TV wall mounting looks straightforward but there are several ways it can go wrong — from pulling out of the wall to leaving trailing cables across a freshly decorated room. This guide covers everything you need to know before booking a TV mounting job in Brighton, including what materials are needed and what affects the final price.
What you need to mount a TV on the wall
The TV bracket
There are three types of TV bracket:
- Fixed (flat) mount — TV sits flush to the wall, no movement. Cheapest option, cleanest look. Good if your seating position is directly in front of the TV.
- Tilt mount — TV can tilt down 10–15°, useful for high mounting positions (above a fireplace, for example). Most popular in Brighton living rooms.
- Full-motion (articulated) mount — TV swings out and rotates. Best for corner positions or L-shaped rooms. Heavier, more expensive, and requires a solid anchor.
Brackets are sized by VESA pattern (the spacing of the mounting holes on the back of the TV) and maximum weight. Always check your TV’s VESA pattern and weight before buying a bracket — it’s in the TV manual or on the manufacturer’s website. If you’re not sure, we can check and source the correct bracket.
Wall fixings
This is where TV mounting in Brighton gets specific. The fixing method depends entirely on your wall type:
- Solid brick or concrete (common in pre-war Brighton terraces) — requires a hammer drill and masonry anchors. Strong and permanent.
- Plasterboard stud wall (common in newer builds and converted flats) — must be fixed into the timber studs behind the plasterboard. We use a stud finder to locate them. A TV fixed into plasterboard alone will pull out.
- Lath and plaster (Victorian and Edwardian Brighton properties) — the trickiest. Laths are thin strips of wood behind a layer of lime plaster. Requires longer fixings and careful technique to avoid cracking the plaster.
We bring fixings for all three wall types and check before drilling.
Cable management
Mounting the TV is the easy part — hiding the cables is what separates a professional finish from a DIY job. Options:
- Cable trunking (surface route) — plastic channel fixed to the wall, painted to match. Fast and reversible. Best for solid walls where chasing is difficult.
- Chased into the wall — cables run inside the wall in a channel cut into the plaster. Invisible finish, no trunking. Only practical on solid brick walls; not suitable for lath-and-plaster without risk of damage.
- Behind the wall through a cavity — on stud walls, cables can be dropped down inside the wall cavity between two sockets (one behind the TV, one at skirting level). Clean finish on modern partition walls.
Important: mains power cables cannot legally run inside a wall without being in a conduit or following a defined safe zone (vertical or horizontal from a socket or switch). We use an in-wall power kit or surface trunking for the mains lead — never just chase it into the wall exposed.
TV wall mounting costs in Brighton
| Job | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Mount TV (bracket supplied by customer, solid wall) | £60–£90 |
| Mount TV + surface cable trunking | £80–£120 |
| Mount TV + in-wall cable drop (stud wall) | £100–£150 |
| Mount TV above fireplace with tilt bracket | £90–£130 |
| Full-motion bracket fitting (heavier, more complex) | £90–£140 |
| Source and supply bracket (if needed) | +£20–£50 |
Common questions about TV mounting in Brighton
Can you mount a TV above a fireplace?
Yes, but with caveats. Heat and smoke from a working open fireplace will damage TV electronics over time. If you use the fireplace regularly, a tilt bracket helps angle the screen down to a comfortable viewing height (above-fireplace mounting puts the screen too high without tilt). We can assess your specific fireplace and wall type.
Is my wall strong enough?
Almost certainly yes — even lath-and-plaster walls in Victorian Brighton terraces can hold a 65″ TV if the fixings are done correctly. The risk is always in how it’s fixed, not the wall itself. We’ve mounted TVs on every wall type in the city.
Do I need to buy anything beforehand?
Not necessarily. If you already have a bracket, great. If not, we can source the correct bracket for your TV and wall — just have your TV’s make and model ready when you book. We bring all fixings, a spirit level, drill, stud finder, and cable tidying materials.
See our TV wall mounting service page for more details, or WhatsApp us with your TV size and wall type for a quick quote. We cover all of Brighton and Hove with no call-out charge.