Alex Crabinsky - Founder & Lead Installer

I’m Alex Crabinsky. I’ve installed 7,874 TVs.

I started Express Mounting in 2015 with one truck, a Franklin Sensor ProSensor 710 stud finder, and a small set of Alpharetta-area referrals. Eleven years later, I’ve personally documented 7,874 TV installations across Metro Atlanta - from 32-inch bedroom TVs to 98-inch home theater displays, on every wall type a Georgia home throws at you.

I’m the one writing the install guides, product reviews, and how-to articles on this site. When a guide says “after 7,874 installs, here’s what I learned,” that’s not marketing copy - it’s the actual reason I can tell you which $40 mount holds up after two years and which $300 mount has a known failure mode at the second-stud connection point.

What I do

Today: I run Express Mounting as a hands-on Atlanta TV installer. I personally handle every fireplace install, every 75-inch-plus mount, every job in a historic home with plaster-and-lath walls, and most commercial installs. The site’s content is drawn directly from those installs.

Service area: Based in Alpharetta. Atlanta-metro coverage including Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Marietta, Decatur, Johns Creek, Brookhaven, Dunwoody, and 30+ more cities within roughly 30 miles of I-285.

The numbers - what they actually mean

• 7,874 documented installations since 2015. I keep a database - every job, every wall type, every mount model used, every customer note. It’s how I know that the Sanus VLF728 has been on 200+ of my installs and the Echogear EGLF2 is the value pick I’ve installed dozens of times.
• a top-rated reputation at Express Mounting on Google Business. Real customers, real homes, dated reviews going back to 2015. Read the one-star and three-star reviews too - they’re how you tell whether someone is good at what they do.
• 10+ years in the field continuously. Started 2015, still actively installing in 2026.
• Zero TV damage claims in 10 years. Pull-test at 2× the TV weight before the panel goes on, every time.

What I specialize in

Fireplace installs. Heat assessment with an IR thermometer at full burn, mantel-deflector recommendations when temps exceed 100°F, MantelMount MM540 / MM700 pull-down installations.

Plaster-and-lath walls. Common in Inman Park, Virginia-Highland, Morningside, Grant Park, Historic Roswell, Druid Hills, Candler Park - anywhere pre-1955 Craftsman or Tudor construction. 4-inch lag bolts through lath and into stud, never standard drywall anchors. I’ve drilled into all of it.

Large-format displays (75”+). 3/4” plywood backer plates across 3+ studs, two-person lifts, 14-foot ladders for great rooms with cathedral ceilings. The cantilever-torque math on a full-motion 85” install is no joke.

In-wall cable concealment. UL-listed power relocation kits to NEC Article 400.8 code. Never extension cords through walls - that’s a code violation and a fire risk I’ve seen happen twice in homes I was called to fix.

Brick and stone masonry. Tapcon screws into mortar joints with an SDS hammer drill. Diamond-tipped core drill bits for stone fireplace facades. I’ve drilled through enough Atlanta brick to know the difference between 1920s soft-fired stock and modern hard-fired.

What I actually carry on every truck

The hardware below is what makes the difference between a TV that’s on the wall and a TV that stays on the wall for 10 years:

• Franklin Sensor ProSensor 710 stud finder (13-sensor, shows full stud width in one pass)
• FLIR IR thermometer (fireplace surface temp checks)
• Bosch GBH 2-28L SDS hammer drill (masonry work)
• Diamond-tipped core drill bits (stone fireplaces)
• 3/8” × 3” Grade 5 lag bolts (wood studs, standard)
• 4” Grade 5 lag bolts (plaster-and-lath)
• Snap-toggle and toggle anchors rated 150+ lb (steel studs, condo metal framing)
• Tapcon masonry anchors (brick accent walls)
• 3/4” plywood backer plates (75”+ full-motion installs)
• UL-listed in-wall power relocation kits (NEC 400.8 compliant)
• Digital inclinometer to ±0.1° (leveling - especially in older homes where floors and walls are out of true)
• MantelMount MM540 / MM700 pull-down brackets

My install protocol - every job, same eight steps

1. Wall read. ProSensor 710 plus magnet pass to locate studs or steel framing. If electronic finders fail (common in plaster-and-lath), 1/8” pilot bit and probe by feel.
2. Thermal read (fireplace jobs only). IR sweep at full burn, multiple readings across mantel and chimney breast, compared to TV’s heat tolerance (usually 100°F max for OLED).
3. Mount spec. Multiple bracket options brought to every job - match the mount to the TV’s VESA pattern and the customer’s viewing angle. No surprise upsells.
4. Drilling. Masking tape first to mark positions and contain drill dust. Correct bit for the wall type. Pilot holes always.
5. Anchor. Hardware specified to wall + TV weight. Pull test at 2× the TV’s weight before the panel goes on.
6. Cable routing. In-wall wherever possible. For masonry walls without cavity, paintable raceway matched to wall color.
7. TV on, level, tilt set. Digital inclinometer to ±0.1°. Tilt locked at 5-15° for fireplace mounts.
8. Clean up. Every scrap of packaging out. Photo of the mount spec for customer records.

Why I write the guides on this site

Most “TV mounting guides” on the internet are written by people who’ve never installed a TV. They aggregate spec sheets. They link to Amazon top sellers. They use AI to fill in word count.

I write what I install. When a guide says “the Echogear hardware kit comes up one toggle bolt short on a 75-inch panel,” that’s because I’ve watched it happen. When a guide says “Samsung’s no-gap Frame mount is worth $80 over the standard option,” that’s because I’ve installed 60+ Frame TVs.

I want this site to be the resource I wish I’d had when I started in 2015.

Most-cited articles I’ve written

• VESA Patterns Explained: TV Mount Compatibility Guide - the definitive VESA reference based on 7,874 install measurements
• How to Mount a TV (Step-by-Step) - my full 8-step install playbook
• How to Find Studs Behind Plaster-and-Lath Walls - essential for pre-1955 homes
• Drilling Into Brick vs. Stone Veneer Safety Guide - hardware selection by masonry type
• Heavy-Duty TV Mounting for 85-Inch-Plus Displays - backer plates and multi-stud anchoring

Get in touch

• Editorial inquiries, press, partnerships: alex@expressmounting.com
• Book an Atlanta install: expressmounting.com/contact/
• Read past customer reviews: Google Business Profile (a top-rated reputation from real installs since 2015)

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Express Mounting - TV mounting in Atlanta since 2015. 7,874 installations and counting.