Can you REALLY have an LCD on a Plasterboard Wall?

Chrispyphillips

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Finally, Chrispyphillips HAS COME BACK, To Swansss
Back in June I asked the question.....

Hi guys, i'm sorry that this is another plasterboard question. You must all be sick of em, but I realy need some personal clarity here!

Is it really possible to attach a large (40") LCD to a plasterboard wall?! I mean honestly? I can just picture putting a bracket up, sticking the TV on it, and a massive hole being ripped out under the sheer weight of it.

I've wondered if putting a piece of harder wood, slightly bigger than the bracket on the wall first, then placing the bracket on there, but then wondered if that would make it weaker!

I'm having a real problem with this. The TV has to go on the wall as we dont have a lot of space, but I can just imagine waking up one day and finding a nice big hole where the tv used to be. We also cant do too many cosmetic alterations of our own, cos the flat is leasehold and there are rules against certain 'improvisations' (although not sure ifthis falls into the remit!)

Can someone very knowledgeable (I know thers a few on here) please help me out with this. I just cant see it working, but some reassurance, advice (and maybe piccies) from those who have done it would be great!! :lease:

I'm now extremely pleased to inform you all that I've now answered this, and would like to share my findings with you all.

There seems to be a lot of people like myself on here who need a lot of clarity about this subject. After all, a Plama/LCD is an expensive piece of kit, and you certainly wouldnt want your wall falling down with it either! So I stressed about this for some time, but now will show you that YES, you REALLY can have an LCD on a plasterboard wall.

Firstly, I chose this part of the wall for the TV to go, there was nothing on it for a few months, and it was calling out for a TV to go up. Perfect spot for one!

france2007016tv5.jpg

Measuring the size of the TV, the height of the sofa, perfect viewing angle, and the distance between the timber frames (I was so anal about this process its unreal!) we decided where to stick the mount. Its really important to make sure that when drilling, you drill into the wooden struts, as these will bear most of the weight of the mount with the TV on it. Really a good idea to use metal locators to find the nails holding the plasterboard onto the frames, and going from there! (I will explain the holes underneath the mount next!)

france2007019vm5.jpg

I wanted to hide the cables in the cavity behind the wall, so decided to drill just underneath the mount (behind the TV where it wouldnt be seen) and again at the bottom of the wall for the cables to exit. After taking ages in locating the wooden struts, we drilled where we thought they *wouldnt* be, only to find that they were everywhere!:mad: So we needed to drill through the plaster, and the wood! Behind the wall was a great deal of insulation so feeding the cables behind the wall was tricky, but we managed it by attaching a spanner to a piece of rope, pulling it out at the bottom of the wall, and feeding it back up the top with the cables attached (I also left 3 additional bits of string in there for future cabling) We then thread the cables through brushed faceplates so they looked a bit neater.

france2007021wg0.jpg

(Thats the old man in the picture by the way!)
france2007020kd6.jpg
france2007022cx7.jpg

Next, it was time to mount the TV onto the wall. We didnt hang anything else off the mount to test its strenth, as we were positive it was solid after drilling into the wooden struts, and the mount felt very safe as it was. We then plugged all the cables into the back of the TV, as the tilt allowed plenty of room to manoevre even thick Scarts, and turned it on.

france2007023dc9.jpg
france2007024aw5.jpg

And the final set up.

france2007025xt1.jpg

And basically, that was that, we cleaned up, and I added all of the various AV components to the setup. Its not yet finished, as we're expecting the amp soon, DVD recorder sometime in the near future, and we need to buy a cable tidy for the back of the AV rack, but the TV is fantastic and we're really happy with the set up and all the equipment bought. The list is

1 x Samsung M87 40" LCD TV
1 x Allcam wall mount, black (if your interested I can find out the model number)
1 x Xbox 360 (throught component)
1 x Sky + Box
1 x AV Rack
2 x Double Gang Brush faceplates

Thats about the long and short of it. All in all the process was easy, but I'm glad I took my time and research a great deal on here 1st. There were a few great people who helped a lot and patiently answered some questions, mainly Steve1951 and hunts1uk (cheers guys) but also simoncee, SAP7 and pcp helped, along with GreasyWeasel for finding me the faceplates!! If anyone needs any help regarding their set up, i'm by no means an expert, but will share my knowledge of my scenario gladly. Once we got round to it, it was surprisingly easy!!
 
