Advise on Wall-Mounting TV on a Concrete

[Deactivated] on 04/05/2018 - 09:48
Last edited 04/05/2018 - 19:24 by 1 other user

Hi all,

I'm considering to wall-mount a 75 inch TV on a concrete.
I live in an apartment and sharing the concrete wall with my neighbour.

I'm quite happy with having my TV on the table, so not sure if this is worth doing.

My concerns are:
1. It's a huge TV and I'm concerned the position will be too high, and I'm not keen in having it tilted either. What if I got the height wrong?
2. Would the cables be hidden behind the wall? It's not worth doing if not imo.
3. If I add new set top box in the future, would I need to take off the TV first?
4. How much would that cost to install?

• 

  [Deactivated] on 04/05/2018 - 10:08

  +3

  Concrete walls in an apartment are typically prefabricated and does not have eletricals running through it. 4 holes and 4 dynabolts and a flat mount bracket will set you back a green one in total.

  The wires will have to be exposed but you can tidy it up with some cleverly design cabinetry or some cable tidy strips.

  Taking off the TV to add new components is a two person job. No skill required. There is a bracket component that goes on the TV so it's a matter of unhooking, resting on the floor, making your changes and rehooking against the wall bracket.

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 04/05/2018 - 10:14

    Thanks Tshow, What do you mean by "prefabricated"?

    I think the concrete is double brick, is it still not possible to hide the wires?

    Thanks again

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 04/05/2018 - 10:21

      I'm thinking of a high rise apartment where they build with premade concrete sheets. My apologies.

      It is possible to hide wires in any such constructions but it would be highly unusual. Also, they tend to run along the skirt board level and up into the socket points if they are on brick. This is speaking from my own DIY reno of properly built houses. In the shonky ones, it is anyone's guess.

      So I would stay far from the edges (both horizontally and vertically) and drill with a pilot carefully watching out for any sudden voids or plastic texture. Always with the mains off.

      Also, you don't own external walls and fixtures. In your case where it is not a highrise and you're on double brick, I think you may have an airgap/firewall scenario.

      • 

        [Deactivated] on 04/05/2018 - 11:08

        Thanks again.

        It is possible to hide wires in any such constructions but it would be highly unusual

        Do you mean it is unusual to have that kind of constructions, or it is unusual to hide the wires in this kind of constructions?

        I think there is a tool to check if there is a wire behind it or not.

      • 

        [Deactivated] on 04/05/2018 - 12:07

        +1

        @boohooimissout:
        Unusual to route wires behind brick.

    • 

      Agret on 04/05/2018 - 12:27

      Normally you would hide the wires with some conduit in the center underneath the TV. Run it down to a cabinet beneath the TV where you can have the cables connect up to your amp / devices.

      • 

        [Deactivated] on 04/05/2018 - 13:20

        There are better ways than conduit pipes. There are flat looking things that have flushed edges.

      • 

        [Deactivated] on 04/05/2018 - 14:26

        @tshow: Yeah, I think it's a bit ugly. Sort of defeat the purpose, that is the floating effect.

        I don't think it's worth switching from the stand. What do you think?

      • 

        [Deactivated] on 04/05/2018 - 15:20

        @boohooimissout:
        The reason I went wall mount was primarily function. The stand leaves a hooooge gap between the wall and I hate cleaning that space. Also, I can get the perfect viewing height with wall mounted.

        If you're not sure why you're wall mounting, you wouldn't mind it being on the stand.

        Don't forget, real estate is expensive. Wall mounting can give you the illusion of a larger room as it is neater.

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  ESEMCE on 04/05/2018 - 10:11

  +2

  Presumably the Apartment is Strata Title?
  In which case, drilling into the walls will likely require Strata Permission. Even if you own the Apartment, you only "own" the right to modify the internal space, anything that is not airgapped to the structure requires Strata permission strictly speaking.
  No point considering any of the other problems until you get that clarified and permission granted.

