A TV wall mount can be safe when the wall construction, TV weight, bracket type, fixing method and fixing positions have all been checked before drilling. Likely pipe and cable routes also need to be considered. Problems tend to happen when any of these steps are skipped, guessed at, or when the wrong bracket or fixings are used for the wall.
TV Mount Mate provides professional TV wall mounting across Greater London and selected areas of Essex and Kent, backed by more than 10 years of hands-on installation work. That experience includes correcting loose brackets, unsuitable fixings, badly positioned drilling holes and bracket choices that did not suit the wall. This article uses genuine examples from real jobs to show where TV installation errors happen and what should be checked before a TV goes on the wall.
5 Common TV Wall Mounting Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1: Using the wrong fixings or drilling the holes incorrectly
TV Mount Mate was called to a property in Bexley, DA8, after the owner noticed their 75-inch Sony Bravia leaning forward on its full-motion bracket. The customer had already removed the TV from the wall before the visit.
The inspection found that several fixing holes had been drilled too close together in the brick wall. The plastic wall plugs supplied in the bracket box had been used to hold it in place. The plastic plugs were loose in the drilled holes, and the bracket had started pulling away from the wall.
TV Mount Mate repaired the old holes and talked through the options with the customer. Having had one bracket fail, the customer no longer wanted a full-motion arm, so a flat bracket was fitted instead, using Fischer wall plugs suited to the brick wall.
TV Mount Mate normally discourages full-motion brackets for large TVs when the wall condition, fixing positions or bracket reach would create an unsuitable arrangement, whether that’s brick, plasterboard or something else. Each job is assessed on the TV weight, the bracket’s design and extension, the fixing positions available, and the condition of the wall.
Mistake 2: Buying the bracket before the wall has been checked
This is one of the most frequent mistakes TV Mount Mate sees, and it’s rarely the customer’s fault. Bracket packaging almost never mentions wall type. Someone buys a single-arm full-motion bracket for a 65-inch TV, then finds out the wall is hollow, single-layer plasterboard with the fixing points nowhere near a stud.
Once the wall, the bracket’s actual reach and the available fixing positions are checked together, that bracket sometimes turns out to be wrong for that wall. A full-motion arm puts a lot of leverage through a handful of plasterboard fixings once a large screen is on it, and a flat bracket fitted with metal toggles keeps that same load close to the wall instead. The point isn’t that full-motion brackets are bad. It’s that a bracket chosen for its features before the wall is checked is a guess, and guesses are how you end up needing a second bracket. For more on matching a bracket to a hollow wall.
see our guide to best TV brackets for plasterboard walls.
Mistake 3: Failing to identify the wall and check likely pipes, cables and studs
Before any drilling starts, TV Mount Mate goes through the same checks on every job:
- Check what the wall is made from (brick, block, plasterboard, dot and dab, or another material)
- Check for timber or metal studs where relevant
- Check likely electrical cable routes
- Check the general condition of the wall
- Check likely pipe routes
- Work out where the bracket fixing points will actually land
A Bosch detector is used, along with a strong magnet where metal studs or fixings behind plasterboard need to be checked. These tools reduce the risk, but they cannot promise that a wall has no hidden pipes or cables. If a likely pipe route sits where a fixing needs to go, TV Mount Mate stops and discusses a different position before any drilling continues.
Skipping these checks is one of the most common causes of TV mounting problems. It turns a wall that could be handled safely into a guessing game.
For a more detailed pre-installation checklist, see what to check before mounting a TV on any wall.
Mistake 4: Poor planning of the position, sockets and cables
A TV can be mounted securely and still be a poor result if the height, the sockets and the cable route were not thought through first.
On a job in Abbey Wood, a customer wanted a 65-inch LG NanoCell mounted very close to the ceiling on a brick wall. TV Mount Mate advised a position closer to normal seated eye level, which usually gives a more comfortable viewing height for daily use. The customer still chose the higher position. That was the customer’s decision, and the TV was mounted where they asked.
Cable management should be planned before the bracket is fitted. HDMI, Ethernet and aerial cable routes depend on the wall construction and available route. On brick walls, surface trunking is normally the practical option. A recessed power point may be suitable for some slim, close-to-wall televisions. Any new or altered mains wiring must meet the applicable electrical requirements and be completed by someone competent for that work.
Mistake 5: Assuming a leaning TV means the bracket needs replacing
TV Mount Mate was called to a property in Southgate, N14, where an 85-inch Samsung QLED had started leaning forward on a plasterboard wall. The bracket was visibly loose and pulling away from the wall, and the natural assumption was that the bracket itself had failed and would need replacing.
That wasn’t what had gone wrong. The plasterboard wasn’t cracked, and the bracket was fine. The actual problem was smaller and easy to miss: the plastic wall plugs from the bracket box had gone into holes drilled slightly too large for them, so they’d never really gripped and had gradually worked loose under the television’s weight. TV Mount Mate took the TV down, drilled fresh fixing positions, and refitted the exact same bracket with metal toggles suited to the wall. No new bracket needed.
That’s the part worth remembering: a leaning TV doesn’t automatically mean starting over with a different bracket. Sometimes the bracket was never the problem, and the wall connection was. The customer here noticed the lean early and got it checked before anything failed completely. Movement at the wall plate, loose fixings, separation from the wall or new cracking around the fixing points are all the same kind of early warning.
Does Mounting a TV Damage the Wall?
Drilling to fit a bracket does create fixing holes, and that is a normal part of any installation. More serious damage is usually linked to something else going wrong: unsuitable fixings, holes larger than they should be, repeated drilling into the same area, careless removal of an old bracket, or a bracket pulling away from the wall under load. Choosing the right fixings for the wall and drilling in the correct positions the first time reduces the chance of this kind of damage.
What Are the Warning Signs of a Failing TV Wall Mount?
- The TV leaning forward or to one side
- Movement at the wall plate when the TV is touched or adjusted
- Fixings that have become loose
- The bracket separating from the wall
- New cracking or damage around the fixing positions
If any of these appear, stop using the mount if it is safe to do so and get it checked before continuing to use it.
Get a Fixed TV Wall Mounting Quote
If you would like a quote for a professional TV wall mounting service, send us your postcode, TV size, wall type, a photo of the wall, and details of your bracket if you already have one. We provide a fixed quote before booking, take no deposit, and payment is due on completion. See our TV mounting prices, browse examples of recent work, or read more about our TV wall mounting service in London.
Read our verified TV wall mounting reviews.
About the Author
Written by: TV Mount Mate
This guide is based on TV Mount Mate’s own experience: more than 10 years of hands-on TV wall mounting and over 6,000 installations.
