TV wall mounting in Melbourne

Why mount it at all

Product Safety Australia says toppling furniture has killed at least 28 people in Australia since 2000 and causes nearly 20 injuries every week, and that children under five are the most at risk of serious harm from toppling furniture or TVs. It suggests considering wall-mounting the TV. If the TV stays on furniture, anchor both the TV (most come with anchor straps) and the furniture to the wall, and don't stand a TV on furniture that isn't made for it, such as a chest of drawers.

What the installer needs to know

Give the installer enough to bring the right bracket and fixings the first time.

• The TV's brand, model and screen size, so they can look up its weight and mounting holes
• The bracket: fixed, tilting or a swing arm, and whether you've bought it already
• The wall: plasterboard, brick, concrete or unknown, and whether it's an outside wall
• The height you want the screen at, measured from where you sit
• What else goes with it: a soundbar, set-top box, game console or speakers

The wall matters more than the bracket

A heavy TV, especially on a swing arm that holds it out from the wall, puts a lot of load on a few fixings. In plasterboard, that usually means fixing into the timber or steel frame behind it, or using anchors rated for the load. Ask what fixings they'll use, and what weight they're rated to hold.

Pipes and cables run inside walls, so ask the installer how they check before drilling. In a home built or renovated before 1990, wall sheeting may contain asbestos: it shouldn't be drilled with high-speed power tools until you know.

Power and cables

A new power point behind the TV, or moving an existing one, is electrical work (see power points and switches). In Victoria that needs a licensed electrician, however small the job. Some TV installers are licensed electricians or work with one; if yours says so, check the licence on Energy Safe Victoria's register, and expect a Certificate of Electrical Safety for the power point.

For the TV's own cables, agree before the day whether they'll run in a channel on the wall or inside it, and who's doing that part.

Renting?

Victorian renters can install picture hooks or screws for wall mounts, shelves or brackets without asking, on any surface except exposed brick or concrete walls, unless the property is on the Victorian Heritage Register. The same goes for wall anchors that secure furniture.

On exposed brick or concrete, you need the rental provider's consent, but they can't refuse it without a good reason. A new power point is a bigger change: ask the rental provider first.

What the quote should cover

• Labour, and whether it's a fixed price or by the hour
• The bracket and fixings, and who supplies them
• Cable covers or in-wall cabling
• Mounting a soundbar or other equipment
• An electrician for any power point, quoted separately if needed
• Removing the packaging, and a second visit if something doesn't fit

Example brief

“Mount a 65-inch TV (model number supplied) on a tilting bracket I've bought, on a plasterboard living room wall in a 2010s townhouse in Point Cook. A power point is about 1 m below where the TV will go; I'd like the cables in a wall channel. Please quote labour and fixings, and say if you can fit a soundbar underneath.”

Before booking a TV installer

• TV model, bracket type and wall type described
• Fixings into the frame, or rated for the load
• A licensed electrician for any new power point
• Renters: consent for exposed brick or concrete
• TV and furniture anchored if it isn't on the wall

Ready to describe it? Start a job request or browse handyman jobs. Need a power point too? See power points and switches. Availability depends on real postings, and registration must be enabled to submit.