We have had our 55″ flat screen TV for several years now and I have always wanted to mount it, and hide the cords inside the wall for a clean look. I never really pursued it because I thought I would have to hire an electrician ($$$) to do the job, and cutting holes in the wall made me a little nervous. However, after a little research, an awesome already-made electrical kit, and a how-to video, I felt confident to give it a try! I am so glad I did! I will show you how I did it and also give you the links of the materials I used. Seriously guys, you can do this in a couple of hours! Just make sure you get someone to help you lift the TV 🙂 Doesn’t it look nice?? I wish I had done it years ago!
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I will start with the wall mount bracket. This is the wall mount that I used. It’s a fixed low profile wall mount. I didn’t really need the TV to move or tilt and I wanted it to be as close to the wall as possible. The instructions in the package are pretty good too! What I like most about this bracket is that it can span two studs and allow the television to mount anywhere within the width of the bracket. This is important because the studs in the wall weren’t exactly centered (are they ever??).
I started by choosing where I wanted the TV to be on the wall and marking the studs using a stud finder. I used a level and pencil-marked where the screws would go in. Be very accurate and make sure you hang it leveled or else your TV will ne crooked. No bueno.
I drilled pilot holes first, then I attached the bracket with the screws provided with the TV wall mount into the wall studs.
Once the bracket was on I was ready to take care of the cord situation. This is the most exciting part! I used this kit from Amazon to hide the cords. I also watched this video to help me with the installation. I’m telling ya, the video is the bomb! although the background music is a little annoying 🙂
To hide your cords you will be making two holes in your wall (ahhhhh!) , one right behind the TV (where the TV will plug in) and another directly below it close to an electrical outlet. The kit comes with a template. Make sure the spot you choose is between two studs.
Use a drywall saw or utility knife to cut around it. This is the one I used.
Then cut another hole directly under it. Remember to cut the holes in between the studs!
Now you will be threading your cables in through the top hole and out through the bottom hole. The cables will come through the wall plate. Attach the wall plate to cover the holes. Both wall plates are also included in the kit.
Easy peasy!
Attach the brackets to the back of the TV. The brackets come with the TV mount. All flat screen TVs have holes already on the back. The TV mount comes with different size screws. Choose the ones that fit your TV and screw them in. Make sure they are on tight! This is what’s going to hook onto the wall mount!
Now you are ready to put the TV up! Make sure you plug in all of your cords to the back of the TV before you put it up and also plug in the TV to the top outlet. Once all of your bottom cords are plugged in to all of your devices you are ready to watch TV.
Not scary at all!!! I super recommend you watch the video a few times before you install the electrical kit.
I hope this motivates you to get that TV up on the wall and those cords hidden!! Here are some more pics of the finished product! No cords! Yay!
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Nothing makes your home theater look worse than having wires hanging down from the bottom of your TV. The best option is to use a cable management system to hide your unsightly wires in the walls. However, you might not be able to cut holes in your walls, especially if you live in an apartment or condo. To make your home theater look as good as possible, here are a few cheap and easy ways to hide your TV wires without cutting into your walls.
If your TV is sitting on a stand, you can easily hide your wires by using cord clips. These small plastic clips usually have an adhesive backing, so you can stick them to the back of your furniture without worrying about damaging anything.
All you need to do is place these cord clips around the back of your furniture and snake your wires around to a surge protector or plug. This will also help you keep your cords organized and stop them from getting tangled up.
If your TV stand has space at the bottom, you can use zip ties to keep your wires from touching the ground. All you have to do is spool your wires and cinch them together with a zip tie. However, you should make sure there is enough slack to pull your TV stand out and access your wires.
If you don’t want to cut your zip ties every time you need to move a wire, you can also use Velcro zip ties. And, if you want to save even more space, you can use a flat outlet extender that lets you plug your cables in from the side. This can also double or triple the number of outlets you can plug your devices into.
If you can’t use cord clips or zip ties to hide your wires, you can always use a cable management box. These small plastic boxes are large enough to hide your wires and even a small surge protector.
