Wall mounting looks like the obvious upgrade. The set floats, the stand disappears, the room feels tidier.
It is also permanent in a way a stand is not, and there are a handful of things worth settling before the first hole goes in the wall.
Start with the wall itself
This is the check that decides whether the job is straightforward or not, and it gets skipped constantly.
A solid masonry wall, meaning brick or block, will take the weight of any domestic television with appropriate fixings. This is the easy case.
A stud partition, meaning plasterboard over a timber or metal frame, will not hold a television on the plasterboard alone. The bracket has to be fixed into the studs behind it, which means finding them and accepting that their spacing determines where the set can go. Plasterboard fixings rated for shelves are not adequate for a television.
Dot and dab walls, where plasterboard is stuck to masonry with a cavity behind, need fixings long enough to reach through into the masonry rather than gripping the board.
A stud detector costs very little and answers most of this in a minute. If the wall construction is uncertain, that is the point to get someone in rather than to start drilling.
VESA, and why it matters
VESA is the standard governing the spacing of the mounting holes on the back of a television.
It is expressed as two numbers in millimetres, such as 200 by 200 or 400 by 400, being the horizontal and vertical distance between the holes. The bracket has to match, or be adjustable to cover it.
Check it in the manual or measure it directly between the hole centres. Buying a bracket on screen size alone is how people end up with something that does not line up.
Also check the screw type and length. Most sets come with the right screws, and using screws that are too long can damage the back of the set.
Weight and bracket rating
Every bracket carries a maximum weight, and it should exceed the weight of the set with a margin rather than matching it.
The set's weight without its stand is the figure to use, and it appears in the specification. It is usually less than people expect for a modern panel, though larger screens add up.
Fixed, tilting or full motion
Three broad bracket types, and the choice affects both cost and how far the set sits from the wall.
Fixed brackets hold the set flat against the wall, closest to the surface, with no adjustment. Best looking, least flexible, and they make reaching the connections behind the set awkward.
Tilting brackets allow the screen to angle downwards, which is worth having if the set is mounted above eye level.
Full motion brackets extend and swivel. Useful in a room where seating is off to one side or where the set needs to be viewed from a kitchen and a sofa. They sit further from the wall when folded and cost more.
Height, and the mistake people regret
Televisions get mounted too high more often than any other error.
The comfortable position puts the centre of the screen at roughly eye level when seated. That is lower than instinct suggests, and considerably lower than above a fireplace.
Mounting above a mantelpiece is common and generally uncomfortable to watch for any length of time, because it forces the head back. If it has to go there, a tilting bracket helps and a lower position helps more.
Marking the intended position on the wall with tape and living with it for a day is a free way to avoid getting this wrong.
Cables and power
Worth planning before the set goes up rather than afterwards.
A socket behind the television, positioned so the plug does not foul the bracket, is the tidy solution. Where that is not possible, trunking or a cable management channel keeps things reasonably neat.
Think about what else is connecting. A soundbar, a streaming device, a games console. Each needs a cable reaching the set, and a full motion bracket needs enough slack to extend without pulling anything tight. There is more on connections in the note on TV and Bluetooth.
Running mains cable inside a wall is electrical work and needs doing properly rather than improvised.
When the stand is the better answer
Wall mounting is not automatically the right choice.
In a rented property, drilling may not be permitted and making good afterwards falls to you.
On a stud wall where the studs do not fall where you want the set, the compromise position may be worse than a stand.
Where the set may move rooms, or where the room layout is not settled, a stand keeps options open.
And in a caravan, motorhome or boat, mounting is a different exercise entirely with its own bracket types designed for movement. The campervan and motorhome guide covers that.
Before you drill
Confirm the wall construction. Check the VESA size. Check the bracket weight rating. Mark the height and live with it for a day. Plan the cables.
That sequence takes an evening and prevents the version of this job that involves filling holes.
You can check VESA and weight details against each model at Cello Electronics.