TV wall mounting on plasterboard and brick

Plasterboard walls: find the studs

Most internal walls in newer homes and extensions are plasterboard over a timber or steel frame. The sheet itself is not designed to carry a TV. The bracket needs to be fixed through the board into the studs, which are usually spaced at regular intervals; a stud finder and a few test holes behind where the TV will sit confirm where they are.

If the studs do not line up with where you want the screen, a bracket with a wider wall plate or a horizontal timber backing fixed across two studs can solve it. Cavity anchors made for plasterboard are fine for light pictures and small shelves, but check their rated load and the bracket maker’s instructions before trusting them with a television.

Brick, double brick and rendered walls

Many older houses around Bankstown have brick walls, and some internal walls are solid double brick under render or plaster. These take a masonry drill bit and anchors sized for the bracket. Drill into the brick itself rather than the mortar joints, which are softer and can crumble.

Hollow or cored bricks need anchors suited to them. Old render can sound drummy and come away when drilled; if it does, the fixing has to reach the solid brick behind. The same applies to hanging heavy pictures and mirrors on brick: the right plug and screw for the load, or a picture rail where one exists. The heavy mirror guide covers wall anchor ratings and fibro walls.

Fibro and older sheeting: check before you drill

Fibre cement sheet, often called fibro, was common in Sydney houses for decades. The NSW Government says a home built before 1990 is likely to contain asbestos and advises: “Do not sand, scrub, water-blast, cut or drill suspected asbestos.” If the wall might be fibro, have the material identified before anyone drills it, or choose a different wall.

Cables and power points: where the job changes trade

Hiding the TV cables is where many mounting jobs cross into electrical work. NSW defines electrical wiring work as installing, repairing, altering, removing or adding to an electrical installation, and says you need an electrical licence or certificate before doing any of it. Moving or adding a power point behind the screen, or running mains cables through the wall, is a job for a licensed electrician.

Plug-in leads that run from an existing power point can be tidied with a surface-mounted cable cover, which does not touch the electrical installation. Plan the cable route before the bracket goes up, because the screen position often decides whether you need an electrician at all.

If the TV stays on a stand, anchor it

Product Safety Australia says toppling furniture has killed at least 28 people in Australia since 2000 and causes nearly 20 injuries every week. It advises considering wall-mounting the TV, notes that most TVs come with anchor straps, and says that if you secure the TV to a piece of furniture, the furniture should be secured to the wall too.

In a NSW rental, “securing furniture to a wall (other than a tiled wall) if needed for the safe use of the furniture” is one of the minor changes a landlord cannot unreasonably refuse. A TV bracket is not on that list, so get written permission before drilling for one.

Published TV mounting prices

Airtasker publishes national task ranges from its marketplace data. They are task totals, not hourly rates, and the bracket is not necessarily included.

When you describe the job, include the TV’s size and weight, the bracket model, the wall type and the height you want. See what a handyman can do in NSW for the licensing limits on small jobs.