37" LCD - in a plasterboard wall?

[Scott]

Hi

I live in a 1970's house and the walls, well are like paper - basically platerboard with boxing type internal to give them strength - not sure how otherways to say it.

Anyway - looking at getting a 37" LCD TV or even a 40" one. I though would want to either put it on the wall or in the wall.

I think in the wall is preferable, as by the time you put on the TV hanging kit, I think the tv will protroud like 20+cms so any space I can save by putting it in the wall would be great. Ok - its not all going to go in there.

Has anyone ever done this and how have they done it. I want the tv secure in there?

Also - I will put trunking in the wall and plasterover for the cables.

Scott

[Vass]

Has anyone ever done this and how have they done it. I want the tv

I have hung 2 x 32" lcd tv's on plasterboard I just used the metal platerboard plugs (look like a huge screw) Preferably, I'd find the battens behind the board if I were you and find a mount with as many holes for bolting to the wall as possible and use every single one!

[Tim S]

I would get a thick load-spreading board made of ply, about 50% area of the screen minimum and screw that directly to the wooden studwork in the wall with long screws, assuming they are wood, not metal. Fix TV bracket to ply (probably bolt through from behind before hanging ply, washers, recessed holes). Another advantage is that the ply will spread the load so less likely to make bite marks on the plasterboard.

HTH

Tim

[John]

Doesn't this approach weaken an area of the wall by peppering it with lots of holes? Getting the fixings over the largest area should be the best way.

[The Medway Handyman]

I think the OP wants to put the TV 'in' the wall, not 'on' the wall.

?? enough ventilation??

[HLAH]

As I understand it the current crop of widescreen TV displays use a lot of energy even the LCDs let alone Plasmas. Some allegedly more than comparable screen size CRTs. So I would think ventilation would be a major issue.

I'd just hang it on the surface with a mounting kit. If the wall doesn't have stout battens though then that's not going to easy.

H

[TMC]

I have seen this type of plasterboard wall once before, I think that it is just 2 sheets of board with a cardboard honeycomb core. The whole thing only being some 70mm thick

I would not fix anything heavy/expensive to it at all but then I do tend to over-engineer most things

Removing a section of board and the honeycomb would only leave a single layer of plasterboard which would not be a good idea and any fixings into this board would then be in the adjoining room

I do not think that there is even a suitable way to fix the trunking in place within the wall

If I had to wall mount a big TV screen I would probably construct a false wall of battens and ply and decorate to match the rest of the room first but that's just me

Tony

[The Natural Philosopher]

LCD is about 1/5th the energy of a comparable CRT. And about 1/10th of a plasma TV.

[meow2222]

Tell me you're joking here. If youre not youre going to have a lot of

3.2" tvs some time soon.

NT

[Vass]

nope - been up for over a year now

[HLAH]

Sorry but that doesn't seem to be true. I always thought LCD screens were supposed to be more efficient than CRT but then I heard recently that they were not. It was only after my previous post though that I decided to check it out.

I first looked on Phillips site to check the specs of their LCDs. Of the two PDFs spec. sheets I looked at, each power consumption was listed as "TBC" which sort of piqued my interest. Why so? Are they too clueless to figure it out? - I don't think so.

So I decided the best bet was to compare my Panasonic 32" CRT, which is a TX32PM12, with Panasonic's 32" LCD offerings.

The PDF downloaded from the Panasonic web site for the TX32PM12 lists it's power consumption as 98W.

In comparison the Panasonic web site lists the power consumption for the 32" LCD TX-32LXD600 and TX-32LXD60A models as 144W and 153W respectively.

So it seems that whilst LCD screens should be more efficient currently they are not. In fact in the examples I have just researched they are very much less so.

H

[HLAH]

Hope you don't have children or pets.

H

[Geronimo W. Christ Esq]

I was surprised to find this as well. I guess the majority of the power is consumed in running the backlight on the things.

[Phil L]

His walls don't have battens, they are made of two sheets of plastertboard with eggboxes inbetween....not safe to hang a picture on, never mind a telly.

[Phil L]

I agree, the only safe way is to construct a stud wall from 3X2 timbers and erect it in front of the existing wall, you can arrange the timbers to fit the telly and put any trunking/conduit in place prior to boarding....you don't need to do the entire wall, you can create a false 'chimney breast' about 4 inches thick with the telly inset into this.

[John]

A factor is where the centre of gravity is located relative to the wall. The closer the better. Insetting it into the wall is best from this viewpoint. Some brackets position the CofG a long way from the wall to allow for angular adjustments. These are more likely to rip themselves off the wall.

[Mike Dodd]

Need more specific information, in particular what is meant by "boxing type internal" (maybe this is a recognised description?) - wooden stud-partition, metal box frame?, or as another replied - a honeycomb centre?

The main concern should be getting sufficient ventilation to cool the unit... a 40" could typically consume ~250w (random reference...

)

If stud-partition or metal box stud-frame, with obvious cavities, then it may be sufficient to include vents above and below, to allow some circulation, up into the bottom vent holes, and out of the top vent holes, if, however, the wall is a solid/honeycomb construction then I think the whole idea of in-wall mounting is a non-starter.

If wooden stud partition or metal box frame then could you place additional noggins to support the weight of the TV... should also promote the venting *through* the TV.

[meow2222]

Well, let us know when it falls down. It will.

NT

[Scott]

WOW - good god I mentioned this.

OK - well, I would say its a honeycomb wall. No studs work I can find at all but thats not to say there is none. I have done the tapping test and no reasonable sound change.

Bugger

Scott

[Mike Dodd]

One other thing, on top of all the advice given here... consider the viewing position - don't place it at standing eye level if you're gonna be seated low down - a lot of promo literature shows wall-mountings at much too high a level, it should at a level where you can watch it without too much neck strain.