Hope this is the correct forum to ask this. We just moved into our new home and want to mount our Samsung LN52A750 over the fireplace. My wall mount will allow me to hit two studs so I can only get 4 screws into studs, is this enough to hold , do I have to reinforce the wall or can I use toggle bolts ???

any advise is appreciated

thanks

If you get screws into two different studs then that would be very solid. Your TV would have to be extremely heavy for "only" two studs to be a problem, and most LCD TVs are not very heavy at all.

Greetings

Knock on wood ... I have my Sharp 52" LCD on a wall on two studs ... 4 bolts ... no issues. The set weighs about 65 lb. The bracket itself is about 30 lb by itself or more.

Make sure the tv tilts downward ... or you will run in to viewing angle issues.

Viewing angles not a strong point of the Samsung ... at that age ... or even now.

regards

Thanks for the reply guys,
the TV is about 100lbs and the mount is about 50 lbs......

By "screws" I hope you're referring to large lag bolts, right?

Jase88, I have not bought yet, what size lag bolt do you recommend? thanks

You might want to put something up there (even a picture) and sit where you'd sit to watch TV and look at your picture for an extended period of time (half an hour or an hour, not joking) and make sure that you'd be comfortable with a television being there. In my experience, most of these fireplace-mounted televisions are mounted too high to be comfortable for extended viewing. Your neck might not like it.

Before you commit, make sure you want the TV there.

I would predrill a smaller diameter hole into the studs. (prevent cracking) Perhaps use screws that go into the stud at least 2.5 in.. Remember the 150 is not pulling directly down on screw threads. Snug up very tight to the wall.

As mentioned above, there are several previous threads discussing this topic. Do a search for "fireplace neck" and you should be able to find those threads easily. Also, make sure you heed the warnings in post 7 as TVs over fireplaces can be a real pain in the neck unless you do your homework.

If you have a Costco membership, consider a Wall Wizard® Motorized Tilt Mount (for 40- to 60-in. Flat-panel TVs).

I have two of them and love them. I use one on my above the fireplace TV. You can operate it by remote control, or use the optical out on your TV and plug into into the mount's motor. When activated, it automatically tilts the TV down.

With the optical out, it's fully automated. You can customize the viewing angle as well. My TV is about 7 feet off the floor, and I've never had an issue with discomfort watching it when it's titled.

Also, the room looks better when the TV is off and not tilted.

You might want to put something up there (even a picture) and sit where you'd sit to watch TV and look at your picture for an extended period of time (half an hour or an hour, not joking) and make sure that you'd be comfortable with a television being there. In my experience, most of these fireplace-mounted televisions are mounted too high to be comfortable for extended viewing. Your neck might not like it.

Before you commit, make sure you want the TV there.
+1....For me above a fireplace is too high. If you are a casual TV viewer, want it for style and don't watch much TV, it may be ok. If you watch for extended periods of time, it can be a strain. Personally I don't even like wall mounts..only like to have the TV at eye level.

I think the issue of whether a TV is above the fireplace is a good choice is simply a matter of taste. I've been in many movie theatres where the screen is pretty high compared to the seats which could make you have to look up. Then, when you sit back in the chair, it reclines slightly. The end result is a very enjoyable and comfortable experience.

Sure, there are details like how high the fireplace mantle is or how far away from the TV would the viewer be, and what kind of furniture you have which would affect the end result. Personally I think the TV-over-the-fireplace thing looks great, and if done right it can be very comfortable to watch. And, like anything, if you do it wrong it can be sub-optimal.

I think we've answered the OPs original question: if your mount can "bite" into two different studs, it can hold a lot of weight. Far more than any TV would weigh.

We installed our Samsung 55" LED over our fireplace (hitting 2 studs no problem) and love it there. We are easily far enough back that the height is not a problem at all. We had two little glitches you may want to consider:

1) Not sure about your Sammy set but our UN55 was not VESA standard compliant. They tell you to buy the "official" Samsung bracket. But we bought a bracket at Costco anyways and after searching around were finally able to find the correct (long metric) bolts to fit the TV for $1.50.

2) If you can find a bracket that has the micro adjusts that would be helpful. For my install I was a millimeter or two off in terms of the screws going into the studs and the problem multiplies when you hang the larger TV on the stand. As a result one side of our TV is 1cm lower than the other, and when you mount your TV up high (ie - over the fireplace) having it run parallel to the ceiling is pretty critical otherwise it looks "off". 1cm I can live with but anything more I would have done a re-do.

1cm I can live with but anything more I would have done a re-do.
Seeing the TV hanging at an angle, even if slight, would drive me nuts. It would only take a few extra minutes to take off the mount and drill out the mounting holes on the bracket slightly to allow a few mm play. Remount it to the wall with a level, snug up the lag bolts with washers and then rehang the TV.

But that's just me .... :)

I got a 54 inch plasma hanging over a fireplace. We sit about 17 feet back from it and the viewing angle is not an issue at all. Plasma is the better option of TV for high mounting simply because the viewing angles blow any LCD away. Tilting any flat panel TV downward in my opinion aesthetically looks terrible.

I have 2 plasmas mounted in my house. One 54 inch and the other is 58 inch. They are both hanging off 2 studs (2 x 3 inch lag bolts in each stud) Both havent moved in almost two years. The one over the fireplace in a full motion mount.

Just hit the studs dead center and pre-drill and you should be fine.

I hung my plasma over the fireplace and true, not the ideal place for a tv but in this room it was the only choice. I havent found it to be too bad and because of the weight of this tv when I was ripping the wall apart to run cables, etc., I did add 2 studs for my own peace of mind.