The best TV wall mounts of 2023: Secure your TV

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The best TV wall mounts of 2023: Secure your TV | ZDNET

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Using a TV wall mount is a great option for rooms that are short on space for dedicated stands or tables. By wall mounting your TV, you free up floor space for other, more practical furniture as well as room to move around. The best TV wall mounts give you an excellent range of motion for pinpoint adjustments to get the best viewing angles. They also support a wide range of VESA mounting patterns and a high weight limit for larger screens.

Also: The best TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, and TCL compared

To help you find the best TV wall mount for your needs, I've researched the top-rated picks from a variety of retailers, comparing specs like weight limits, screen size limitations, and mounting options. After careful consideration, I've chosen the Vivo electric ceiling mount as the best overall TV wall mount thanks to its high weight limit, support for large screen sizes, and wide range of motion. You can keep reading below to find out more about the Vivo electric ceiling mount as well as my picks for the best budget TV mount and the best heavy duty TV mount.

Vivo electric ceiling mount specs: Weight limit: 110 pounds | Size limit: 40 - 85 inches | Motion: Articulating | Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor | Dimensions: 22.8 x 19.7 x 4.4-30 inches (4.4-inch profile when folded) | VESA compatibility: 200x100, 200x200, 200x400, 300x200, 300x300, 400x200, 400x300, 400x400, 600x400, 800x400

This motorized TV mount from Vivo is an almost-perfect solution for finding the right spot for your TV. It mounts to your ceiling joists, which frees up wall and floor space and gives you plenty of placement options; which is great for smaller spaces like bedrooms or apartments.

The dual electric motor flips your TV up and out of the way when not in use, helping protect your TV and the mount from damage and to give your space a cleaner look. It's compatible with a wide variety of VESA mounting configurations, and can accommodate TVs up to 85-inches and up to 110 pounds. It even comes with a remote control for easy positioning, and to create default positions you can quickly set up with the push of a button.

The USX Mount XMM006-1 proves that you don't have to spend a fortune to get a solid, reliable wall mount for your TV. It fits screens up to 55-inches and up to 60 pounds, making it great for bedroom or playroom TVs and even computer monitors. The single-stud wall plate gives you more placement options, including in corners, while the articulating swivel arm gives you more freedom to position your screen. The arm also lets you extend, retract, tilt, and swivel your TV or computer monitor to reduce glare and get the perfect viewing angle.

If you're looking to wall-mount a smaller TV in your bedroom or kids' playroom, or you want to wall-mount a computer monitor, the PISF1 from Pipishell is a great option. It fits screens up to 42 inches and can hold up to 44 pounds, giving you peace of mind that your TV or monitor will stay exactly where you put it. The single-stud wall plate lets you mount your screen just about anywhere, including in corners, while the full-motion articulating arm lets you extend, retract, tilt, swivel, and swing your screen for the perfect placement. It's also exceptionally affordable, retailing for about $20.

Wall-mounting a large, heavy TV can be a daunting task. Thankfully, the Sanus VLF728-S2 wall mount is designed from the ground-up to accommodate big-screen TVs. You can use it with screens up to 90 inches in size, and it can hold up to 125 pounds. You can install it on either a drywall-and-stud or concrete/brick/stone surface, which is great news for anyone who lives in an older home with odd architectural elements. The articulating arm features a full range of motion so you can precision-place your screen for the best viewing angle in just about any room.

You can even do post-installation leveling adjustments, which means that if you notice your TV starting to lean askew you can fix it without having to take the whole mounting system apart or remove the mount from the wall. The bracket also has integrated cable management channels, which will help keep your power and HDMI cords from getting tangled, twisted, or damaged as you adjust your TV or connect new playback devices.

If you're looking for a full-motion TV wall mount, the Echogear EGLF2 is a great choice. This mount can handle TVs with up to 90-inch screens and weighing up to 125 pounds. The articulating arm extends out 22 inches from the wall and collapses down to 2.36 inches for an almost-flush TV mount. It also gives you up to 15-degrees of tilt and 130-degrees of swivel for precision screen placement.

You can mount the back plate on drywall, bare studs, block, or poured concrete, making it great for basement rec-rooms as well as bedrooms and living rooms. Echogear also designed the EGLF2 to have a 30-minute installation, which means you can spend more time actually enjoying your TV and less time struggling with confusing instructions. And if you're looking to make your home a bit more eco-friendly, Echogear has teamed up with The Carbon Offset Company to plant a tree for every TV mount sold.

