Fixing TV to a mysterious wall

Sounds like it might be "dot and dab" - dots of adhesive that attach the PB to blockwork or bricks. The best way to make a strong fixing is to decide where your fixings need to go and then cut-away the PB in that area. Insert a piece of wood that sits on the blockwork and fix through that into the block, using standard blockwork fixings.

Hmm, sounds like “dot and dab” plastering whereby the plasterboard is stuck up with lots of blob of plaster.

I imaging this is only done when plastering a solid wall of some construction (brick/breeze block/thermalite etc) so there should be something solid(ish) under it.

Modern TVs weigh very little though and plasterboard with carry the weight without a problem as long as you use suitable fixings.

Tim

I agree it sounds very much like a dot & dab wall. There are a number of fixings that you can use;

Richard

I agree.

They can easily be 50lbs, and if the TV bracket hinges away from the wall (some will do as much as 18 inches) that's quite a challenging load.

I agree with the recommendation to cut a holes in the plasterboard, then screw a block of wood to the solid wall, then attach the TV bracket to those.

Another option would be to drill a perhaps 2cm hole in the plasterboard, then inject a couple of handfuls of additional dot-and-dab cement, let it dry then attach to that.

Not answering your question but just bear in mind that the recommendation is to fit the TV so the vertical centre of the screen is the same height as your eyes when sat down watching the TV.

It does seem to be a dot and dab system. So, it's likely that the blockwork behind the plasterboard is continuous but just rings hollow where the dots and dabs are not? If so I'll follow the procedure you describe

I'm not sure of the range of possible types of plasterboard fixings. The ones I've tried for other jobs around this flat have had problems of not being able to go deep enough due to hitting the block work behind. Maybe there are types that require less depth.

Thanks for the tips. Ill study the options.

Thanks for the suggestion. I like the 2cm hole idea, though maybe filling with something a bit more sturdy than dot and dab cement, to be on the safe side?

I've been thinking about that, and due to the fact that we have an array of different sized people on different height seats. That's going to take a bit of optimising.

Having looked at some of the other proposals which are making the job unnecessarily complicated not to mention the repair task should the TV ever be removed, the dedicated fixings I have linked to could not be simpler. They are as easy to use as any other wall plug you will have job done in a fraction of the time.

Richard

Can you obtain a firm fixing by drilling into and fixing to the blockwork? Using something like resin anchors, you'd be left with threaded rod sticking out of the plasterboard and could place the bracket on those, secured with nuts. The plasterboard would be doing almost nothing.

If you were worried that the pressure on the plasterboard (despite it being spread out) would be too much, then screw nuts on, flush with the plasterboard, put the bracket on and lock down with more nuts.

If the threaded rod is of sufficient diameter, its strength should be plenty, despite the distance from blockwork to bracket.

Those Rigifix fixings look pretty good, providing you hit a block and not a mortar course, or close to a block edge ... the problem is that you don't know where/what you're fixing to unless you have a look by making a small opening in the PB.

You will not be able to see where in the block/brick you are drilling into but in my experience if you drill the right size hole and insert plug into something that is not sound the screw will not tighten.

If this happens undo the screw, say, 3/4 of the way out and pull the plug out. With a gun pump something like grab adhesive in, perhaps use the end of the drill bit to push the adhesive into the failing hole. Hammer in another plug and allow some time for the grab adhesive to set. Alternatively fill the failed hole with grab adhesive and re-drill when set.

Is this an external (= structural) wall or in internal wall that might be lightweight blocks or those continental style of blocks that look like they made of the same material that flower pots used to be made off (with lots of internal voids)?

In message snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com, at 11:15:16 on Sat, 19 Jul 2025, Mike Halmarack snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com remarked:

It needs to be sticky, to adhere like the original dot and dab. So why not use the stuff that's designed for the job?

It's an internal wall, and although I've done several wall related jobs around the place, I've never had a look at what's on the inside. Sometimes when I'm drilling I get what appears to be grey cinder block dust, or lighter colourd dust, perhaps when I hit a mortar joint.

That seems like a reassuring tip.

The wall will likely be a (aerated) concrete block - and produce grey dust.

Possibly something like this for an internal wall