It is the job we get asked about more than any other, and the one people are most nervous about. Fair enough — it is a large, expensive screen going over an open flame, onto a wall that is usually the hardest surface in the house.
Here is what actually matters.
1. What is behind the surface
Stacked stone, brick and tile all look similar once they are finished, but what sits behind them is not the same. Some fireplace surrounds have a solid masonry backing. Others are a thin veneer over framing, and in a few cases over nothing much at all.
This is the single thing that decides which anchor goes in the wall. We find out before we drill, not after. A mount that is rated for the TV means nothing if the anchor is rated for the veneer.
2. Height, and the argument about it
Above a fireplace is higher than the textbook viewing height. That is just true, and anyone who tells you otherwise has not sat in the room.
What makes it work is a full-motion mount that lets the screen tilt down toward where people actually sit. When we quote an above-fireplace job we will usually recommend one, and we will tell you if we think the height in your particular room is going to be uncomfortable. Sometimes the honest answer is that the TV belongs on the adjacent wall.
They used a laser level, gave me a recommendation because they are the experts and were super polite. — Tarra G, Google review
That recommendation is part of the job.
3. Heat
A working fireplace throws heat straight up the face of the chimney breast. Gas inserts with a proper mantel and a deep enough shelf are usually fine. Open wood-burning fireboxes with a shallow mantel are the ones to be careful with.
We look at the mantel depth and how the heat vents before committing to a height. If it is marginal, we will say so.
What we do on the day
- Set a laser line and confirm the centre against the room, not just the fireplace
- Locate structure and choose the anchor for what is actually there
- Mount, then check level again with the TV hanging on it
- Conceal the wires where the wall allows it
- Clean up the dust — masonry drilling makes plenty
We hold the finished install to within a sixteenth of an inch. On a wall that wide, anything looser reads as crooked from across the room.
Before you buy the mount
You supply the mount, so it is worth a call first. Tell us the TV size and what the surround is made of and we will tell you what will work. It takes two minutes and it saves a return trip to the store.
Ready to get it up there? Send us the details or call and we will give you a straight price.