LCD TV wall mount

I've bought a flat panel TV wall-mount from futureshop for my condo living
room. The wall mount os made by Sanus(Sanus Adjustable Tilt Universal Flat
Panel TV Wall Mount (VMSAS-03) - online sale for $70 less!) and it has a
short extendable arm. Not until I returned home and looked at the specs of
my condo, and only to learn that I have metal studs in the dry-wall instead
of wooden ones.
In the instruction booklet of the wall-mount, it specifically said that the
hardware(assuming that they are talking about the long screws for the
mounting) provided in the package is only for wooden studs, not metal, not
concrete etc...
I've never installed anything like this before. What is the solution here?
Would I have to go to hw stores such as Reno-Depot or Rona to get the metal
stud fasteners? If so, I don't even know how they work vs. regular screws.
The mount itself weight already 35 to 40 pounds, and I assume that the panel
TV(which brand and model yet to be determined by my wife and I) will
probably weight abut 40 to 50 lbs(plus the short extendable arm). Any
expert here has any ideas on how to mount or what hw I should get to mount
this onto the wall? Your advice is much appreciated...

AL

the best way is to add an extra solid board on top
of the metal stud and drywall, wide enough for
the mounting plate of the tv arm. attach the board
thru the drywall with #10-12 sheet metal screws, into
the metal stud. this reinforces the drywall so it wont
compress when the screws are tightened. this board
could be 1/2" plywood, or solid trim wood.
drill pilot holes for the attachment screws,
sand and paint the board to match the wall
before attaching tv mount to the backing board
with big wood screws.

another fastening system used is a threaded screw
anchor which is first inserted into the drywall,
then has a zip tie hold down to make it solid
against the back of the drywall. some of these are
rated up to 500 pounds, and will work well in
5/8"-3/4" drywall. then the tv arm back plate
is screwed with machine thread screws into
these inserts. this however can compress
the drywall leaving a damaged look. this
system is used where the stud is not located.

I do not recommend using hardware store
type plastic or metal drywall anchors, these
can make the drywall crumble or crack.

The last method is to mount tv arm directly
to drywall with sheet metal screws that thread
into the metal stud. again, this can compress
or damage the drywall. you will need to drill
pilot holes into the stud, slightly smaller than
the screw thread diameter.

I like the backing board best, it holds more
weight, can be painted and causes the least
damage to drywall, overall

Unless you're willing to open the drywall to mount a proper mounting
bracket to the studs behind the drywall,
(http://www.chiefmfg.com/store/detail/?product_id=76609), then you have
to mount something over the drywall that spans two of the studs. If the
mounting hardware won't span the 16" itself, then you need to, as
mykeymykey said, use a piece of wood. I'd go to 3/4" personally as
it'll add more strength and give you a wider edge to dress up with a
moulding or decorative edge. Make sure you use fine thread screws, self
tapping if possible, because they'll hold the steel better. Do not use
a standard drywall screw as even the finer thread are still too coarse
and they have a tendency to be brittle.

Don't be afraid to open the drywall to attach a proper mount. It's not
as hard as it is intimidating. Locate the studs then mark a square a
couple inches bigger that the bracket will be, centered over the
studs. Cut using a drywall or Olfa knife at an angle beveled in towards
the center of the hole. Check for any buried screws in the piece of
drywall to be removed and remove them. Remove the piece of drywall and
mount the bracket securely to the studs. Replace the piece of drywall
with new screws. These may need to be predrilled as you are now
drilling through the bracket as well. Open the joint by beveling the
edges of the drywall piece you had removed. You want a 1/4" to 3/8" gap
optimally. You can find hundreds of step by step sites on the web on
doing the taping. Here's a good one:
http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/i...air/large.html

This will give you the most professional, finished looking option. Well
worth the extra work.Nothing worse than buying new expensive toys and
then doing a slap-happy job of mounting them.

Good Luck!


