Boy, I wish I'd seen this section of the forum before I started
I am a total beginner to the whole AV scene. I have moderate DIY skills and a few tools. I've seen a few of the threads on here and I'm sure my tale will be a source of humour amongst the high-end guys, but I thought it was worth posting regardless. There are also some questions at the end of the post.
I recently bought a 37" Hannspree XV37 (excellent value at £489 delivered with 5yr guarantee) and wall mounted it. My house is a 3yr old semi, so the internal walls are plasterboard stud partitions.
Pic of the TV working before mounting.
To start, I cut out a piece of cardboard the same size as the screen and tacked it to the wall to check if it was a comfortable height for viewing. From the attached pictures (poor quality), it might be considered quite high for some people, however I am a serious sloucher and I lie on my suite, so it was ideal for me.
Mounting the TV was easy enough, it was just a case of locating the vertical studs (easy enough due to the ****** nail popping in the walls
). I then attached the LCD mount to the wall using four heavy bolt headed self tappers (maybe 4" long?). These were screwed in using a drill with a socket attached. To check the integrity of the mount, I hung my full weight from the mount and not a jot of movement.
One of the reasons I wish I'd seen this section of the forum is because I couldn't find a solution to bringing the cables back out of the wall tidily. I visited an electrical wholesaler to ask advice, but they were pretty useless. Since finding this section, I've noticed a few pics of brilliant installs that have some of the type of component I was looking for that I was "advised" didn't exist
So, to bring my two cables back out at the bottom, I purchased a single blank socket face plate and dry-lining box. Checking the height and position of the existing sockets, I cut a slot in the plasterboard at the appropriate place using a stanley knife. I then had to cut the back of the socket box to allow the SCART lead plug to fit through. I then drilled a hole in the centre of the box to pass the power cable through. This left the problem of how to get the SCART lead out of the box in a neat fashion. Being that the cable is some 13mm thick and that I cannot remove the plug from it, this represented a problem. It's not ideal, but what I did was as follows. I took the faceplate and cut away a small semi-circle using a junior hack-saw. As the faceplate is made of what appears to be bakelite, this requires caution and patience. I then used a circular file to shape the notch and remove sharp edges, trial fitting the cable/box/faceplate periodically until I was happy with the job. Not ideal, but less than £5 total price.
This is a pic of the finished article:
Then I had to run the power and SCART cable down behind the plasterboard and out through the bottom of the wall. Much to my amusement (
) there was a horizontal "dwang" or "noggin" between the TV and the bottom of the wall where had cut the square hole for my socket box. So, I had to cut another slot in the plasterboard where the dwang was. I cut a section about four inches wide by eight inches high (carefully, so it could be reused for filling the hole), which once opened, allowed me to get a small saw in to cut out a piece of the dwang that would allow the SCART cable plug to pass through once the wall was sealed up again. I then had to replace the plaster section, which I did by using some scrap pieces of timber to add strength to the repair. Then it was a simple job to screw in some plasterboard screws, burying the heads and replace the cut-out section, again burying the heads. I then sanded the edge down and used filler to smooth the seam. A wee bit of sanding and a lick of paint and the job's a good'un. (The wall is due to be repainted in full shortly).
This is a diagram (again, aspologies for the quality) of the dwang (noggin) cut/repair:
Now for my questions.
This is my TV on the wall of my gaff:
1) You'll see that my desk (with laptop) is on the left of an internal door which leads to my kitchen. The TV is wall mounted to the right of that door. Soon, I will purchase a new PC which I'd like to connect to the LCD, so I can browse the net from my suite, with a remote keyboard. What kind of cable do I need to get to do that and by what method would you suggest to route the cable so it is completely hidden from view? My thinking is the best way would be to remove the skirting boards/door facings and run the cable that way, however, by my loose calculations, that will require some 15 metres of cable. Any suggestions please? (stud partition walls)
2) I'd also at some point like to add a surround sound system. It will not be a mega expensive thing and I'm not interested in blowing my eardrums apart, however, again, I'd like to completely hide the cabling. The good (maybe?) thing is that for the rear speakers, I don't need to cross an internal door in order to route the cables. Again, do you think it is best to remove the skirting to run them? (stud partition walls)
3) I've (today) purchased a sideboard to go on the wall under the TV, where I intend to put my Sky box, my DVD player (non-existant a.t.m.) and any surround components I may in future purchase. However, i checked earlier and the Sky box remote wouldn't function with the box behind cardboard, never mind wood. I spoke to my Sky engineer (local lad, brill guy) who sold me a wee magic eye thing, which I can add to the system easily and it will sort that problem out. However, if I buy other stuff, I assume the same problem will exist (ie the new components remotes will not function without the door of the sideboard being open. That kinda negates the point of hiding everything away. Is their a simple solution to this problem please?
Any comments appreciated, as long as they aren't too unkind
Re: Wall mounted my LCD (story, pics and some questions)
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