TV above a white mantel with a black firebox

Mantel fireplace, drywall above, a tilt bracket so the picture can be angled down to the sofa. The screen was centered on the firebox, not the wall, because the eye reads the fireplace as the center of the room even when the wall is not symmetrical.

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.