My sister has ask me install a TV wall mount unit (Sanus F215). Instructions are pretty straightforward. Problem is where she wants it.
That center of the wall location is wallboard only. To support the weight screws must enter a stud.
Fortunately behind that wall is a utility closet. I'm thinking to create a block of 2x4's to fill the gap between the studs. Possibly cap it off with plywood to further insure the screws coming in didn't merely fill space between the 2x4's. (the wall bracket screw holes all align vertically)
That mount handles a 15" to 36" TV. With standard construction practices studs should be around 16" apart. Then consider the weight of a TV. A small one, ie in the lower end of that range is going to be low enough in weight that toggle bolts in drywall will easily hold it. A larger one would seem to almost always hit at least one stud, with two being more common.
So, are you sure there isn't a stud available? How do you know? And how big is the TV, what is it's weight?
The simplest solution isto move it a bit. You are within 8" of a stud.
Otherwise most run a piece or two of 2x4 horizontally between two studs. Of course that requires you to rip open the wall board.
You could also span the studs behind the tv with a piece of 3/4" plywood on top of the wall board. Just cut it about a foot wide and long enough to span two studs, should be 16" or so. The tv will cover it unless it's a really small tv. If you paint it the same color as the wall no one will notice.
Having been in that same situation, I can be confident in saying that moving it, even 8", is not always an option.
Since I wanted my 42" TV in a specific location on the wall, moving it so that I hit studs would have placed it in a spot where it would have been awkward to watch from just about any location. The equipment cabinet below it would also have to have been moved to a spot that would have been off center in the open span of wall where I wanted it.
I used huge toggle bolts, but also have the advantage of having walls that are 3/4" thick. 3/8" of some old fashioned wallboard and then
3/8" of plaster. My mount is a swivel and tilt model and we use the swivel feature a lot. Even with all the tugging and pushing, the mount is still solid on the wall.
In a bedroom where I have access to a closet, I used a piece of plywood inside the closet to support one of those old-fashioned tray style TV stands for a 19" tube TV. The mount is only about 10" x 4", so there's a lot of forces applied where it meets the wall. The 3/4" plywood in the closet with long bolts through the wall and huge washers/nuts have been handling the weight for a decade or so.
No, you put the piece of plywood in the utility closet, and through-bolt the sucker. All you need on face side is a thin layer of something so the edges of the mount don't dig into the drywall. A thin sheet of metal painted to match the mount works well, or if your sister is fussy, painted to match the wall. Backer plate in closet needs to go past the studs on either side of mount footprint, and should be at least 12 inches tall- a thin strip will want to rotate. Screw the plywood to the studs, through the drywall. And if you ever want to take it out, all you have to patch are a few holes.
We have several 42" and 50" monitors installed on drywall and steel stud partition walls this way at work, and none have had any problems yet, after several years.
I think that will do it. I'll use two squares of plywood however. The one in the family room serving as a face plate she can cover as desired. Spanning the studs both front and rear should spread the loads easily.
Jim, it may be "overkill", but it'll make you feel better if you do it.... Overkill isn't bad if you have the space, time, and money, and you obviously have them..... I was going to suggest the method you suggested, but didn't know how your wife would greet the "ambiance" of the plywood in the laundry room.. Anyway, as long as you want to go to the extra trouble, it looks like a good plan to me....
Andy in Eureka, Texas P.E.
PS You might consider putting some sort of small shelf on the plywood in the laundry room, and using it to hang up keys, or detergent, or pictures of Elvira..... ..... some sort of practical use that makes it acceptable.....
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