TV wall mount problem

rammstein · 08-18-2007, 07:47 PM

Nothing in my life is simple. Ever.

Problem- I used a stud-finder to locate the studs, and got everything all measured up. I drilled the first hole and 'whoops', no stud. Instead of a wooden stud, I found a relatively thin metal backing along the drywall there. I can only assume that this is what a metal stud is.

I am not about to find out the hard way that the bolts provided won't work there. Any ideas on what to use to securely anchor this?

DATA: TV is a Sharp 42' LCD, weight is 66lbs. Plan is to use 4 bolts.

nota · 08-18-2007, 07:55 PM

toggles should hold fine in a metal ''stud''

rammstein · 08-18-2007, 08:03 PM

I am starting to read that. There's also this stuff:

http://www.peerlessmounts.com/dyn/Products/BrowseProduct.aspx/productId/149304/categoryID/194

I don't quite understand how spanning the 2 studs with this, and then spanning it with the wallmount is any stronger than just spanning it with the wall mount...

More reading for me I guess.

Don Plumley · Don Plumley's Garage

I thought that use of metal studs in residential construction was extremely rare. Are you by chance on top of a fireplace?

Don Plumley · Don Plumley's Garage

I'm not an engineer and I don't play one on TV. Here's my guess: The plate is a flat surface so it effectively distributes a shear load on the wall surface. Unless your mount has a big flat plate, it's a different load bearing effect.

Jeff Alton · 08-18-2007, 10:12 PM

66lbs? For a LCD? or and LCD projection TV? Seems heavy.

I think the toggle will work fine.

Are you in a concrete tower?

Cheers

island911 · 08-18-2007, 10:31 PM

66lbs For a LCD Seems about right.
w/o knowing the arm length and anchor spacing its tough to know if the wall hangers are enough.

rammstein · 08-18-2007, 10:43 PM

I live in a residential skyrise. I guess its pretty common in this building type.

As for the weight, I am going by the manual that came with the tv. It feels about right.

rammstein · 08-18-2007, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by island911

66lbs For a LCD Seems about right.
w/o knowing the arm length and anchor spacing its tough to know if the wall hangers are enough.

I will measure this tomorrow.

island911 · 08-18-2007, 11:07 PM

..for example, my LCD arm is 21'' at full extension. The top screw is 7" up from the bottom. This means there is a 'pry bar' factor of 3x. (21/7=3) So, that 66lbs of LCD becomes ~200lbs (198) of force, trying to pull the anchor out of the wall. (more, when handled)
Most anchors would likely hold with the wall stud, but, will it hold w/o warping the stud, and cracking the wall board? Do the math, and check the anchor spec's.

dewolf · 08-18-2007, 11:37 PM

My business fits hi-end audio/visual equipment. The easiest solution is to purchase the factory wall brackets and then make up some flat stainless steel plate as long as the tv. We generally use 30mm x 8mm. Drill some elongated holes at both ends where you are certain there are studs and tap some holes where the tv mount will fit on the flat plate. Fix the factory wall bracket to the flat plate and screw the flat plate to the wall. You will be able to slide the flat plate sideways because of the elongated holes. If you want a diagram, pm me.

Cheers
Scott

89911 · 08-19-2007, 04:36 PM

First off, are you sure it not a heat duct, right? My office is built completely out of metal studs and drywall and I have had to hang several heavy items such as TV brackets to hold full size CRT Televisions. There is a trick to it that others have mentioned. Find the exact center of the stud and drill a starter hole to confirm this. Next drill a larger hole and then use the largest toggle bolt you can fit into the hold and side of the stud. Generally this is an 1/2". Next get all the holes drilled and bolt through the stand and toggles attached. Here is helps to have an extra set of hands to position and hold. Use the maximum number of toggles that you can use also. Get a few started and holding the stand before tightening the rest. You may need to pull on some with a screwdriver as you tighten with a drill (make sure you have a cordless gun) to keep the toggle from spinning. If done right, the toggle is on the other side of the metal stud and allows you to put a great deal of torque on the bolts to clamp down. The weight you are hanging is not that heavy that this shouldn't work.

rammstein · 08-19-2007, 06:06 PM

Thank you all for your input.

I can say with certainly that its not an air duct. The air ducts are on the other side, and these are like ~3 inches in width every 24 inch span.

The only thing that perplexes me is this: how can a piece of 24 gauge metal that is flimsy enough to puncture with a regular old drill bit be strong enough to hold up the drywall?

There's a company that sells mounts, along with an adapted plate to do all that shear-force physics stuff to it, along with the toggles needed. The company is called peerless, and I linked to them a few posts up.

Anyhow, I plan to call them in the morning tomorrow to confirm the correct items and to order it up.

The whole point of all of this is to get my tv up and away from any area where the forthcoming dog could attempt to chase squirrels through it. I am going to put it up and have a shelf of sorts in front of the wall as a buffer.

TerryBPP · 08-20-2007, 04:02 AM

I used toggle "butterfly" bolts to mount my 50" plasma to metal studs. Never had an issue.

gr8fl4porsche · gr8fl4porsche's Garage

Steel studs are very flimsy as you noted. It is actually the drywall, which once installed, makes the walls sturdy.

Peerless makes nice products - I have one of their mounts holding up my 46"LCD which is about 75lbs. I bought it from an internet supplier for about 40% of retail.