Question Wall-mounted Screen

horstp

Reputable
Jul 17, 2018
153
3
4,585
I am going to build a completely new office in my second home and in order to save some room on my desk, I would like to wall-mount my screen. It's a drywall, I hope that's not a problem. What is important, is that I want the screen to be as flat against the wall as possible. I guess I could even place it inside the wall, if I wanted to, which would allow me to hide the cables and all, but might proove a pain if anything needs fixing. Does anyone have experience with this? What kind of screen would be suitable for this?

I am intending to use this screen for work (MS Office, browser-based stuff), gaming (mostly old games, but also the odd shooter) and watching stuff on YouTube / Netflix. Not sure about budget. There's no real limit, but I don't want to go crazy either. What's reasonable? 300€/350$?

Thanks in advance!
 

Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
How big of a screen?

Actually I would be cautious about mounting the screen in the wall for the reasons stated.

My overall suggestion, since you are building the new office, is to put a large (e.g., 4' x 4") behind the drywall to facilitate mounting a VESA wall mount adapter without necessarily having to hit the wall studs per se.

Why a wall mount adapter: first you can meet the requirement "to be as close to the wall as possible".

However the adapter will get you the options to move, tilt, and adjust the screen's position.

A fixed screen will be unable to adjust for lighting, glare, reflections, etc. that will certainly occur. May only be seasonal depending on the sun's location, leaves on trees, lamps in the room, a door being opened.

And there are some very nice trays available that can help hide the wires.

E.g.:

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Concealer-Wall-Cover-Raceway/dp/B01JKO8724

Last thought: be sure that you comply with the necessary electrical codes for your area. In some states (if you are in the US) that includes telephone, network, and audio cables. Even if less than 50 volts. DIY not permitted.
 
In-wall, while not impossible, may invite ventilation issue.

My 55" with normal mounting, sticks out 4.5" from the wall, some TVs have a recessed backside allowing, at least partially, the mount to be recessed into that cavity to achieve a nearest gap-less between back of the TV and wall. Most mount will tilt, pull out for cabling, not a huge issue, one tend to not change cabling often.
 

horstp

Reputable
Jul 17, 2018
153
3
4,585
Thanks for you feedback so far, guys! Sorry I'm only responding now.

@Ralston18 A large what? I think there is a word missing that your 4'x4" dimensions were meant to relate to.

I think placing the screen inside the wall is really going to cause more trouble than it's worth.

As regards tiltability, I don't think this is going to be a big issue in my case. The room is small (62 sq.ft.) and has only a single north-facing window that's not terribly big (maybe 2 1/2 ft. wide, 3 ft tall). The screen will be mounted on the south wall and this wall is also the only one with a door. Lighting in the room is most likely going to be "artificial daylight" - to be honest, I don't know much about this, but my optician recommended it, it's basically large flat lamps that cover most of the ceiling and light the room very much daylight would, which means that light is distributed evenly without bright glares. Do you think under these circumstances it would still be important to be able to adjust the screen? I have attached a part of the architectural sketch for the office, in case that helps.
AqNB7EV.png


I'm going to have a couch / convertable bed in the small office (this is a very small apartment, I might add), so maybe it would actually be a good idea to use a fairly large screen, so we can also use it as a TV. The distance from the south wall to the north wall (south is up on the sketch) is only 7 2/3 ft., so no idea what size would be recommended. I've never actually owned a screen larger than 22", I believe. I've used an LG Flatron 2286 for the last 9 years but now it has finally given up the ghost. I also don't have a TV, so I know very little about such things. From what I've gathered 27" seems to be "standard" nowadays? Which is pretty funny for someone who grew up with a 14"!

As regards the legal requirements for working with the wiring: This apartment is located in Croatia, where nobody seems to give a damn what you do with electrical installations inside your home. As far as my research has taken me, the only thing that is regulated is gas and that is probably a good idea, too.

Thank you for the Amazon link. Do you have a recommendation for a mount as well? This might be a really stupid question, but how do you actually get the thing on the wall? I mean... you can't but a screw through your screen, right?
 

Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
Apologies: my thought was a piece of 4' x 4' plywood or other additional framing to provide more strategically located anchor points to secure the screen and its supporting wall mounts.

Dry wall /sheet rock is not strong enough to hold much and stud mounting should be used. However, studs may not be convenient located for the desired location

So if you are in the process of designing and building the room now is the time to include the necessary supporting structure.

As for how it is all done the flat screen TV should support VESA mounting. A VESA bracket is attached to the back of the TV and the entire assembly (TV & VESA bracket) is clipped into the actual wall mount. It is that wall mount that needs to be fully secured to the wall studs.

References:

https://www.ergotron.com/en-us/support/vesa-standard

https://www.oneforall.com/explore/vesa-mounting-standard-explained#/step-1

You can find other links/video how-to's

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3Vs8Itv1VI


Note "double wall stud". (And do be cautious about some of the videos.....)

That said, it is likely that the TV itself will include some minor or limited guidance with respect to proper wall mounting.

What I recommend is to research VESA wall brackets available to you. Look for product reviews and then go to the manufacturer's websites to read the installation manuals. There should be diagrams and instructions along with caveats (warnings) about the proper installation and use of the wall mount.

I would go with being able to tilt and adjust. May work or appear fine at first and then later in the season the incoming light changes direction and you cannot see the screen. A slight tilt or adjustment will solve the problem.

We have a neighboring skylight that, twice a year reflects light off of their roof in an almost horizontal beam straight into our house.