Tv bracket on plasterboard wall

Ryan T

Hi all,

Looking for some advice about the following.

I need to put a 23 inch lcd tv on to a wall bracket. Problem is the power sockets and arieal socket are just above skirting board. The wall itself is only 32 inches wide and I want to center the bracket on the wall. So I am afraid that when I drill holes for bracket I will hit and damage the wires coming down to the sockets. Also the wall is plasterboard internal wall and wonder if appropriate plasterboard fixings will take the weight although the tv is not heavy.But would these plasterboard fixings damage cables if I hit them. Also whats the best way to hide the cables coming tv down the wall to the sockets

Thanks for reading and hope you can follow

Retail Hell

plasterboard won't carry the weight of the bracket, you need to fix it to a stud within the wall, tap the plaster board with a hammer / knuckles listen to the sound when it changes you've hit the stud, they are generally at 400mm centres

most brackets are adjestable and the tv can be moved to a better viewing position, as for the cables you can pick up a detector in most hardware shops, they are good for electric cables and copper pipes

jeepers101

I wouldn't trust plasterboard fixings for this job tbh. It might hold but if somebody swung out of it for whatever reason it might not. Afaik those brackets only have holes for two screws. I would cut a small rectangular hole in the wall with a pad saw. Cut this hole the same (or slightly smaller) width as the back of the bracket so it will be hidden. Now get a bit of wood and feed this into the hole. Use a couple of screws to hold this bit of wood in place. Now you have something more sturdy you can fix the bracket to.

Don't worry about hitting the cables. Work slowly, take your time and you won't have any problems trying to avoid them.

As for what to do with the cables, the best job would be to fish them down behind the plasterboard. The cutout you will have made for the baton will make this even easier.

Sparkpea

Personally I would have no problem using plasterboard fittings for it. I use the brolley toggles with a toggle gun so it doesn't damage the plasterboard and gives you the maximum pull on the plasterboard.

I've hung plenty of heavier radiators full of water with these on 4 toggles over the past 10 years and my father doing the same over 45.

Trick is to not weaken the plasterboard too much while fitting.

eldile

Rather than drill plaster board I always use a phillips screwdriver 6mm diameter and push it through the plaster board this reduces the risk of damaging cables or pipes. You can then bore correct size hole with a hand drill rather than an electric drill.:cool:

paddy147

Sparkpea wrote: »

Personally I would have no problem using plasterboard fittings for it. I use the brolley toggles with a toggle gun so it doesn't damage the plasterboard and gives you the maximum pull on the plasterboard.

I've hung plenty of heavier radiators full of water with these on 4 toggles over the past 10 years and my father doing the same over 45.

Trick is to not weaken the plasterboard too much while fitting.

How do they work,and whats a toggle gun?

Also,would these be stronger/better than the metal "screw in" plasterboard worm fittings?

Thanks.:)

Sparkpea

paddy147 wrote: »

How do they work,and whats a toggle gun?

Also,would these be stronger/better than the metal "screw in" plasterboard worm fittings?

Thanks.:)

Yes they would definitely be stronger in my opinion.

My method of fitting these are. Mark hole with pencil, standard size phillips screwdriver to tap a small hole, then I use my screwlux screw driver to tap inside that hole to widen it a little more then rim it out with a flat head screwdriver (i've found one that gives the size I need pretty much exact). Then gently tap in the toggle with a hammer.

What happens is when the screw is tightened up the the brolly makes an X shape on the back of the plasterboard - to do this you tighten the screw but sometimes I find the brolly may turn and damage the plasterboard which is why I use a toggle gun.

A toggle gun was some very old and rusty metal gun type tool my fathers father had for years and passed it onto my father then one of the lips on it broke :P (wasnt my fault honest!) anyway panic.. searched everywhere for something similar and its something no one has really heard of - anyone found one! (bought a few just incase :P) this is it here



once you have tapped in the brolly you loosen the screw off about 5mm then put the toggle gun on the end of it, squeeze the leaver a few times until you can't squeeze anymore and press the trigger which releases the screw, basically what you've done is created the X without having to screw and damage anything and its a solid solid fitting.

The only way you can mess this up is by making the hole 2 big or 2 small before tapping the brolly in.

Buford T Justice

They would be far superior to the screw in fixings.

I see what you're saying Sparkpea, but a rad would also have two brackets holding it up, whereas a TV can easily have only one mounting point which would increase the stress on the board.

Can be risky depending on the weight of the TV

Carlow52

if the wall is 32 " wide then there should be a stud at both sides and one in the middle so I would go look for it?

What make u think the cables come down?

u could,
turn off power,
take off the socket and remove the plastic box and explore inside with a tape measure to see whats where.

If there are no horz noggins u could move the socket/ tv connection up and put blank plates on the existing ones

would be neater than cables hanging down

Ryan T

Thanks a lot everyone - some great advise there.

laois hibby

used these fixings years ago in scotland. they work great on spur shelving and shelf brackets fixed directly to plasterboard. got them from a supplier over there but never seen them over here

Buford T Justice

Wiring regs state that the cables in a socket must be a vertical drop from the ceiling

That, or if its upstairs the cables could be coming straight up from the floor.

studdlymurphy

Sparkpea wrote: »

Personally I would have no problem using plasterboard fittings for it. I use the brolley toggles with a toggle gun so it doesn't damage the plasterboard and gives you the maximum pull on the plasterboard.

I've hung plenty of heavier radiators full of water with these on 4 toggles over the past 10 years and my father doing the same over 45.

Trick is to not weaken the plasterboard too much while fitting.

Agree 100% I have a 40inch telly hanging off 6 of these for almost 2 years now with no problems, as spark says dont damage the board fitting drill the exact size hole and fit the fixing simple
The wiring wont be a problem as it isnt fixed behing the plaster you only want to drill in through the plaster thats all so you are in no danger whatsoever

jeepers101

Sparkpea could you post a link as to where you would buy one of those toggle guns?

Sparkpea

jeepers101 wrote: »

Sparkpea could you post a link as to where you would buy one of those toggle guns?

google Hollow Wall Hand Setting Tool (thats not what I call them but apparently it is! lol) amazon and alot of other companies sell it so whatever has best delivery to ireland! some of them seem to be like £5 or £7 which imo is cheap. Maybe I got ripped off but was more than happy at £20 and its something I'll use for years and years, had it ordered into my wholesalers - ask your local place if you're friendly with them?

Buford T Justice

afaik I've seen them in Homebase.

Sparkpea

this one looks very very like mine if its not exactly the same so I can vouch for its quality.

https://www.sitebox.ltd.uk/product/920881/spit-hollow-wall-hand-setting-tool/

i've never used this site though