My pick for the best TV wall mount is the Vivo motorized ceiling mount. Not only can it support TVs up to 85 inches and 110 pounds, it has an electric motor that lets you flip the TV up out of the way when not in use. This is great for freeing up wall and floor space in smaller rooms.

First, consider your TV's size, keeping in mind that TV's are classified by diagonal screen length.

I'd then consider your room's function and overall atmosphere. For example, sunny rooms might benefit from a tilting TV mount to avoid reflective spots, versus an articulating TV wall mount might be a better option for sitting area with multiple viewing "zones."

And if budget and instillation ease are a concern, flat-mount brackets tend to be the simplest and cheapest options. See the table below for the model-specific details.

Buy this best TV wall mount...

A TV mount that can handle a variety of screen sizes and has a high weight limit. The motorized build lets you flip your TV out of the way when not in use.

A TV mount that is budget-friendly. The single-stud wall plate gives you plenty of placement options for your TV or computer monitor.

A TV mount for smaller screen models. It can support up to a 42-inch TV with either a flat or curved screen.

A TV mount built to withstand heavy loads and support large screens. It can handle up to a 90-inch TV, and provides a nearly-flush, 2.15-inch wall mount.

A full-motion TV wall mount. This mount lets you extend, tilt, and swivel your TV for the perfect placement.

To narrow the broad list of available mounts, we performed a comprehensive search based on the following criteria:

With the right tools and a little patience, it can be perfectly safe to install a wall mount for your TV by yourself.

If you have typical drywall-and-stud walls, you'll need a stud finder , leveling tool, drill with bits and drivers, a hammer, pencil/marker, and a helper.

Use the stud finder to see where the 2x4 posts are which support your walls, and mark their location with a pencil or marker. This is vitally important because not anchoring your TV mount properly can not only damage your wall and TV, it could also cause some serious harm if anyone is in the way.

In most modern homes, studs are usually either 16 or 24 inches apart, whereas custom-built or historic homes that aren't bound by standardized codes could be anywhere from 12 to 24 inches apart.

Once you have the studs located and marked, you'll drill pilot holes for the bolts included with your mounting kit. Then, make sure the wall plate is level, attach to the TV, and mount.

If you have brick, stone, or other masonry walls, the process is similar to mounting on drywall, but you'll need an impact driver with special masonry bits and bolt anchors to fit into the pilot holes. Without these anchors, the bolts can't quite "grip" the stone and safely bear any weight.

And without a proper impact drill and specialized masonry bits, you could be drilling the same hole in your wall for a week (and burn up your drill and annoy your whole family in the process).

Yes. Not only does it make the process simpler, but using a stud finder can also prevent injury and unnecessary damage to avoid drilling into discrete wall electrical conduits or plumbing.

Most people decide to hang their TV on the wall to achieve a sleek look. However, the TV's power cable and the cords attached can ruin the look. You could call in an electrician to install in-wall cable management or an electrical outlet directly behind the TV, so the cables don't show.

Or, you can order wall cable covers or concealers . Many concealers are even paintable for a seamless look.

VESA is the industry-standard way of measuring the distance between your TV's mounting holes to determine what type of TV wall mounting bracket will work. VESA size is measured in millimeters. To find a TV's VESA size, use a metric ruler or tape measure to measure the distance between the four holes on the back of the TV that create a box shape. The VESA dimension could be 600mm x 400mm, which means 600mm between the left and right holes and 400mm between the top and bottom holes.

In most cases, you won't need to worry about measuring. Many of the best TV wall mounts are universal and come with the hardware you need to install TVs in the most common VESA sizes.

We provided a wide range of options based on the mount type, pricing, and monitor shape. That said, if these don't work for your needs, here are a few other options to look into:

This TV mount secures to your ceiling joists rather than wall studs. This gives you more options for placement, which is great for apartments or rooms without a lot of wall real estate. It's also great for mounting outdoor TVs on your deck or patio.

This mount features a wider wall plate for better stability over uneven brick or stone facades. And since it has a single-stud style mount design, that makes it great for putting in corners to free up wall space in smaller rooms.

Universal Keychain Garage Door Opener This TV mount is designed specifically for use in campers and RVs. The swivel arm has locking gear teeth to keep your TV firmly and safely in position after adjustments. And with two wall plates, you can easily move your small-screen TV in and out of your camper or RV for the best viewing experience.

The best TV wall mounts of 2023: Secure your TV | ZDNET