[de8212]

I've got my eye on a 52" LCD that will have to place above the fireplace (yes, I know). Going from my rough measurements and the specs of the TV online, it looks as if the "cubbyhole" is ~.2" smaller in width than the TV itself.


I guess the only way to do this is to put 2x4's horizontally to attach the mount to. Does anyone have any tips on the best way to do this? Diagrams or pics of how you did this would be great.


thanks.

 

[FFL Viewer]

I'm new here, but I would consider framing out the cubbyhole and try and make it a solid wall, I just think that would look better. You could always go to a smaller TV or one that fits snug in there on a stand.

 

[lottathought]

I did this over this past weekend.

I put the ln52a750 from Samsung above the fireplace.

BTW...this is the perfect time to make the argument to the wife that you need the big screen to totally cover the niche.

Otherwise it will not look right.

If you have any carpenter skills at all, this is actually pretty easy.

The builders used studs to corner the niche so you have wood on all 4 sides to mount your brace into.

You do not need to put sheetrock over the brace. Just make sure that the brace is flush with the wall. That way you can take it out should you ever move and you can, should you want a little overkill, drill holes all the way

through the beams in the brace and run 1/4" bolts with washers through. This will be far stronger than any bolts you will ever drill into the beams.


But hey..when talking about a TV that is both fragile and cost thousands...a little overkill does not hurt.


If you do a search for " Wiring questions for Niche above fireplace ", you will see the thread that I started last week.

My biggest concern then was getting the wires run however. In that thread, I spelled out how I did that.


The brace for inside the niche is not hard to make.

I did take it a step further also. About 7" from the bottom, I created another section of the brace.

I wanted to be able to set my center speaker under the TV. I also wanted to be able to access the niche in case I ever needed to do something like reset the surge protector, etc.

Right now, I am building a speaker screen that will cover this bottom section and make the whole setup look clean over the fireplace.


I created 3 beams in the top part of the brace and made sure the middle one was perfectly center. This allowed me to use it as a reference point.


Also..make sure you get a wall mount that tilts. It will be far more comfortable to view if you can tilt the TV. I got a Peerless mount.

 

[de8212]



Quote:
Originally Posted by lottathought /forum/post/15540830


I did this over this.....

Thanks for th reply.



Probably too late to ask but do you have any pictures of the brace/mount?


The way my "cubbyhole" is, the inside width is wider than the opening of it. SO I actually have a little space of ~3" on each side that I can screw/bolt the horizontal 2x4's into from the inside. IOW I would have to make the horizontal pieces wider than the opening and hold them at an angle to get them inside the hole and then straighten them out to overlap the ~3" lip. Then I would have to screw/mount the bolts from the inside.

And I'm like you as far as needing a few inches underneath to put my center channel.

Also, since the horizontal pieces will be several inches from the bottom of my cubby hole (and the fact that I have the ~3") I was thinking of running short vertical 2x4's that butt up against the ends of the horizontal 2x4's just for added support.


So the actual 2x4's would be like the letter A if you wrote it in only horizontal/vertical straight lines . Not sure if that makes sense but I can take pictures tonight and MSPaint it if need be.


Any thoughts?

 

[lottathought]

Here is a simple sketch of what I built. This is my first attempt with Google Sketch up so it is far from perfect.

It does give you an idea of what I did though.

Also...the rim of the niche that is smaller than the inside is where the studs are and where you mount the brace. Remember..it has to be flush with the outer wall. Otherwise you

will have trouble mounting the TV and will lose the ability to tilt the mount.


I built this brace in the garage and then just brought the thing inside and screwed it into the rim of the niche.


The bottom section that I am pointing to with the arrow is the part that you can still see and what will be covered by a speaker screen. (The entire bottom section will be covered by the speaker screen. I will be able to remove the screen anytime I want to get behind it.)

The center section of the bottom is where the center speaker sits.

The section on either side of the center speaker on the bottom allows me to access the niche and do whatever I need.