Depending on the home, many find their main room’s focal point being the fireplace. For those who want to add a TV into the mix, this often means rearranging the room to change the focus from the fireplace and onto the brand new flatscreen TV. Or if you have an older home, you may not even have a nearby electrical socket to plug a TV in.
What if we told you that you can have the best of both worlds without sacrificing your lovely living room décor?
That’s where we’re here to help! With this guide, we’ll get into what materials you need, how to wall mount your TV over a brick fireplace, and other fun extras too. So let’s get started!
Materials Needed to Wall Mount a TV Over a Fireplace
Since we’re dealing with a hot situation, potentially minimal access to a nearby socket, and a brick wall, there are some tools, recommended by Top Wall Mounted Reviews, you’ll need to have before starting the installation.
Those tools and materials are as follows:
- TV wall mount kit, specifically a mantel wall mount TV kit
You’ll want to get this type of mounting kit since they are meat for TV installations over fireplaces. Before you get one of these kits, make sure your TV is VESA-compatible and fits your TV’s screen size and weight. - Coaxial Cable
When selecting a coaxial cable, you’ll want to go for colors that are closest to the fireplace’s trimming or brick wall exterior. But if you can’t find a suitable color, you can paint a coaxial cable with fire-resistant paint (intumescent paint) in the color of your choice. - Extension Cord
Just like your coaxial cable, you’ll want to find an extension cord that is closest in color to your fireplace. You’ll need an extension cord since most homes with fireplaces do not have a power outlet close by. You may need to paint the cord part of the extension cord with fire-resistant paint as well. - Hammer Drill
This drill will have enough drilling strength to pass through your fireplace’s brick wall exterior without cracking the surrounding brick. - Carbide Hammer Drill Bit
Along with your drill, you’ll need a carbide hammer drill bit. These bits are strong enough to withstand heavy drilling without snapping. Should a drill bit snap, you should always keep a few extras on hand. - Tapcon 1 ¼-inch by ¼-inch hex screws
Most TV mounting kits include regular screws, but to keep your TV on the brick wall of your fireplace, you’ll need hex screws. These screws have a special thread that will pierce into the brick masonry and will hold up your TV after you finish installing the wall mount TV kit. - Wiremold Cord Management Kit
These kits give your DIY TV installation over your fireplace a seamless appearance. If you don’t want to paint all the cords, you can always hide them with a wiremold cord management kit.
The wiremold cord management kits are safe to use around hot areas like fireplaces. But if you can’t find a wiremold cord management kit in the color of your choice, you can paint these kits before installing them over your cords. - Chalk
Any color of chalk will do, but white chalk is recommended to help mark the areas you’ll be drilling. After all, you don’t want to be drilling more holes than necessary into the brick exterior of your fireplace. - Level
Mounting a TV requires it to be level. Using a level will help ensure the mounting kit is going on properly, otherwise, your TV may end up looking slanted to one side or the other. - Measuring Tape
To prevent heat damage to your TV, you’ll want to make sure the TV is mounted high enough above the fire pit, but low enough so that you can easily see your LED TV without any issues.
Now that you have all the necessary tools and materials, let’s move on to the fun part – mounting that brand-new TV onto your brick fireplace.
How to Wall Mount Your TV Over a Brick Fireplace
With your tools and materials on hand, we can begin running through these quick and easy steps to mount your TV into the brick wall of your fireplace. The steps are as follows:
Step 1: Mark the area with chalk and then check to see that the marks are level.
Before drilling or mounting anything, you’ll want to measure and chalk the area first to ensure the spots you’re drilling are even and spaced correctly over the fireplace. Use the TV mounting bracket’s premade holes as a reference when marking the area with chalk.
Step 2: After marking your drill spot with chalk, begin drilling over the chalk dots with your hammer drill and carbide hammer drill bit. You’ll want to go at a slow and even pace so that you avoid cracking or chipping the nearby brick. Always check your holes to ensure that they are still even before mounting the TV wall mount bracket.
Step 3: Mount the TV wall mount kit according to the kit’s directions.
Step 4: Mount the bracket onto the back of your TV. You’ll want to refer to the kit’s directions for proper mount installation.
Step 5: Mount the TV to the wall mount.
Step 6: Install coaxial and extensions cords to their respective spots on the TV.
Step 7: Use the wiremold cord management kit to hide the cords and cables. You’ll want to keep the cords as far away from the fire pit as possible.
Step 8: Do any final touch-ups to ensure the cords are seamlessly hidden and then check to make sure the TV is working properly.
Step 9: Enjoy your newly mounted flatscreen TV!If you’re unsure about damaging your fireplace’s brick wall, then you can always hire a professional to install the wall mount TV kit. But if you’ve completed these steps with satisfactory results, we can move on to the next part – covering up the cords, wires, cables, and more.
Final Thoughts
Mounting your flat screen TV over a brick fireplace is a lot easier than it sounds. So long as you take the proper fire safety precautions and get a strong wall mount TV kit, your DIY installation will be easy. We hope this quick how-to guide helps you install your flatscreen TV with ease.
