TV mounting on Metal Studs

[BJMRamage]

Hello,

This doesn't have much to do with AppleTV other than I will be hooking up our old 3rd Gen ATV to this setup.

I have a 24" LCD TV that I want to mount to a wall that has Metal Studs [in the basement for the kids]. I have not yet weighed the TV but guessing it is average for an LCD (not LED) TV. I was going to use an extendable arm mount but fear the kids will pull the TV out from the wall and fight and pull on it and cause it to rip out from the wall. So, I am thinking of a Flat/Tilt mount but curious if anyone here has experience mounting to metal studs and which mount (looking at Monoprice) I should go with.

Thanks in advance.

 

[cynics]

I use a piece of wood (or plywood) generally painted to match anchored into the studs using high quality toggle bolts then mount the tv to that. If done right you can mount a swivel arm mount on it. However adding children to the equation and the fact you'll see the wood probably best to mount it flush.

 

[JAT]

Use proper anchors and you'll be fine. Metal stud anchors look like screws, but they are specially designed and sold in the anchor section. They usually have torx heads. There is no reason to mount extra wood with most mounts these days, just find the studs and use them.

 

[BJMRamage]

Thanks all.

I did a rough check this morning and looks like studs on the 24".
I made a mock-up of the possible ways to hang it and think the bottom middle is what I will do.
Top Left is with a wood backer.
bottom middle is stud anchored in the middle and drywall toggled on the sides
upper right is stud anchored on one side toggled on the other.

I just need to really find the center of the stud for the toggle hole. I'll probably do a nail-poke to find the edges.

 

[cynics]

Thanks all.

I did a rough check this morning and looks like studs on the 24".
I made a mock-up of the possible ways to hang it and think the bottom middle is what I will do.
Top Left is with a wood backer.
bottom middle is stud anchored in the middle and drywall toggled on the sides
upper right is stud anchored on one side toggled on the other.

I just need to really find the center of the stud for the toggle hole. I'll probably do a nail-poke to find the edges.

Depending on the tv for placement cut a 2x4 hole for a remodel box (for the wiring) and find the stud edges via that.

Btw it's highly recommended to run electric for a plug and not put the tv electric cord through the wall (it's not "rated" for that) although I've done both without an issue on interior walls, wouldn't do that on exterior.

Edit, oh and on 24" OC I'd probably do that middle bottom one too. Except I'd add a 3rd point onto the center of the mount on the stud. If that is impossible on the mount I would still mount a similar size (to the mount) piece of wood and put 3 toggles through each point so 9 total then secure the mount to that piece of wood.

 

[jtara]

I have a much heavier setup (125 pounds for mount, 55" plasma, and speaker bar) and opted to mount on a concrete column (with gap, wet plaster, and drywall over, so... complicated!) but briefly considered mounting on a different wall with metal studs. So, all I can do is pass on the advice of Peerless, the maker of my bracket.

They provide an "alternative" wall plate for metal studs. The alternative bracket requires the use of THREE metal studs, and the use of toggle bolts.

If you cannot get an alternative wall plate, then I'd recommend plywood, or perhaps fabricating a metal plate to back the original. (Bolt them together, you'll need to drill some holes to accommodate the bolts.)

I think any of the configurations shown above are asking for trouble! Have you LOOKED at a metal stud? Calling them "paper thin" might be a bit of an exaggeration, but only a BIT.

Whatever you do, absolutely do not rely on sheet-metal screws. You need to use toggles.

FWIW, my solution for mounting on the concrete column with plaster/drywall overlay was to use drop-in lipped anchors set into the face of the concrete. As I didn't want to crush the plaster (there is a small gap!) and of course the plaster depth is not uniform (but at least roughly in a plane) I carefully measured the depth to the face of the concrete anchors, and ordered custom spacers from McMaster-Carr. (An AMAZING resource!) They sell spacers in 1/16" increments up to about 2". Made sure to use Grade 7 bolts, not the ungraded garbage they sell at Home Depot... I had to select bolt lengths as well, as the Red Head anchors I used do not accommodate the bolts passing through the back of the anchor. Borrowed a rotary hammer from a friend up the street - "like butter".

Ain't goin' nowhere!

Just re-read, and I see you are mounting just a 24" LCD. (Vs. my 55" plasma and speaker bar, and top-heavy plasma with power supply at the top, to boot!) The whole thing is a beast and multiplies the forces owing to the fact that it provides a full 180 rotation. (can move screen to jut out 90 degrees from wall, and then some.)

How thick is the drywall? You may actually be better off with some fat toggles behind the drywall, rather than weakening the metal studs with with holes in the face.

 

[BJMRamage]

Thanks for the added replies...

I was thinking of running a new plug for electric but then thought that seemed a bit more work than I felt like doing and I'd probably just use a wire "tube" on the FRONT of the wall to 'hide' the cables. so, no interior electric here.

Yes, this is JUST a 24" LCD TV. it is heavy but not to the scale of much bigger one. Also, I have decided to just hang a flat/Tilt mount, NOT an Arm-based one for pulling out...I fear the kids would pull on it :yikes:

I believe the drywall is 1/2" . The mount is like a donut with nothing in the middle. They only "recommend" 4 attachments but I just figured adding some on the actual metal stud to help. The basement studs are better than some I have seen. Some look like a flimsy piece of thin sheet metal, these look 'better'