Is this a stud wall, or plasterboard dabbed onto brick / breeze?

If it's a stud wall, you need to get the frame behind the plasterboard to take the weight by either using a bracket which will span the joists or as you say, put some wood on the wall before the bracket - you want this to span the joists also though.

If it's dabbed, then you really want to get your fixings into the brick / breeze behind it. Shouldn't be too much of a void...

Hope this helps - there are many others on here more knowledgable than me though :)
 
Haha! no mate thats cool. Thanks for your reply Simon!

Not a whizz on the old wall thingy, but as its a new built, and an appartment block, i'm sure that its 'stud'! if this means that there is support, and the plaster board is fixed onto these pillars or whatever then yeah, thats what i think it is, cos it sounds hollow when you bang some parts, and dense when you bang others!

i'm sure theres no breeze block, or concrete anyway, no new builds are that good are they?!

any further help would still be appreciated, but thanks mate, chuffed with that!!
 
Hi
I have posted many times on this so if you look back you will see lots of advice however...........

Platerboard isnt the ideal surface,but its stronger than people seem to think.....that is as long as you use the correct fixings and make a good job of it.

Again IDEALY find the wooden studs and fix to those but 99 times out of 100 they are in the wrong place!

Personally for a 40" TV I wouldnt put a bracket with an arm which pivots outwards on plasterboard thats too much stress but one that simply sits there is fine.

I have put my kitchen cupboards up on plasterboard and many central heating radiators too.

Professionaly I have put up all sorts of electrical kit (including televisions) on plasterboard too.

The plasterboard wall may be of the pre formed type with a core of "eggbox" type material or it may have a timber frame on which the pasterboard has been nailed.

The way to tell is to remove a socket or light switch (and its back box) and have a look.

Get back if you need more in depth advice.

Regards

Steve
 
I just placed a 37 inch tv on the wall, into plasterboard... no wooden joists to hand.
I used a simple bracket bought after advice here (see my posts).

I used 6 x butterfly type screws from B&Q at about £7.99. They were the heavy duty type, and screw into the wall before the back end splits to form a seal on both sides of the plaster board.

LARGE HOLLOW WALL ANCHOR x 10 Heavy weight (drill diam 10mm)

The thing holds fine...

As advised, I'd not consider this method for a moving set up that will place repeated strain through different planes.
My set up is a simple one fix unit, tilted into position, and held fast.

The deluxe method would be to cut out the section of plaster to match your bracket, and use wood in the hole (not over it)... screwing the wood to the framework behind the plaster.

If you are really worried, pay the premium for a pro. It costs, but you have someone to shout at if your wall falls down.

Good luck
 
Thanks for the great responses guys! :smashin: The 'thanks' button has been removed, but if it was still there i'd be frantically smashing it right now!!

And thanks a lot for your response Steve. I was hoping you'd reply since you seem to be the expert on these type of things. I'm sure the wall is nailed on to wood as you say, i'll try find out before purchasing.

I might get a pro in, but in an effort to save cash (and for a better, more satisfying experience) I'd rather get some advice on here and try it myself (my dad is fairly good at DIY too so i wont be bodging it on my todd!) so really appreciate the advice your able to provide, as I'd like to get better at this sort of thing myself.

Cheers lads, good to know theres a bunch of helpful, patient people around here! :thumbsup:
 
Chrispyphillips
I'm know nothing about DIY at all but thought i'd give it a go.
Ive just put a wall mount up onto my plaster board,is an external wall though.
It was one of these

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220114711935

I got some of these with fixings(8 X 100mm ones though)drill 100mm with 10mm drill bit.

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=100026&ts=77584&id=12898

Hung up a 32" sharp LCD,looked excellent and was well stable,but wasn't happy.
3 days later i brought one of these

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140125111596

just so the LCD could be at an angle for better viewing.
Couldn't believe how heavy this was and started to panic abit,went for it anyway.
Used the same sort of bolts and fixing and LCD has been up for over a month and looks really good.