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 04/05/2018 - 10:15

    That's interesting. It is strata Title.

    What do you mean by airgapped? I think the wall is double brick, is that mean it is airgapped?

    Thanks

    • 

      ESEMCE on 04/05/2018 - 11:31

      Airgapped (my wording… there's probably some official description) meaning it requires a layer of air between your stuff and the wall…As soon as you directly attach anything to a wall, ceiling or floor, you're starting to impinge on Strata property.
      Some strata corporations are going to be more relaxed than others as to what they determine acceptable and what is not acceptable.
      That's why you need to ask.

      Drilling holes has a good chance of falling inside the definition of an alteration to the structure that might require approval according to your Strata Corporation..If only to protect the owner of the other unit from any damage to their property as a result of you drilling too far!

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  coxjon on 04/05/2018 - 11:20

  What if I got the height wrong?

  Most brackets had a large degree of height adjustability (not sure about the super slim ones that have little dots you put on the back of your TV in the mounts). The bars can be raised higher or lower on the back of the TV and then hung onto the bracket. I use two people - my wife checks the height of the TV while I hold it and then you can do fine adjustments by raising or lowering the bars (place them in the middle to start)

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 04/05/2018 - 14:27

    I see, I didn't know this.

    Thanks!

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  [Deactivated] on 04/05/2018 - 11:54

  +2

  Have you thought about the noise traveling through the wall to your neighbour.

  • 

    Agret on 04/05/2018 - 12:25

    It shouldn't take him too long to mount the television, normally there is only a couple screws that must be drilled for the mount.

    I would suggest to do the drilling during daytime hours to avoid annoying the neighbor with the noise.

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 04/05/2018 - 15:21

      Typically it is 4 screws.

      I'm not a tradie but I am fully equipped. Took me 5 minutes. Much easier than cleaning the shitter.

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 04/05/2018 - 14:28

    Do you mean from the TV?
    No, I haven't thought about that…

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  Nickels n Dimes on 05/05/2018 - 17:47

  In newer apartments (<20yo), the walls between tenancies and exterior walls are often fire rated and acoustically rated. You should be very cautious when penetrating the wall for anchors, but I would suggest putting cables through it is out of the question, unless you get a certified professional to check the wall beforehand and make sure you not going to do anything that might affect your insurance, etc.
  The 'concrete' is either reinforced solid concrete (very hard to get through) or concrete blockwork, which is porous and has a hollowcore (core would be concrete-filled if structural).
  In these cases, you might want to opt for using a cable conduit or a false wall panel behind the TV.

  On other, lightweight walls you can simply rip/chase a hole up the plasterboard, or make two holes and feed the cables through, which is what electrical contractors do, then wet plaster patch over it. It's best to use a plastic gromet or cable management plate:
  http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jOhgHVJaQjI/Ux2yCajbUlI/AAAAAAAAG2…
  These protect the wall from damage and allow for easily changing cables later (though it's best to keep that as simple as possible).

  Putting a TV on a table/cabinet is fine, but typically the angle is too low, you should aim to have the centre of the TV at eye level, from your viewing position (key reason why mounting them over a fireplace is such a crappy idea). You should also consider distance and if it can be centred horizontally on the wall — if it's just a little bit off centre it can be quite annoying.

  Whatever you do, check the height/angle/distances with a measuring tape, soft pencil and a spirit level first.

  Regarding cables — you should allow for TV power, data (ethernet to connect to your NBN router),
  HDMI (to connect to your settop box / soundbar / etc). Ideally, you would use a soundbar with HDMI ARC support, which then feeds all of your other devices' video/audio/controls into the soundbar and via a single cable to your TV.

  • 

    Agret on 06/05/2018 - 01:23

    Running ethernet to a router is a whole different ball game. I'm yet to see a smart TV that doesn't offer WiFi connectivity to your modem.

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  Loki556 on 08/05/2018 - 18:07

  You could also consider a TV stand if the type where you mount TV to it - could suit what you are trying to achieve