TV and soundbar above a white mantel fireplace

A classic living room: white mantel, drywall chimney breast, crown molding at the ceiling. The TV sits as low as the mantel allows, with the soundbar on its own bracket underneath so the mantel shelf stays clear, and the pair is tilted a few degrees toward the sofa.

The wall here is drywall over framing, so the bracket is lagged into the studs, never into the drywall itself: we run an electronic stud finder across the full width of the bracket, confirm each stud with a magnet on the screw line, then drive 5/16-inch lag bolts into two of them. Past 55 inches a third stud or a pair of SnapToggle anchors shares the load.

A tilting bracket lets the screen angle down toward the seating when it has to sit higher than eye level, which is what a mantel or a high wall forces. The tilt is set with the customer on the sofa, then the tension is locked.

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.

The soundbar hangs on its own bracket 3 to 6 inches under the screen, in a stud or a SnapToggle pair, with the infrared window clear and HDMI ARC (or eARC where both ends support it) carrying the sound on one cable.

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). Soundbar mounting is $79. The bracket is yours or ours from $49, and there is no travel fee.