Arggh big tv , wall bracket, no studs.....

[Tampon]

Following on from the what bracket thread, I got one, got the tools out and Fnuck it, void, space, air was all that could be found!

The old owners had a tv hung up in the same spot there.



They took the old bracket with them and filled the 14 holes they had drilled for the bracket. I presumed as it is a extention that is detached from the neighboring properties it would be plaster on top of brick. It isn't.

I have had a look for a stud and cannot find one for love nor money anywhere round there. I have dug out the filler from the wall and had a explore, the brick is 4 inches behind the the plasterboard and there is insulation between the two just waiting to wrap itself around my drill bits.

So what is the next step ? genuinely can't find the studs, been over the place with a magnet and nothing, test drilled small holes around old owners ones to see if I can locate stud, nothing.

If I took the backing plate off the articulated bracket that I have bought and bolted that to the wall with big plasterboard fixings ( that seems to be what previous guys did).

The only other thing I can think of is to cut out some of the wall, bolt a frame to the outer wall, replace the plaster, skim, put up bracket, but that seem like a massive ar8e ache.

Any suggestions ?

[andy43]

Smaller telly?

I reckon you're spot on - safest way is to build out behind where the bracket will go in 4" timber rawlbolted to the bricks, screw/bolt bracket mouting plate to the timber, then plasterboard around plate. Someone will no doubt say they've hung a 60" plasma off 9mm plasterboard with chewing gum, drawing pins and two red rawlplugs - but playing it safe and trying to do it right/OTT is a better option imho.

[Tampon]

andy43 said:

Smaller telly?

I reckon you're spot on - safest way is to build out behind where the bracket will go in 4" timber rawlbolted to the bricks, screw/bolt bracket mouting plate to the timber, then plasterboard around plate. Someone will no doubt say they've hung a 60" plasma off 9mm plasterboard with chewing gum, drawing pins and two red rawlplugs - but playing it safe and trying to do it right/OTT is a better option imho.

The telly funds are depleted with the purchase of our first house. SO have to stick to the old plasma for the moment.

I am thinking, drill a hole in the wall at the four corners, cut between the holes leaveing a square in the wall. bolt stud wood to the wall. Nail plaster back over, fill edges and nail holes, sand, paint ( will be covered by the telly ). I can't see how I would fix bracket to the stud work directly then plaster round it, sounds more complicated.

If I did that I would be using coach screws into wood so no plugs or extra support for the screws would be needed ? just a pilot holes through the plaster and into the wood.

[Harry H]

Plasterboard with the right fixings will easily take a 42" flat panel telly. They're not that heavy. A 36" CRT on one of those armed stands maybe a bit much though:roll eyes:


If you're really that worried. Not that you need to be. Cut a small square hole in the plasterboard insert a length of timber and fix into that. then replace the cut out and smooth over with a bit of filler.

Building frames etc is just over kill just as much as a 60" plasma with chewing gum is slightly under doing it

[Tampon]

Cheers Harry, the tv is 30 kgs and I have a articulated bracket ( heavy ) so the tv could be a good couple of feet off the wall at times so I want to make sure I get it right first time. Your idea of inserting some wood is essentially what I will be doing just bolting that piece to the wall behind.

Could you explain your idea a bit, seems to be the same, cut hole bracket sized, insert wood, plasterboard back over, bolt on bracket. That sound like what you are talking about ?

[Captain Answer]

You could always fix a piece of ply board slightly bigger than the wall mount plate to the plaster board with a high number of rawl or plaster board plugs then simply fix the plate onto the ply. This is how my boiler is currently mounted due to no stud work immediately behind it - still nice and secure 3 years on

[monthefish]

Tampon said:

there is insulation between the two just waiting to wrap itself around my drill bits.

Then be careful not to drill any deeper than 12.5mm.


As has been said, you should be ok with decent PB fixings.

[g7jtk]

Stick a piece of ply wood to the wall with liquid nails and let it set. Once set screw the bracket to the wall in the usual way

[hedgefinder]

Harry H said:

Plasterboard with the right fixings will easily take a 42" flat panel telly. They're not that heavy. A 36" CRT on one of those armed stands maybe a bit much though:roll eyes:


If you're really that worried. Not that you need to be. Cut a small square hole in the plasterboard insert a length of timber and fix into that. then replace the cut out and smooth over with a bit of filler.

