Can a TV be Mounted Over This?

Zarathustra[H]

Zarathustra[H]

Extremely [H]
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Oct 29, 2000
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Hey all,

So we are in the process of moving into a new home.

During the showing the sellers had a TV mounted over the fireplace as follows:

0d77668f9d57006ee2ac933ad5b81c8bl-w4240224327xd-w480_h360_q80.jpg


When we moved in I totally expected there to be holes in the wall from a TV mount, bit there are none, not is there any apparent evidence of recent spackling or repainting.

All that is there is this thing:

PXL_20210522_150120728.jpg


It looks like it is just a power and coax cubby, but I wonder, do they also somehow serve as a TV mount with some sort of accessory?

Otherwise I have no idea how the TV was previously mounted. Maybe the seller was just really talented with spackling and tough up painting? I see no evidence of prior holes at all, and the wall does not look newly painted.

Any thoughts?
 
I see several filled in holes right below the cubby on the right hand side. Plus it looks like it is also on the top as it looks smooth compared to the other spots around it.
 
If you're good at it and have matching paint, it isn't very hard to make it unnoticeable and it only takes a day or two to dry.

But yeah, you can tell it wasn't done perfectly below.

Just use a stud finder if you're going to mount a new one.
 
Starfalcon said:
I see several filled in holes right below the cubby on the right hand side. Plus it looks like it is also on the top as it looks smooth compared to the other spots around it.
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I must be blond then. Looking straight at it I can't see anything.

I have no problems moubting my own, but figured I'd save myself the trouble if this cubby thing did it too...
 
criccio said:
Are you planning on putting a TV there again? If so, i'm sorry for your wallet due to future chiropractor bills.
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I am well aware of proper viewing heights. This is not for my primary home theater setup. It's just for a secondary TV. May even route a "zone 2" tote of duplicated HDMI signal to it from the main hole theater to allow the same thing to be viewed on both places.

But yeah, no center eye height, center of screen for my main setup. Which actually may not be too far off on this one, as a lot of viewing will be while standing.
 
from that distance, the angle isn't that extreme. Like stated, stud finder and a new mount. If a previous owner takes the TV with them, it makes sense that they didn't leave you a wall full of holes. Honestly they should've included the tv in the sale and just bought a new one, since taking the old one down and fixing the wall was probably more work than it was worth.
 
A TV couldn't mount to that box. Those small screws wouldn't securely hold the weight of the TV. I also see a patch below the bottom right of the cubby box. Remove the box and look inside. A stud might be right there.
 
Zeoclang said:
A TV couldn't mount to that box. Those small screws wouldn't securely hold the weight of the TV. I also see a patch below the bottom right of the cubby box. Remove the box and look inside. A stud might be right there.
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Yeah, that's what I thought too, but hadn;t taken the faceplate off yet to inspect behind it. Figured there might be something more substantial behind there. Doesn't look like that is the case.
 
The human eye can be fooled, but if you play with exposure and gamma, it'll highlight differences more:
460530_PXL_20210522_150120728b.jpg460530_PXL_20210522_150120728c.jpg
It's easier to see some of the patches, painting, and dings after applying those tweaks to the image.


A few suggestions:

I would get a tv mount that can tilt if the height is high for matching the angle to your seating height if you plan to watch it a lot out there, otherwise make sure the TV has good viewing angles so it doesn't look bad while sitting unused. if you want it to look classier than a black box when it's off there are a few TVs that blend in better too like the Samsung "Frame", LG "Gallery", or using a normal TV with an image gallery, or using a two-way mirror .

Also if you plan to use any secondary devices and want to maintain the clean look, You can get IR repeaters/extenders for cable/sat/etc boxes and either mount them elsewhere or behind the tv. I prefer keeping the TV tight against the wall if you can see the sides, so either get a longer HDMI/whatever cable and run it through the back, or get an HDMI transmitter if you can't or don't want to run the cable. It looks a lot cleaner if you can hide your accessory devices somewhere else.

Example of a cheap IR extenders:
https://smile.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Infrared-Extender-Repeater/dp/B014EDRH3G
https://smile.amazon.com/Infrared-Resources-External-Universal-Receiver/dp/B0107LT77S/

Just my .02¢

EDIT:
Also you can take a coat hanger, straighten it out (or similar objects), and probe for the nearest studs if you don't have a meter or have a hard time finding the stud. Pop the lower faceplate off and go one side and the other. It *should* be 16" on center between studs, but sometimes you'll have extra studs dividing the space further. If you have a very weird scenario, a piece of 3/4 plywood can be used against the wall board to catch two studs, then you can place the mount virtually anywhere on the plywood.
 
MrGuvernment said:
TV's over heat sources = bad,

I wish this TV over a fireplace thing would die already....
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If it's one of those cheap gas fireplaces, they aren't really a heat source. More for decoration than anything. I had a TV above mine but the mantle over the top absorbed all the heat, tv was still cold to the touch after having the gas on for hours.
 
MrGuvernment said:
TV's over heat sources = bad,

I wish this TV over a fireplace thing would die already....
Click to expand...

Yeah it's pretty stupid but it's what a lot of people have to deal with.

The heat is bad for the TV
The TV is way too high for ideal viewing angles.
Less room for the TV, limits the size you can have.
Real wood burning fire places are actually pretty bad for your health.


Fireplaces used to be the focal point of living rooms but TVs became the center of attention decades ago...
Yet even now people are building houses with fireplaces right where you would want the TV.

It makes me scratch my head even more when you see how often most people actually use their fireplaces. And comparing that to the amount of TV people watch.. lol
The funniest is during Christmas when you see someone playing the yule log thing on their TV which is mounted above a fireplace...
 
MrGuvernment said:
TV's over heat sources = bad,

I wish this TV over a fireplace thing would die already....
Click to expand...

I'm with you. I hate putting TV's over fire places.

Unfortunately in many places around larger cities where all the plots have been filled with homes for decades now, most of the housing stock is old enough (50's and 60's) that TV locations were not a consideration when they were built.

Sometimes, over the fireplace is literally the only place a TV will fit, since these homes are often on the smaller side and walls without either fireplaces or rows of windows just don't exist.

I'm planning on putting a secondary TV in this location as our house is open concept and it can be seen from the kitchen.

The primary TV will be in my home theater in the basement once I am done with some minor diy remodeling.

All of that said, it makes sense that the TV might not like the heat source, but honestly I've lived in so many homes with fireplaces over the last 20 years and I don't think Ive ever actually lit a fire in any of them.

I consider them to be mostly a curious relic from an earlier time which are not really interesting to me and I wish they weren't there.
 
Even now though, I am in a newer section of a community that is being built and all these new houses have gas fireplaces and right above it, the spot for the TV. Many with out even at least a small ledge to deflect some of that radiant heat out a little.
 
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