On Oct 25, 7:39 pm, wrote:
the best way is to add an extra solid board on top
of the metal stud and drywall, wide enough for
the mounting plate of the tv arm. attach the board
thru the drywall with #10-12 sheet metal screws, into
the metal stud. this reinforces the drywall so it wont
compress when the screws are tightened. this board
could be 1/2" plywood, or solid trim wood.
drill pilot holes for the attachment screws,
sand and paint the board to match the wall
before attaching tv mount to the backing board
with big wood screws.

another fastening system used is a threaded screw
anchor which is first inserted into the drywall,
then has a zip tie hold down to make it solid
against the back of the drywall. some of these are
rated up to 500 pounds, and will work well in
5/8"-3/4" drywall. then the tv arm back plate
is screwed with machine thread screws into
these inserts. this however can compress
the drywall leaving a damaged look. this
system is used where the stud is not located.

I do not recommend using hardware store
type plastic or metal drywall anchors, these
can make the drywall crumble or crack.

The last method is to mount tv arm directly
to drywall with sheet metal screws that thread
into the metal stud. again, this can compress
or damage the drywall. you will need to drill
pilot holes into the stud, slightly smaller than
the screw thread diameter.

I like the backing board best, it holds more
weight, can be painted and causes the least
damage to drywall, overall

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll probably take the following solution:
1.) Open up the dry-wall and add the additional support (plywood) between
the metal studs;
2.) Purchase a lighter LCD TV versus a larger size one that we have planned
originally. Save the weight and save the $$, though a Sony 40" Bravia 1080i
is only being sold for under $2.2k(tax in). Already over budget on
everything else!!


"A. Lo" wrote in message ...
I've bought a flat panel TV wall-mount from futureshop for my condo living
room. The wall mount os made by Sanus(Sanus Adjustable Tilt Universal
Flat Panel TV Wall Mount (VMSAS-03) - online sale for $70 less!) and it
has a short extendable arm. Not until I returned home and looked at the
specs of my condo, and only to learn that I have metal studs in the
dry-wall instead of wooden ones.
In the instruction booklet of the wall-mount, it specifically said that
the hardware(assuming that they are talking about the long screws for the
mounting) provided in the package is only for wooden studs, not metal, not
concrete etc...
I've never installed anything like this before. What is the solution
here? Would I have to go to hw stores such as Reno-Depot or Rona to get
the metal stud fasteners? If so, I don't even know how they work vs.
regular screws. The mount itself weight already 35 to 40 pounds, and I
assume that the panel TV(which brand and model yet to be determined by my
wife and I) will probably weight abut 40 to 50 lbs(plus the short
extendable arm). Any expert here has any ideas on how to mount or what hw
I should get to mount this onto the wall? Your advice is much
appreciated...

AL

Good choice.

You should take some pics... it's make a great "how-to" for others to
see.

.... or at least show us your finished project! :-)



A. Lo wrote:
Thanks for the advice. I think I'll probably take the following solution:
1.) Open up the dry-wall and add the additional support (plywood) between
the metal studs;
2.) Purchase a lighter LCD TV versus a larger size one that we have planned
originally. Save the weight and save the $$, though a Sony 40" Bravia 1080i
is only being sold for under $2.2k(tax in). Already over budget on
everything else!!


"A. Lo" wrote in message ...
I've bought a flat panel TV wall-mount from futureshop for my condo living
room. The wall mount os made by Sanus(Sanus Adjustable Tilt Universal
Flat Panel TV Wall Mount (VMSAS-03) - online sale for $70 less!) and it
has a short extendable arm. Not until I returned home and looked at the
specs of my condo, and only to learn that I have metal studs in the
dry-wall instead of wooden ones.
In the instruction booklet of the wall-mount, it specifically said that
the hardware(assuming that they are talking about the long screws for the
mounting) provided in the package is only for wooden studs, not metal, not
concrete etc...
I've never installed anything like this before. What is the solution
here? Would I have to go to hw stores such as Reno-Depot or Rona to get
the metal stud fasteners? If so, I don't even know how they work vs.
regular screws. The mount itself weight already 35 to 40 pounds, and I
assume that the panel TV(which brand and model yet to be determined by my
wife and I) will probably weight abut 40 to 50 lbs(plus the short
extendable arm). Any expert here has any ideas on how to mount or what hw
I should get to mount this onto the wall? Your advice is much
appreciated...

AL