# Wall Mount Question



## michaelh (Oct 14, 2008)

Hello, all. I'm new to the forums here and must say that this is a great site with tons of information. For my birthday my girlfriend bought me a new Pioneer VSX-03TXH receiver and a Definitive Technology SuperCube III. I've also purchased Klipsch RF-52 floorstanding speakers, RC-52 center channel, and RS-52 surrounds to complete the system. 

Currently i've been in the process of mounting my HP 42" plasma tv onto the wall using a sanus VMAA26B articulating wall mount. I've run into some trouble with this, apparently the stud spacing in my walls are 24"!! :hissyfit: Therefore, the steel plate that would normally be screwed into the studs isn't long enough. Is there a safe way that I can still wall mount my TV using the unusual stud spacing? I'm no carpenter or engineer, but I've thought of a way of using two 2x4 lumber pieces to connect the two studs length wise (one under the upper portion of the steel plate and one under the lower portion) and mount the steel plate on top the two 2x4 lumber pieces which are screwed into the wall studs. Think that would work? :dunno:


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## hddummy (Mar 9, 2007)

If you must have the ability to swivel the TV, then I think something like that would work. I might also consider using two pieces of 3/4" plywood that are cut to the same height of the mounting plate and longer (28"ish) to span from wall stud to wall stud. Glue them together for a total thickness of 1.5" and you would have a very strong bridge. I would use 3 or 4 5/16" lag bolts on either side. That is very likely overkill, but hey...what is the cost of an extra bolt vs the TV falling? That way, the lag bolts from the plywood into the wall studs don't need to be so close together as they would be if you were using a 2x4 to span from wall stud to wall stud.

If you don't need the ability to swivel, there are many tilting mounts that do span 24" stud spacing.

Good Luck!


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

Agreed, and the problem is that, even if you find a mounting plate that is 24" long, you still may not want to mount your TV exactly in between the two, so it still won't be long enough. Your idea sounds solid to me.


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## michaelh (Oct 14, 2008)

Sweet, thanks guys. I just needed some other opinions and confirmation that it would work. I really like the idea of using two 3/4" plywood plates, that allows me to screw in several more lag bolts for a more secure connection. I'll head home tonight after work and get started on it!! Can't wait til I start enjoying my new system!!


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

I also agree with Matt, the plywood is a very solid base and wont bend or shift like a 2x4 may over time. This also gives you some flexibility as to where you mount the wall mount as it wont need to be dead center.


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

Another vote for the plywood idea :T

And Welcome to the forum and Congratulations for your new toys :bigsmile:


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## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

The plywood is a good idea, but a single piece of 3/4" will be sufficient. The lag bolts to secure the plywood to the wall (hitting the 24"-spaced studs) probably need to be at least 3" long.

Another idea that might be a bit more "stealth" would be to use a piece of 5/8" plywood. Cut out the sheetrock and flush-mount the plywood directly to the studs. Since the sheetrock is (hopefully) also 5/8" that means the plywood will be flush with the sheetrock. Seal the gaps between the plywood and sheetrock with some float compound, texture and re-paint the whole thing and the plywood is practically invisible. Use toggle bolts for the articulating wall mount.

Regards,
Wayne


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## hddummy (Mar 9, 2007)

I'm afraid I have to disagree. That mount will hang the TV as much as 26" away from the wall. That TV weighs about 90lbs. That plus the force of someone leaning on or grabbing the TV to swing it could potentially apply 200+lbs of pull out force on the lag bolts from the mount into the plywood. I would not trust a single 3/4 sheet of plywood with that.

I may be wrong, but I believe that most residential applications use 1/2" drywall. That's not to say that you couldn't still cut a slab drywall out and mount the plywood stack directly to the studs. Come back with some casing trim to cover the transition/step from plywood to drywall. Paint the whole thing white, black or the same color as the wall and you would have a nice looking mounting plate.


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## michaelh (Oct 14, 2008)

Alright guys, I used two sheets of 3/4" plywood and mounted the tv. I used a total of 8 5/16" x 4.5" lag bolts to mount the plywood to the studs and 4 5/16" x 3" lag bolts (came with wall mount kit) to mount the wall mount. Let me say that this thing isn't going anywhere!!! Its as solid as a rock. Cutting out the drywall would've been a cleaner install, but i'm happy the way it is. I can't see the plywood so it doesn't matter.

Thanks for the help guys!!


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## hddummy (Mar 9, 2007)

:T


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

michaelh said:


> Thanks for the help guys!!


:clap: ... That's what we like to see; another happy member :bigsmile:

Don't forget to stay around and share your experiences with us ...:yes:


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