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TV Mounting & Home Theater

Mounted level, wires hidden, first time

Most TV mounting advice assumes wood studs behind drywall. A lot of Tucson doesn't have that. Block walls, brick, stucco over lath, tile surrounds and steel studs all need different anchors and different tools, and using the wrong one is how a television ends up on the floor. This is the part of the job we get called about most.

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  • Block, brick, stucco, tile and steel-stud mounting
  • Over-fireplace mounts done safely
  • Cables concealed in-wall with a proper power kit
  • Soundbars, surround sound and Sonos
  • Projectors, screens and outdoor patio TVs

Walls Tucson actually has

We carry hammer drills, masonry bits and the right anchors for each wall type, because half the homes here need them. We find out what's behind your wall before we drill, not after.

Drywall + wood stud

Drywall over a wood stud, in cross-sectionDrywall over a wood stud, where a lag bolt passes through the board and bites into the timber behind it.stud

Lag bolt bites into timber

Concrete block

Concrete block, in cross-sectionConcrete block, where a stud finder is useless and a sleeve or wedge anchor expands inside the masonry to hold.no studs to find

Hammer drill, expansion anchor

Stucco over lath

Stucco over wire lath, in cross-sectionStucco over wire lath, where the mount must reach past the render into structure behind, and the penetration has to be sealed against water.renderstud

Reach past it, then seal

  1. Drywall over wood: the lag bolt bites into the stud.
  2. Block has no studs to find. The anchor expands inside the masonry.
  3. Stucco over lath: reach past the render into structure, then seal it.
Same television, three completely different jobs. Getting this wrong is how a TV ends up on the floor.
  • CMU block and brick — sleeve and wedge anchors, drilled properly
  • Stucco over wire lath, sealed correctly against water intrusion
  • Tile and stone fireplace surrounds, drilled without cracking
  • Steel stud framing with the correct toggle hardware
  • Standard wood stud, done level and centered the first time

Hiding the cables

A mounted TV with a cable dangling to an outlet below is a half-finished job. We run HDMI and low-voltage inside the wall, and add a code-compliant recessed power kit so the power cord is concealed too — rather than the extension cord in the wall that a lot of people end up with.

Concealing TV power and HDMI with a recessed power kitA wall-mounted TV. Instead of power and HDMI cords hanging down to an outlet and a media box, a recessed box behind the TV connects through the wall cavity to a second recessed box low on the wall. The kit's power cable and the HDMI cable run inside the wall between the two boxes, and a short cord plugs the lower box into the existing outlet. Running an ordinary extension cord inside the wall is marked as not allowed.box behind the TVExtension cordinside the wallcode and fire issue
  1. Cords dangling to an outlet below: the half-finished look.
  2. A recessed power kit puts one box behind the TV and one low on the wall.
  3. The kit's power run and the HDMI travel inside the wall between them.
  4. Never a regular extension cord inside the wall. That's a code and fire issue.
Everything hidden, the power cord included, using a kit made to go in a wall.
  • In-wall HDMI, ethernet and low-voltage runs
  • Recessed outlet and power relocation kits
  • Surface raceway where in-wall genuinely isn't possible
  • Component shelves and gear tucked out of sight

Over the fireplace

It's the most-requested spot and the one most likely to go wrong. Heat, depth, viewing angle and finding something structural to anchor into all matter. We'll do it, and we'll tell you honestly if your specific fireplace is a bad idea — including how hot it actually gets above the firebox.

A TV mounted high over a mantel makes a seated viewer look up. A pull-down mount lowers it to eye level.looking upeye level

Viewing angle

Too high and you watch with your head tipped back. A pull-down mount brings the screen to eye level, then folds back up.

Heat rising from a firebox is pushed outward by the mantel, and some still climbs toward a TV mounted above.checked on site

Heat

Heat pours out of the firebox. A mantel pushes some of it away, and how much still reaches the TV is what we check before mounting.

The two questions behind every over-the-fireplace mount. If the answer is no, we'll say so.
  • Heat assessment above the firebox
  • Full-motion and pull-down mounts for viewing angle
  • Masonry and tile anchoring
  • Cable routing around a chimney chase

Sound and the rest of the room

Flat TVs have terrible speakers — physics, not cost-cutting. A soundbar is the single biggest quality-of-life upgrade for most rooms, and a real surround setup is worth it if you'll use it.

TV speakers compared with a soundbar and a surround layoutA side view of a wall-mounted flat TV and a couch across the room. The TV's small built-in speakers send sound downward toward the floor and wall, and little of it travels toward the listener. A soundbar under the TV sends sound directly forward to the couch. Below, a room seen from above shows a surround setup: the soundbar and a subwoofer at the TV, and two rear speakers behind the couch.TV speakers: aimed downSoundbar: aimed at youSurround, seen from aboveSubRearRear
  1. A flat TV only has room for tiny speakers, often aimed down or back at the wall.
  2. A soundbar points proper drivers straight at the couch.
  3. For real surround, a sub and rear speakers fill in the room around you.
Thin TVs sound thin because of physics, not cost-cutting. The fix is aiming real speakers at you.
  • Soundbars and subwoofers placed and calibrated
  • 5.1 and surround, including in-ceiling and in-wall speakers
  • Sonos and multi-room audio
  • Projectors and screens for media rooms
  • Outdoor and patio TVs rated for the heat

Cutting the cord

If you're mounting a new TV you're often also rethinking what feeds it. We'll set up streaming, get everything onto one remote, and give you an honest comparison of what your current cable bill buys versus what the streaming equivalent costs — including the part where streaming prices have quietly caught up.

Four remotes replaced by one, plus an antenna for local channelsA TV with a soundbar below it and a cable box and a streaming box on the console. Four separate remotes on the coffee table merge into a single remote, whose signal reaches the TV, the soundbar and both boxes. An over-the-air antenna beside the TV brings in local channels.TVSoundbarCable boxStreamingOne remotelocal channels
  1. A TV, a soundbar and two boxes often means four remotes on the table.
  2. Set up properly, one remote runs the TV, the sound and every box in the stack.
  3. An antenna brings in the local channels, with no subscription.
Streaming set up, one remote for everything, and the local channels over the air.
  • Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV and Chromecast setup
  • Over-the-air antenna for local channels
  • One remote that runs the whole stack
  • Streaming service comparison against your current bill

Questions

About tv mounting

Can you mount a TV on my block wall?

Yes, and it's one of the most common calls we get in Tucson. Block needs a hammer drill and masonry anchors rated for the load — done properly it's actually a stronger mount than drywall and studs.

Can you hide the power cord in the wall?

Yes, with a recessed power kit that's built for it. Running a normal extension cord inside a wall is a code and fire issue, so we use a proper kit that relocates an outlet behind the TV.

Do you bring the mount, or should I buy one?

Either. If you've already got one we'll use it, assuming it's rated for your TV and your wall. If not, tell us the size and where it's going and we'll bring one that fits.

Where we do this most

TucsonCatalina Foothills

While we're there

Wi-Fi & networking

from $179

Ethernet wiring

quoted per project

Security cameras

from $175 per camera

Need tv mounting sorted?

Tell us what's going on and we'll give you a straight answer on what it takes and what it costs.

Get a free quote (520) 891-9682
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