I recently got a 50″ Panasonic Plasma TV (TH-50PX60U) with a Sanus Flat Panel TV Mount (VMSAs) that tilts, swivels, and pans. The instruction manual with the tv mount says the wall should be able to handle 5 times the weight of the plasma tv plus the weight of the actual mount. That is roughly 550 pounds. How in the world do I beef up my wall to safely handle that? We live in an old house with plaster walls and I would like to hang it above the fireplace. Can you give me any advice? Thank you!
Thanks for the comments so far. Just to clarify, we do not use the fireplace – the tv would look very nice in this location!
First things first, I seriously doubt that the mfg. of the TV will warrant the TV if you hang it over a fireplace. I know you see all those pretty pics of TVs over fireplaces but they cannot handle the heat, most have an automatic shut off when they reach a certain temp.
The const of the wall around your fireplace may not have wood studs, hopefully it does, you must locate those studs and the weight you are talking about you will need to hit three studs with a wall bracket and that bracket will need to be bolted to the studs with at least two 3″ lag bolts on each stud.
The lath on the wall is probably wood lath over which the plaster was spread, I’ve seen situations where the homeowner opened the wall to expose the studs and then attached 3/4″ plywood to the studs to this they could bolt the mounting bracket distributing the load over the studs. This plywood could then be finished out to match the wall.
Again- carefully consider the mfg. recommendations regarding fireplaces.
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