Mounting a TV? Get the Height Right — and Find the Studs
A TV mounted too high feels wrong every time you sit down, and one screwed into drywall alone can come down with it. Two things decide a good install: height and anchoring.
Start with where your eyes rest
The center of the screen should sit at eye level where you actually watch from — usually the couch. For most sofas, that puts the center of the TV about 42 inches from the floor. Sit down, look at the wall naturally, and mark that spot before anything is drilled.
Recliners lean you back, so the screen can go a little higher. Mounting above a fireplace pushes the TV well above eye level — if that's the only spot, use a tilting mount angled down toward the seats, and keep viewing distance in mind so you're not craning your neck for two hours.
Studs carry the weight — drywall doesn't
Drywall is a surface, not a structure. A large TV plus a mount can weigh 50 pounds or more, and an extending arm adds leverage that pulls hard on the fasteners. The mount's lag bolts need to bite into wood studs behind the wall.
- Find both studs first. Run a stud finder across the wall and mark each stud's two edges — the bolt should land in the center, not the edge.
- Check the spacing. Studs are usually 16 inches apart, but older homes vary. If the mount's holes don't line up with the studs, the fix is a mounting plate or proper rated anchors — never just moving a bolt into bare drywall.
- Level it before the screen goes up. Set the bracket, check it with a level, then hang the TV with a second pair of hands.
- Plan the cables. Decide where cords will run before mounting — dangling cables are the difference between a finished install and a project that still looks unfinished.
Done this way, the TV sits dead level, feels rock-solid when touched, and stays that way.
Rather have it handled? Call or text RUBIXpro at (214) 283-0341 — or text us about TV mounting and we'll take it from there.