Mount a full-motion TV bracket on a lath and plaster wall — HomeGraft

Mount a full-motion TV bracket safely, finding solid timber, checking for cables and pipes, before drilling into your wall.

TV-01Check the bracket, TV and wall will work togetherMatch the bracket's VESA hole pattern to the back of your TV and check the bracket's weight rating comfortably exceeds the TV's weight. Measure how far the arm extends and swivels, and check nothing nearby (a window reveal, a door, a shelf) will stop it moving fully. Note the height you want the screen centre at before you start.

1 each · Full-motion TV bracket

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1 each · Tape measure

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TV-02Clear the area and get your tools readyMove furniture away from the wall and lay a dust sheet underneath — old plaster makes fine, messy dust when drilled. Get all your tools and fixings within reach before you start, since lath and plaster doesn't like being left with half-driven screws in it.

1 each · Dust sheet

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1 each · Cordless drill/driver

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TV-03Find the timber studs behind the lath and plasterBehind the plaster and thin wooden laths are vertical timber studs, usually spaced 400-450mm apart — closer together than the 600mm you'd find in a modern stud wall. Run a stud detector or a strong magnet across the wall to pick up the nails or screws holding the laths, and tap to feel for the firmer sound over a stud versus the hollow sound between them. Drill a small 3mm test hole at your mark: solid timber dust means you've found a stud; crumbly plaster dust with nothing behind means you've missed. Mark at least two, ideally three, stud centres across the width of the bracket.

1 each · Stud detector

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1 each · Strong magnet

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1 each · 3mm drill bit

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TV-04Do your safety checks before any drillingCables and pipes can run almost anywhere in a wall, not just in the 'safe zones' — a detector helps, but deep cables, metal conduit, or old wiring can still be missed. Before you drill, find your stopcock (usually under the kitchen sink) and check it turns freely, so you can shut the water off fast if you hit a pipe. If you have any doubt at all, isolate the relevant circuit at the consumer unit before drilling, and don't drill or cut into anything that could carry water without turning the stopcock off first.

TV-05Mark and level the bracket positionHold the bracket's baseplate against the wall at your chosen height and check it's level with a spirit level. Mark through the fixing holes onto the wall, lining them up with the stud centres you found in Step 3 wherever possible. Double-check the marks are level and evenly spaced before you drill anything.

1 each · Spirit level

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1 each · Pencil

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TV-06Fit a plywood pattress if the studs don't line upLath and plaster studs rarely match a bracket's baseplate exactly, since spacing varies from house to house. If your fixing holes don't all land on solid stud, screw an 18mm plywood pattress board across at least two or three studs first, using 75mm wood screws driven into the stud centres. Mount the bracket onto the ply afterwards — this spreads the pulling force from the arm across more timber instead of relying on one or two screws.

1 each · 18mm plywood pattress board (approx. 600x400mm)

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8 each · Wood screws, 75mm

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TV-07Drill and fix into the timber studDrill a pilot hole through the plaster and lath into the centre of the stud — a 3mm pilot is usually enough to guide a coach screw or bracket bolt. Choose a fixing long enough to pass through the plaster and lath (allow 20-30mm) and still bite at least 40mm into solid timber. Drive each screw centrally into the stud, not near its edge, or you risk splitting the lath and cracking the plaster around it.

6 each · Coach screws or bracket bolts, 80mm

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1 each · Wood drill bit, matched to screw

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TV-08Different wall? Change the fixing to matchSolid brick or block: drill to the depth of the plug with a masonry bit (commonly 8mm), insert a wall plug, then drive the screw home. Plasterboard on timber studs: skip the plug and drive a wood screw straight into the stud centre. Plasterboard on metal studs: never use a plastic plug or a wood screw — a 0.5mm steel stud will strip through both. Use a self-drilling metal-stud fixing or a toggle-type hollow-wall anchor instead, and remember a metal stud will not hold anything that pulls away from the wall like this bracket's arm does — fit a timber noggin between the studs, or fix through to the masonry behind, before mounting. Dot-and-dab plasterboard: there's an air gap behind the board, so use fixings long enough to pass through the plasterboard and gap (often 30-50mm) and still bite into the solid masonry wall behind — a standard-length plug won't reach.

6 each · Red wall plugs (masonry)

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4 each · Metal-stud toggle fixings

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6 each · Long fixings for dot-and-dab, 60-80mm

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TV-09Hang the bracket and check it's solidFit the bracket's baseplate over your fixings and tighten every screw fully. Check it's level with a spirit level, then give the bracket a firm tug and try to rock it — it should not move or creak. Sort out any looseness now, before the TV goes on.

1 each · Spirit level

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TV-10Attach the TV and dress the cablesWith help if the TV is large, lift it onto the bracket's mounting plate and secure it using the VESA screws that came with the bracket. Route power and HDMI cables neatly using cable clips or slim trunking so they don't snag as the arm moves. Leave enough slack in the cables for the arm's full range of movement.

6 each · Cable clips

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1 each · Slim cable trunking

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TV-11Test the full range of movementSlowly extend, swivel and tilt the arm through its full range. Watch and listen at the wall for any cracking, flexing or movement at the fixings. If anything moves, stop, take the TV off, and add fixings or a bigger pattress before using it again.

TV-12Tidy up and make goodVacuum up plaster dust from the floor and skirting, and fold away the dust sheet. Fill any test holes or small cracks in the old plaster with fine filler, let it dry, then lightly sand smooth. Wipe down the wall and bracket before standing back to check your work.

1 tub · Fine surface filler

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1 sheet · Sandpaper, fine grit

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