
With the plummeting supply of good timber, steel and aluminum studs are proving to be the obvious replacements for wood. Many people prefer steel studs because they are straight, firm, and they don’t shrink notwithstanding their durability and resistance to fire. Even with all these advantages, steel studs are still much cheaper than wood. Working with metal might be slower in comparison to wood due to the technique needed to fix it, but once you get used to it, you will find it quite interesting, as you can screw and unscrew the various parts easily with minimal wastage being realized.
You may have purchased a brand-new TV and wanted to start enjoying the experience but when you reach out to mount it, you realize that your wall has metal studs and you can’t simply screw the TV bracket to the wall.
How do you mount a TV on metal studs? This may be a bit challenging, because as opposed to the wood where you just drive crews into the wooden studs, the metal studs are thin and hollow. It is important to apply the right technique to ensure that the TV mount is properly fixed to avoid any accidents that might arise if it snaps off the wall. In this article, we are going to take you through the process of securing a TV mount on metal studs.
Get the Right Hardware for the Job
To start, you will need to get the proper hardware that can handle the hollow studs. Typically, the metal snap toggle is the best material available. It is also the most recommended due to its strength in comparison to the drill toggle and toggle bolt. The snap toggle will reach the metal studs easily and can support the weight of the TV. It can also be used for mounting other things such as heavy pictures on the wall.
The snap toggles are easily available and can be purchase from the online retail stores or from your local hardware store. The quarter-inch snap toggle is one of the best in the market and can be used for this purpose. It is recommended that, if you do not have metal studs and you decide to use a hollow wall anchor and the snap toggle you should not use it with fully moving mounts or swivels as it can come off.
Find the Metal Studs
The most challenging part of this process is locating the center of the stud in the wall. This is the most critical part of this process. This is tricky because you need to locate the center of the 1.25″ stud which is stuck between the wall and which you can’t be able to see.
To locate the center of the stud you will need to use a stud finder. While the electric stud finders are easily available, they can be tricky to use. Nonetheless, the are very handy in locating the studs in the wall. They may also save you a lot of time drilling holes in the wall trying to locate the position of the stud.
All you need to do is simply pass the stud finder over the wall where you are planning to mount the TV and it will locate the stud position. To function effectively the stud finder needs to be calibrated. Simply switch it on and run it over the wall. Let it determine the density of the wall material. Then run it through the wall several times and mark the position it locates a stud using a pencil or tape. Stud finders can fool you sometimes thus, it is wise to double-check before drilling holes in the wall unnecessarily.
Mark the precise position of the center and the edges of the stud using a pencil. Make sure you also mark the position where the TV bracket is going to be mounted. This is because different TV sizes will fit into different TV mounts hence the need to get the positioning right the first time. Drill a small hole first, from which you can use to determine the center of the stud. You need to use a small drill bit to determine the exact position of the stud. Once you have established its position and can locate the center then you can embark on drilling it fully.
Drill the Holes
Having drilled a smaller hole, you can now drill a larger hole through the wall taking into consideration the position of your TV wall mount and stud. Ultimately you need to drill a 1/2″ hole, therefore you need an appropriate metal drill bit to make this hole. It is important to reiterate that the hole should be in the middle of the stud. You can use a spirit level to ensure that the TV mount will fit appropriately and is well-aligned.
Insert the Toggle and Fit the TV Bracket
The next step is to insert the metal snap toggle through the hole to the stud. This might take a bit of skill to ensure that it is positioned appropriately in a vertical position. Once the snap toggle has been fitted vertically insert the bolt and rotate it taking into consideration the bracket positioning before fastening the bolts. It is always recommended to have a snap toggle for each TV mount hole. This is to ensure that the mounting is firm enough to secure the TV.
Mount the TV into the Wall
Mount the TV bracket using the bolts and close the bolts loosely. You may need washers to ensure the bolts are fastened tightly. Ensure the bracket level is well fitted horizontally before tightening the bolts. After mounting the bracket mount the TV using the instructions in the manual provided with the TV bracket.
Final Note
While this process may be challenging if you are doing for the first time it. It is fairly easy and you can do it yourself. You don’t need a professional to perform the installation if you have the tools and the technical know-how. With the instructions above you should be able to mount your TV to metal studs comfortably with minimal help.
Leave a Reply