture;
- ease of installation;
- concealed installation;
- easy adjustment of the position of the pedestal – on the weight, with the ability to eliminate errors up to 20 mm;
- safety and reliability of installation – even if several self-tapping screws are loosened, the furniture will firmly hold the rest of the fasteners;
- minimum gap between wall and furniture.
Hanging TV stand installation process
Before attaching the hanging TV cabinet, you need to determine the place of its installation. If the screen will be installed on the pedestal itself, the installation height should ensure comfortable viewing of the TV from the sofa or armchairs. To do this, the screen must be at eye level. If the TV will be mounted on brackets to the wall, the bedside table can be installed below. The main thing is that it is convenient to use, and that it is in harmony with the rest of the furniture in the interior.
Let’s describe the approximate sequence of installation of a suspended TV cabinet using a mounting plate and adjustable canopies:
- Remove front doors, drawers and shelves. Fasten the canopies so that their hooks protrude 3-5 mm from the rear wall and can freely hook on the mounting plate.
- Lean the cabinet against the wall at the desired height and mark the upper limit. Using the building level, move this mark. Draw a line at the places where the pedestal hangs.
- Attach the section of the mounting rail to the canopy in the final suspension position.
Measure the distance from the top line of the bollard to the top surface of the tire. Usually it is 30-50 mm.
- Transfer this distance to the wall – draw a line parallel to the previous one.
- Attach the mounting rail to the marked line. Drill holes in the wall. Fix the mounting rail with dowels with self-tapping screws.
- Hook the frame onto the mounting rail and level using the adjusting screws.
- Hang and adjust front doors or install drawers – depending on the design features of the pedestal. If necessary, correct inaccuracies in the installation level.
If the pedestal is installed on a solid wall with good load-bearing capacity, it is permissible to use fragments of a mounting rail approx. But at the slightest doubt about the strength of the walls, as well as when installing heavy furniture of large sizes, it is better to use a solid mounting rail along the entire length of the cabinet and fix it with several fasteners. In this case, the cabinet will withstand any load with firmness.
What is better to hang the TV on the wall or put on the cabinet?
You can place the TV in the room in different ways: install it on a cabinet or stand, mount it to a wall or ceiling. Which option to choose depends on the type of room, its size, interior features, the presence of children and animals in the house, the preferences of the owners and other factors. Next, we will consider in detail which option is better in different conditions – placing the TV on the wall or on the cabinet.
TV Stand Mount
This option is simple and easy to use, provides easy access to the ports on the back of the TV and makes it easy to hide communication cables from view. To install a flat-panel TV and hold it in a stable vertical position, a standard stand is used. For more reliable fixation, table brackets, belts and other accessories are used.
Some TV cabinets are equipped with plasma stands to securely mount the screen at the optimum height. It is convenient to store additional equipment and accessories on the shelves of such furniture. When the TV is placed on a floor cabinet, another plus is added – the ease of rearrangement if you want to redevelop and equip the TV zone in another place.
Wall mounting features
Wall mounting allows you to:
• Mount the screen at a comfortable height;
• keep it away from curious babies and active pets by installing it at a sufficient distance from the floor;
• rational use of the space of the room – use the free space on the wall;
• Provide flexible adjustment of the screen position and viewing angle – using a tilt or tilt-and-swivel bracket.
To hang the TV on the wall, you need to choose a place, drill holes, attach the bracket and hang the screen on the finished mount. The reliability of the screen fastening and the safety of its future use depend on how correctly the installation is performed. To avoid errors during installation, it is advisable to use the services of professionals.
When wall-mounting the TV, it is important that you have access to the ports on the back of the TV. With a small gap between the screen and the wall, connecting additional equipment is difficult. Angled cables and adapters solve this problem. It is also important to take care of masking communication cables in the wall. Therefore, in implementation, wall mounting a TV is more complicated and more expensive than installing it on a TV cabinet.
General Rules
In any type of TV screen installation, it is important to ensure:
1. Reliable fastening. Wall and ceiling mounting is carried out on special brackets. To fix the TV on the cabinet, universal belts, table brackets, stands, stands and plasma stands are used.
2. Positioning the screen at a comfortable height – at the level of the viewers’ eyes. When choosing the optimal screen installation level, the preferences of family members and the possibility of comfortable viewing of TV from different points of the room are taken into account. In the living room, the TV is placed at a height of 80-160 cm (from the floor to the center of the screen). In the bedroom and in the kitchen, it is usually fixed higher – at the level of 100–200 cm.
3. Harmonious design of the TV area. Regardless of whether the TV will stand on a horizontal surface or be mounted on a bracket to the wall, the TV stand will visually balance the large screen. It will become a beautiful and functional addition to the recreation area.
Conclusions
It is up to you to hang the TV or put it on a cabinet, depending on the available space, preferences and ideas about comfort. The main thing is that the selected installation option is safe and convenient for you. Most often, flat TV screens are mounted using tilt-swivel brackets to the wall. If the space of the room allows, a TV stand must be installed under the TV that matches its size.