TV on a board-and-batten fireplace wall

Board-and-batten trim over drywall. The bracket holes were placed in the flat boards between battens so the bracket sits flush, and the TV was centered on the firebox.

A panelled wall is treated as a skin: the magnet finds the nails that hold it to the framing, the bracket's holes are placed on those stud lines, and long lag bolts pass through the panel into the wood. The TV hangs on the house, not on the panel.

Flat mounts give the cleanest profile and the lowest price, and they suit a screen that sits where you watch it from. Ours are levelled to a fraction of a degree and the panel is locked to the bracket before we let go of it.

Above a working fireplace we check the heat first: the unit is burned for 20 minutes and an infrared reading is taken at bracket height, because a surround that climbs past 100 degrees will cook a panel. Electric and gas-insert fireplaces run cooler; a wood-burner that reads hot gets a pull-down mount instead.

TV mounting is a flat rate by screen size: $129 up to 54", $159 for 55-69", $209 for 70-79", $299 for 80-94" and $399 from 95" (2 technicians). The bracket is yours or ours from $49, and there is no travel fee.