Most TVs that look wrong on a wall are simply too high. The fix costs nothing if you catch it before the first hole is drilled.
Start from your eyes, not from the wall
Sit where you normally watch. Your eyes should land somewhere in the middle third of the screen without tilting your head back. For a typical sofa that puts the center of the screen about 40 to 44 inches from the floor. A large TV ends up with its bottom edge only a couple of feet above the floor, which surprises people — and feels right the moment they sit down.
A quick way to check before drilling
- Cut a piece of paper or cardboard to the size of your TV, or mark its corners with painter’s tape.
- Tape it to the wall at the height you have in mind.
- Sit down and look at it for a minute. If your chin lifts, it is too high.
This is the step our installers do with you on every job: the spot is marked, you look at it from your seat, and nothing is drilled until you say yes.
When higher is fine
- Bedrooms. You watch lying down, so the screen can sit higher. A tilting mount points it at the pillow.
- Above a fireplace. The mantel sets the minimum height. A tilting mount helps; a pull-down mount brings the TV to eye level when you watch. See over-the-fireplace mounting.
- Kitchens and bars. People stand, so eye level is about 60 inches.
Two things that limit your choice
Studs. On drywall the mount must be bolted into the wood studs behind it. That fixes where the bracket can go left to right, but not the height.
The outlet. An outlet placed high on the wall by the builder is a suggestion, not a rule. Cables can be covered or run inside the wall, so do not let the outlet decide where you will be looking for the next ten years.
Get a price for your TV — name and number first, then a few quick questions. It takes about a minute.