So, you’ve just bought your first flat screen LCD television, and you’re getting ready to mount your television up your wall.  Well, before you start the process, there are some things that you need to do and consider before, during and after hanging your flat screen television.

First of all, you should probably hang your flat screen television on an interior wall.  It’s harder to drill into exterior walls because there are usually more obstacles behind it.  Next, learn your local building and fire codes.  This will let you know where you can drill, what type of audio/visual cables you can use and other things that you need to know.  If you don’t, you could be creating a hazard in your house and may have to take down your flat screen after you have hung it.

Now, you need to figure out the optimal position and height of your television.  You want to make sure that it’s low enough so that you can see it without straining your neck, but high enough so that it’s not awkward to view it.  Also, you need to compensate for glare in the room.  If you have a lot of light coming in from a window, the wall opposite that window may not be the place to put your television, especially if it’s a plasma screen.

Next, you need to gather up your materials.  You will definitely need the following items:

• Mounting hardware: This hardly ever comes with your machine so you will have to read your owner’s manual to figure out which will work for your television.  Most televisions will use Video Electronic Standards Association brackets, but it’s good to confirm this before you go out and buy anything.
• Stud finder: Your brackets need to be secured firmly in the wall.  This can only be done by nailing them into wood studs.  If you have metal studs in your house, you will not be able to mount a flat screen television.  Metal studs are not study enough to carry the weight.
• Measuring tape: You need to make sure that your brackets are mounted correctly.  To figure this out, you should use your measuring tape to measure the distance between the bottom of the wall bracket to the bottom of your television.  Next, mark with a pencil where you would like the bottom panel of your television to be.  Using the distance measurement from the first figure, mark where you would like the bottom of the bracket to be.  Do the others.
• Utility knife/drywall saw: You will have to cut into the wall if you plan on running your cables behind your wall.  Warning, the power cable of your television is not equipped to be run behind a wall so you will have to leave this exposed.
• String or fish tape: This allows you to drag your wires shorter distances (string) or longer distances (fish tape).
• Leveler:  You need to make sure that your brackets and television are even.  This will help you with that.  Use to level to make sure that the marks that you made for brackets are even.

Now, it’s time to start mounting your brackets.  Turn off the power to the area where you will be working.  The brackets come in two pieces.  One piece will go into the wall, and the other will attach to your television.  Make sure that you’re in the center of the wood studs.  Always use a stud finder that allows you to see the exact middle of the stud.  You can mark the center with pencil mark or nail into the stud with a nail.

Where you made the measurements of where the end of the bracket should be, line it up with your bracket so that the bottom of the bracket touches the mark.  Hold the bracket steady.  You should have a helper working with you so this can be their job.  Drill a hole into the bracket’s screw hole and screw in the screws.  Screw in the other bracket.  Use the level to double-check that the brackets are even.

Next, remove the plastic caps off of the back of the television.  These cover the wholes that you need to attach the brackets.  Keep the television face up or lean it against a couch or other study object.  Never place it down face first.  Screw in the brackets at the corresponding holes.

Once this is done, you should follow the directions in the owner’s manual to verify that you are mounting the television correctly, especially if you’ve bought brackets that allow your television to swivel or move up and down.  Always have a helper assist you with holding the television and carrying it up and down a ladder.  You don’t want to fall and hurt yourself or your very expensive investment.