Building frames etc is just over kill just as much as a 60" plasma with chewing gum is slightly under doing it

if you use the "correct plaster board fixings" then please feel free to hold Harry H responsible if someone bumps into the tv and rips the fixings out of the plasterboard..

[andy43]

g7jtk said:

Stick a piece of ply wood to the wall with liquid nails and let it set. Once set screw the bracket to the wall in the usual way

Don't forget the drawing pins.
Look, even when you're tiling onto plasterboard there's a weight limit - google it - thick natural stone tiles can quite literally fall off bringing half the plasterboard with it. A TV poorly fixed and set away from the wall a couple of inches doesn't bear thinking about - there's a cantilever effect loading the fixings. Same goes for kitchen cupboards.
I've done exactly what I suggested earlier - we have a 42 plasma in the kitchen where the wall has been drylined - I chopped a big hole out of the plasterboard, used ply over 4x2 bolted to the brick, then screwed the bracket to the ply. It's not going anywhere. For the sake of what, an hour, you can do it safely.

[jjones]

no more nails the TV directly to the wall, get a refend on the bracket.

[anonymous-user]

Cut hole in plasterboard using the bracket as a template. Cut piece of wood to same shape & depth to brickwork. Screw wood to bricks with half a dozen frame fixers, they self tap into 6mm hole and cost peanuts from places like screw fix. No need to faff around replastering etc as you won't see the wood...

[dazwalsh]

I would cut a square/rectangle hole enough so you can slide a few lengths of 2x2 in that they are a few inches longer than the height of your hole (so that it sits against the inside edge of the plasterboard then screw through the untouched plasterboard into this timber so its clamped to the plasterboard (i hope to god that makes sense)

Then screw the piece of plasterboard back in place, fill the cut out and mount the bracket onto where you placed the wood.

Edited by dazwalsh on Thursday 16th August 09:10

[Tampon]

Cheers guys, the bracket is articulated and the tv is 30kgs and I am worried that fixing it to anything other than the wall or wood will bring the plasterboard down.

The tv will be moved around like this


I just don't think bracing the plasterboard will do it. I could alway take the bracket apart and make a straight wall bracket like this


And I think that would be alright.

[Z4monster]

I have a 50" plasma hung on a cantilever arm support fixed to plasterboard using hollow wall bolts and it hasn't moved a millimetre since being hung there 3 years ao. The arm/wall can support the TV at 90 degrees and almost a foot clear of the wall. That means the TV is projecting into the room by almost 60" and there is no problem at all.

Just get the biggest you can use so they spread the load as much as possible. Mine is fixed with eight bolts and is completely stable. The wall is a similar construction to yours so I had no option either. Just get on with it!

[mk1fan]

What's the wall construction? Is it timber framed? Is it brick or block with plasterboard dot and dabbed on to the inner face?

If it's timber framed then get a stud finder and screw a sheet of 20mm ply across the studs and then screw the bracket to the ply.

[cjs]

Z4monster said:

I have a 50" plasma hung on a cantilever arm support fixed to plasterboard using hollow wall bolts and it hasn't moved a millimetre since being hung there 3 years ao. The arm/wall can support the TV at 90 degrees and almost a foot clear of the wall. That means the TV is projecting into the room by almost 60" and there is no problem at all.

Just get the biggest you can use so they spread the load as much as possible. Mine is fixed with eight bolts and is completely stable. The wall is a similar construction to yours so I had no option either. Just get on with it!

OP. DO NOT DO THIS! It is far too risky, yes it could hold for years but it could come crashing down the first time you move the TV. I've seen plasterboard give way under load many times.

Your best option is as already suggested. Cut a hole a little smaller than the back plate, insert wood and fix that securely to the back wall with good screws and plugs, wood should be flush with the back of the PB, replace cut out bit of PB and screw your bracket to the wood.

[m4ckg]

what is the plaserboard fixed to?

[Tampon]

This is what I don't know, seem to be massive gaps between studs. There is a gap of about 4 inches from the brick work behind and the front of the plasterboard with insulation inbetween, so there must be a stud frame there.

Couple of photos
The mess left over from previous owner, looks like they did a sheet of wood over the top and then painted round it.


slightly wider shot of of the area and the tv to go up, the nearest stud I can find to the wall with the curtain on is behind the tv !

[mk1fan]

Stud finder or try tapping accross the wall there will a slight change in sound where the stud is.