TV above a live-edge mantel on a stacked-stone fireplace

Stacked stone to the mantel, then a framed and painted chimney breast above it, which is where the bracket is. The live-edge mantel set the bottom line for the screen.

Drywall carries nothing on its own, so this bracket hangs on the framing behind it. The studs were found with a stud finder and confirmed with a magnet before the first hole, then the plate was bolted to two of them with lag bolts, levelled with a digital inclinometer and pull-tested before the TV went on.

Tilt is the answer when the wall puts the TV above the viewer: the picture is angled down to the seat, glare from windows and lights is reduced, and the bracket still sits close to the wall.

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.