How to mount a tv on cement wall

Mounting a TV to a wall opens the room by removing the need for an entertainment cabinet. The most important aspect of mounting the TV to the wall is to ensure the device has ample support. Wall studs offer good support and are easy to locate. However, a block wall with cement mortar is arguably the most stable surface available to mount a TV. Cement anchors and the mounting bracket are sufficient to provide years of stability.

Table of Contents Show

Can you mount TVs on concrete walls?
How do you mount a TV on a concrete wall and drywall?
How do you mount a TV on a masonry wall?

Video of the Day

Step 1

Cut a piece of cardboard to the rough dimensions of the television with scissors. Hold the cardboard cutout against the wall to determine where precisely you want the TV mounted. Mark the area around the cutout with a pencil.

Step 2

Hold the mounting bracket against the wall within the borders of the marks made in Step 1. Position the bracket so the screw holes line up the mortar joints between the blocks as close to the center of the marks as possible. Mark all the screw holes that line up with the mortar joints with a pencil. Four screws minimum are necessary to provide proper support.

Step 3

Drill out pilot holes for the cement anchor screws with the hammer drill and masonry drill bit. The drill bit is included with the purchase of the anchor screws.

Step 4

Position the mounting bracket against the wall and lined up with the pilot holes. Hand-thread the anchor screws into the holes to support the bracket. Drive the anchors into the wall with the drill and screwdriver attachment.

Step 5

Mount the TV to the bracket following instructions included with the TV.

Tip

To make sure the TV is level, mark screw holes on the bracket that line up horizontally before marking the screw holes on the wall. Most mounting brackets come with multiple screw holes. While using all of them would provide substantial support, a minimum of four screws is all that is necessary to support the TV.

Hang a TV on a brick wall, or hang a tv above the fireplace? Here's how to do it right. Below the how to photos is a video of how to drill into brick or cement and links to other DIY articles.

Sleeve or Wedge Anchors are best for cement or brick walls

Working in older buildings, many times I'm asked to hang a TV on a brick or cement wall. In brownstones, many times people want to hang a HDTV or flat panel TV over the fireplace. Most of the fireplaces no longer function, being old coal or gas fireplaces. Be sure not to drill holes into the chimney of functioning fireplace. If you'd like to hide the wires, like we did in the top photo, we use plastic raceway molding.

To hang a TV on a brick or cement wall, you will need sleeve or wedge anchors. You could also use lead anchors and lag bolts, but I prefer to use sleeve anchors. You will also need a hammer drill.

Hammer drills are not that expensive. Click here to see some drills you can buy online. Or you can ask one of your friends if they have one. You'll also need masonry bits for a hammer drill, they are also called percussive bits in some places.

Hammer drill and the dust it creates

Hammer drills are loud, so use ear protection, and eye protection is of course an always must have.

Search On Amazon For TV Wall Mounts Here

Hanging a TV with a HDTV mount is one of those projects that falls into the "if all else fails, read directions" . So read the directions before trying to do this.

Attach the brackets to the back of the flat panel TV, and attach the wall mount to the TV brackets. Then get two friends to hold the TV up on the wall and find the perfect spot to mount the TV on the wall. Reach behind the TV while on the wall and with a pencil mark where the wall bracket be mounted on the wall.

Be sure the person in charge of the interior of your house is present and has a say in the placement of the TV, because once you hammer drill holes in a cement wall, they're kind of permanent.

Put the TV down somewhere safe, and take the wall bracket, place it on the wall and line it up with the marks you made. Mark where you are going to drill holes to put in the sleeve anchors. ( see the mount instructions for how many bolts are needed for your tv )

Cover the area where you are going to drill with plastic. Brick or cement dust will come out of the hole you are drilling with the hammer drill. If you have a shop-vac, have a friend hold the hose just below where you are drilling, it will save you a lot of cleaning up.

I usually use 4 inch long ⅜" sleeve anchors if you are hanging on a plaster wall with brick behind it, and 3 inch long sleeves if its a bare brick or cement wall. After drilling the holes, make sure the nuts are on the ends of the sleeves, and tap the sleeves into the holes.

Don't hammer the sleeves too far into the wall, you need enough of the threaded end of the sleeve protruding out of the wall to hang the mount. You have the nuts on the end of the sleeves to keep the hammer from damaging the threads of the sleeve while tapping them in.

Wall mount attached with sleeve anchors

Remove the nuts and hang the wall mount on the wall, use washers and tighten down the nuts to secure the wall mount to the wall. Then read the directions again to remember how to hang the TV on the wall mount. Then you're done.

Here is a how to drill into brick or cement video we did to give you an idea of how to hang a tv on a brick wall:

Can you mount TVs on concrete walls?

Concrete is the most common building material for exterior walls and load-bearing partitions. A flat screen TV stand can be attached to a good quality concrete wall using a nylon plug or concrete screw. The original NAT nylon plugs or Gripper all wall plugs are a safe and durable choice.

How do you mount a TV on a concrete wall and drywall?

You need to attach the mount to the concrete, not the drywall. There are special anchors for concrete. Most are made of metal and expand into the hole drilled in the concrete with a hammer drill and a masonry bit. Most masonry anchors are sleeve anchors and use bolts (also called machine screws) to expand the anchor.