Make sure to find a cable management box that has holes or slits around the side, so you can add cables in different directions. Then you can place the lid on top to conceal your cables and keep them out of reach of children or pets.
If your TV is mounted, you can use a wall cord concealer kit to hide your wires without cutting into your walls. This type of raceway usually has an adhesive backing, so you can stick it to your wall without damaging it. Then you can hide your TV wires and other cables inside it before snapping the cover on.
With a raceway, you can also add or remove cables any time you want to. However, it will mean that your cables have a longer distance to travel, so you might have to replace your current cables with longer ones. Since this type of raceway is usually made out of plastic, you can easily cut it down to the perfect size.
For extra points, you can also paint your raceway the same color as your wall, so it will blend in with the background. To get the best paint match, you can cut a small chip of paint off your wall and take it to your local hardware store. Also, you should use a vertical level to make sure that your raceway isn’t crooked.
If your outlets aren’t behind your TV stand, you can also use a baseboard raceway to hide your wires without cutting into your walls. This type of raceway sits just above your baseboard without looking too obtrusive. They usually have an adhesive backing and are made out of plastic, so you can cut them down to size.
A baseboard raceway will blend beautifully with your wall, and no one will even notice that they are there. You can even cut them at a 45-degree angle to run your cables around corners. These raceways come in a variety of colors that are meant to match most baseboards, or you can paint it to match your walls.
For extra points, you might want to consider using a piece of furniture to hide your wires where they come out and need to plug into the wall. This way, no one will be able to tell that your wires are hidden in the baseboard at all.
If your TV is in the middle of your room, or you can’t use a raceway, you might want to consider a simple fabric cord cover. This simple solution will not only hide your cables, but it will also keep them safe from children and pets. Plus, there will be less of a chance that anyone will trip over your wires.
Fabric cord covers usually come in a variety of colors and sizes. Some also have zippers that make it easy to remove them when you want to add more cables or remove any. While using a fabric cable cover means you won’t be able to cut it down to size, you can always add as many as you need, and it will still look great.
One of the easiest and most affordable ways to hide your TV wires without cutting into your walls is to position them behind decorations. For example, if you have your TV mounted above a table or some drawers, all you have to do is place some books in front of your wires.
For an added bonus, you can also use decorative boxes to hide your cable box or other devices that plug into your TV. However, make sure that you are not blocking any sensors on your TV. This might make it hard for your remote to send a signal to your TV.
If you’re feeling crafty, you can put up a panel to hide the wires hanging from your TV. Panelboards come in many sizes and designs. You can pick one up with a flashy pattern, or you can also choose something simple.
Can’t find a pattern that you like? No problem! Cover the panel or board with fabric, and you’re good to go. You can also paint it to match your wall or choose a design that will make your TV stand out. If you don’t want to spend money on a panel and fabric, you can use wood pallets to hide the wires. You can paint the pallet board or leave it natural for a farmhouse or rustic design.
This idea is perfect for the artsy person. With a little ingenuity, you can take your messy TV wires and turn them into art. All you need to do is use clear plastic cable clips, double-sided tape, adhesive, or any other unobtrusive method to create a design out of your wires.
If you’re feeling more adventurous, you can also create more complex geometric patterns or use your TV wires to create a city skyline. One design that will no doubt appeal to techy homeowners is to form computer chip patterns using the TV wires.
The best way to hide your TV wires is with an in-wall cable management system. Not only will your cables be out of sight, but if you use an in-wall power extender with more than one outlet, you can plug more devices into the back of your TV.
Read More: How to hide your TV wires in the wall
Plus, this method also lets you mount your TV flush against the wall. This is because most power extender kits are recessed, so your cables won’t hit the back of your TV when you retract it back.
While you can mount your TV yourself, it can be a difficult process, especially if you have a large flat-screen TV. If you are uncomfortable mounting your TV yourself, you can always contact a professional at HelloTech to do it for you. We have thousands of experts across the country ready to visit your home and mount your TV for you.
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