Attaching TV wall mount to steel studs

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  • dlminehart
    Veteran Member
    • Jul 2003
    • 1829
    • San Jose, CA, USA.

    Attaching TV wall mount to steel studs

    My office wall has steel studs (not sure what gauge). The other side of the wall is the back stairway to the second floor. The TV would be mounted high enough on the wall and close enough to the bottom of the stairway that one could apply a wood backing from the stairway side.

    I picked up a TV wall mount from HD for our newsroom 27" TV. The instructions tell how to mount to cement walls or wood studs, using 4 fairly hefty (3/16"?) lag bolts.

    I suspect the steel studs aren't strong enough to support this heavy TV leveraged out on that mount. Anyone have any experience with this kind of problem?
    - David

    “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” -- Oscar Wilde
  • Jeffrey Schronce
    Veteran Member
    • Nov 2005
    • 3822
    • York, PA, USA.
    • 22124

    #2
    I have installed one of these systems in our basement exercise room. I can't imagine that standard steel studs would be enough for a 27" tube TV.

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    • dlminehart
      Veteran Member
      • Jul 2003
      • 1829
      • San Jose, CA, USA.

      #3
      I wonder if I can put a 4x4 on the inside wall, extending a foot or so above and below the TV mount. Bolt the 4x4 about 5 times through the steel studs to a 2x4 on the stairwell wall, with large washers spreading the load. Then attach the TV mount to the 4x4. This would spread the TV load over two feet of steel stud rather than only 6 inches. But is that sufficient?

      We have one TV already installed, sitting on a wooden platform that's basically like a box of 3/4" plywood sliced diagonally from top back edge to bottom front edge. The back is screwed (mollies?) about a half dozen times on each side. Not clear that the screws go into studs or what. I could move that platform, but would have to repair the wall after moving it, and might find that its position had been anticipated by installing wooden studs there . . .
      - David

      “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” -- Oscar Wilde

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      • LJR
        Established Member
        • Jan 2005
        • 136
        • .

        #4
        When we do that kind of installation we'll use one of two methods and both involve patching the sheetrock.

        1. If there's enough room above the ceiling - cut a hole in the sheet rock about 8" wide and 3' tall or so, cut a 2 by 6 to the length that you can fit into that area and drop it through the hole inside the wall flat side to wall. Screw throught the sheet rock to hold it in place, mount the TV bracket with lag screws that will catch the 2 by 6. You need at least 6 feet of 2 by 6 in the wall if you do this. Patch sheet rock.

        2. Not enough room or don't like that method. Where the TV bracket is going to go cut the sheet rock out from stud to stud about 2' tall. Cut a piece of 3/4" plywood that will go from stud to stud and about 16" tall. Fasten the plywood in place, put the plywood under the flange of the stud and screw through the flange into the plywood. If the studs are turned the wrong way put another piece of steel stud in back to back - screw that in place - so you have a flange to fasten the plywood to. Put the sheet rock back and patch. Mount the TV bracket with toggle bolts through the plywood.

        We've hung 27" TVs with both methods and they'll both work well. It's much easier to hang a flat screen TV on the wall. Good luck.

        Comment

        • Jbridge337
          Established Member
          • Nov 2004
          • 118
          • GA.

          #5
          Is it flat panel? If it is, I thought those were only about 70lbs or so and it that is the case I don't think you would have a problem with 35lbs on each stud. We have a heavy piece of artwork hanging in our house (80 plus lbs) that the art store hung using two standard picture frame hangers into one stud on each side.

          Jim
          Last edited by Jbridge337; 12-05-2006, 07:35 AM. Reason: typo

          Comment

          • dlminehart
            Veteran Member
            • Jul 2003
            • 1829
            • San Jose, CA, USA.

            #6
            Jim, this is a CRT rather than flat panel, so there's considerable leverage involved in its center of gravity being about 15" out from the wall. Also, it attaches to a single stud. But this gives me the idea that I could attach a 4x4 across 2 or 3 studs and then anchor the TV mount to the 4x4, thereby spreading the 80 lbs across more steel studs. Gotta think more on it.
            - David

            “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” -- Oscar Wilde

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