I'll post a picture when i get a chance mate.
 
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Cheers Hunts mate! :smashin:

Piccies would be great! I just cant get my head around it, would love to see it done in stages, have been looking on the home cinema pages but cant find anyone who's done it on PB (unless I have but didnt know it as I dunno what i'm looking for :confused::rolleyes:)

I'm gonna have another look now, aint got the tv yet, but am expecting the Mrs to cave any day now!! :D
 
Cheers Hunts mate! :smashin:

Piccies would be great! I just cant get my head around it, would love to see it done in stages, have been looking on the home cinema pages but cant find anyone who's done it on PB (unless I have but didnt know it as I dunno what i'm looking for :confused::rolleyes:)

I'm gonna have another look now, aint got the tv yet, but am expecting the Mrs to cave any day now!! :D


Internal wall or external mate?
 
I'm assuming its an internal wall! I mean, the TV wont be going on the outside of my flat, but I know thats not what you mean, but I dont really know the difference!

Its going on a wall, that backs on to my bathroom, not any of the flat exterior walls, if thats the jobby!! :smashin:

I know there is a gap between the walls, but how much etc i'm not sure! I can see me drilling through a damn water pipe now!!! :mad:

I'll research it properly before I start though and keep people posted!
 
I had assumed this was a true internal cavity plasterboard wall.

However I did suggest taking out a socket to check tht it really is cavity.

If it is cavity the fixings suggested by hunts on his external wall would be worse than useless.

Chrispy to progress this you MUST check what you have got for sure.

Plasterboard that has been drylined (as opposed to true cavity studwork )sounds hollow too.

Regards

Steve
 
You are on line!

Take a small drill 5mm maybe..drill a hole somewere it wont show low down.

Just through the plasterboard then take something long and slim ie Biro refill

if cavity you will be able to slide it effortlessly through and touch the back of the opposite side.

Steve
 
I'm assuming its an internal wall! I mean, the TV wont be going on the outside of my flat, but I know thats not what you mean, but I dont really know the difference!

Sorry what i meant is the other side of the wall on the outside of the house?
:D

Normally breeze blocks behind your plasterboard if this is the case.

P1000803.jpg

P1000802.jpg
 
Hi Hunts
I am positive that Chrispys wall is fully internal and PROBABLY true cavity stud partition.

However yours is just what you want for a good fixing.

Looks good bythe way.

Regards

Steve
 
Hi Hunts
I am positive that Chrispys wall is fully internal and PROBABLY true cavity stud partition.

However yours is just what you want for a good fixing.

Looks good bythe way.

Regards

Steve


Still waiting for him to tell us,but think your right.:smashin:

Thanks also.
 
Hey guys, thanks for the replies!

Steve, i keep logged on in work, so I always appear to be online, but i'm not neccessarily!

Yes the wall is an internal, and i've done some drilling on the walls in the house (curtains/cabinets etc) and the drill only really drills for a few inches, then goes right through the wall. he other day I even pulled out some green insulation with the drill head!! :oops:

Steve, i'm guessing then that the wall is a cavity, as it backs on to a bathroom, and is nailed to support boards. I expect it to be the cheapest option the building company (persimmon) went for with the design mate! ;)

As far as the lingo goes, I couldnt tell ya if its true cavity stud, or drylined, but my father might know! I'll ask him, he's more knowledgable with things than me!

Hunts, you look like you've done a good job with the install there mate, but like Steve says thats the sort of wall I'd be well chuffed with!! i think mine's probably the hollowest of the hollow, which is why I asked the original question, as I can just envisage a TV Mount, the weight of a 40", falling flat on its front after an hour of being up! I'll let you know all the goings on in a bit! Thanks

Chris :smashin:
 
Well, after a leeeeeeeengthy conversation (he can talk, my Dad!) we have come to the fact that, neither of us is sure if the wall is true cavity stud, or if its been drylined. Its most prob cavity as it backs onto another wall in another room, but to be honest, I dont fully kow what a drylined wall is like :blush: Dont judge me!! :rolleyes:

I'm gonna find out from Persimmon I think, but the old man had the idea of getting someone out to get a quote off them how to do it, and find out how they would by just asking questions. Then, if i felt confident enough, I could buy the gear and give it a go myself! A little sneaky, but its the only way i'd feel confident about it, and I really wanna do this myself. Gotta learn somehow!

Right then, off to make a call to Persimmon....
 
Chris
Just because its internal does not mean its not dry lined.

It could be an internal wall built of breeze block possibily because it is a supporting wall of some kind.Then the plasterboard is usually basically stuck to the breeze with dabs of plaster.

Do the exploratory hole thing.

Walls are often called stud partition because all they do is partition they dont support anything.

I really think you have stud partition just like my bedroom wall which has an LCD on it and just like one side of my kitche which has 2 cupboards an extractor and hood and an open gable end on it with not a stud fixing to be had.must have been up fo 10 years now.God how time flys.

Regards

Steve
 
to be honest guys it seems like it just an ordinary stud wall, if it sounds hollow then there's no blockwork in there, i'm with chrispy too, i wouldn't be happy mounting such a large (and expensive) piece of equipment on plasterboard, it may be tough but it also comes in different thickness' so you can never be sure how tough, also if had ever gotten damp in the building of the apartments that'll compromise it's strength.

Best thing to do is do the wall tapping thing, find a bit that doesn't sound hollow and then tap up higher and lower on the the wall (the reason for this is that noggins are placed horizontally between the studs so if you find one of those then move up it will be hollow again) , if it still sounds solid put a little mark there, measure 400mm sideways and tap the wall again, you should find another solid bit as stud walls are typically built with the studs at 400mm centres :thumbsup:

here's a wee pic of how the wall looks without the plasterboard to give you an idea

frame.gif
 
Cheers fella, gonna get on to the company about it soon. They're bound to know.

The plasterboard thing is causing me great mental problems, but once I know what i'm dealing with, I'll know how to solve it!

Thing is, I saw a fairly large TV hanging off someones wall in another flat near mine, on a similar wall, so I know it can be done, I'm just the sort of person who likes to be absolutely positive, and know all the options before doing anything (plus, i'm the sort of personn who's wall would fall down!)
 
PCP

I loved the picture but its a bit theoretical.

Plasterboard that has been dot and dabbed to block sounds as hollow as you like even more so if a bit of timber framing has been nail gunned to the block and and plasterboard nailed to that.

Also there are plenty of pre-constructed plasterboard walls that have only vertical studs none horizontal,the strength derived from the square boxing infill material that bonds the two sides together.

I come across many many plasterboard walls that have NO support for the light switch.......thats why they make cavity boxs.

Having said all that yes we are probably talking about a cavity plasterboard wall here.

Regards water damage yes thats death to plasterboard but if you read carefully you will see that this is a new build so damage unlikely.

Regards
Steve
 
Gents, its been a while, and I'm goona be getting someone to come out and look at the wall soon to see what needs to be done to ensure safe mounting, but till then, I have a question.

Does anyone know if there is a product on the market, that can tidy the appearance of a hole in the wall by making it look like more of a feature? For example, the piccie I have (expertly) drawn. Basically, i'll have the wires going into the plasterboard behind the tv, then coming out again at the bottom of the wall, but instead of having a massive gaping hole (for spiders to crawl out of! :rolleyes:) there would be what would appear to be a hollow main socket surrounding it.

I wouldnt know where to find them, or what they would be called should such a product exist, but am hoping maybe someone has some knowledge? Its a long shot I know, what with posting on the wall mount section, but maybe someone has had experience with them whilst mouting their TVs.

If not, I spot a gap in the market (rubs entrepreneurial hands together has eyes fill up with $ signs!)
 

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Hey, I have a 32" Samsung and need to put it on a wall. The only wall this can go on is a plasterboard. I have read the thread, but sad to say it is beyond my knowledge. Can anybody explain how I can get it up on this wall safely, the TV will naturally be lighter than the 40" involved in this thread.
 
Sorry to spoil you dreams of global domination but I think you probably want a couple of these.
I used some of them when putting my home cinema together and I wanted cables behind the walls from amp to speakers and projector. The brushes stop any draft, dust or creepy crawlies from coming through from the cavity behind.
 

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