One of the first questions people ask when they book is how long it’ll take. As a rough guide, the usual TV installation time for a wall mount, setup and a run-through of how everything works is about two hours. That might sound like a while for putting a TV on a wall, so here’s where the time actually goes.
Typical TV Installation Time on the Northern Beaches
Across the Northern Beaches and North Shore, most of my jobs follow the same pattern:
- Talking through where the TV should sit on the wall
- Choosing the height with the people who’ll actually be watching it
- Fitting the bracket and mounting the TV
- Hiding the cables, either inside the wall or in conduit
- Connecting everything, setting it up and showing you how it all works
The drilling and mounting is the part most people picture, but it’s only one piece of the job. The bit that makes the biggest difference to how you’ll enjoy your TV happens before I pick up a drill.
Getting the Position Right: Centred or Purposefully Off-Centre
Before we talk height, we work out where the TV goes from left to right. Sometimes there’s a window, a cabinet or a piece of furniture to one side, and it changes what catches your eye when you walk into the room.
My rule is simple. The TV should either be dead centre or purposefully off-centre. When you look at it, you should think “that’s exactly where it’s meant to be,” not “that looks a bit odd.” A few centimetres can make the difference.
How We Choose the TV Height Together
This is where I spend real time with customers, and it’s the part most people don’t expect.
I put a strip of blue painter’s tape on the wall and get the customer to sit in their normal spot on the lounge. Then I start a tape measure down low and slowly raise it, and they tell me the heights they like. I mark those on the tape, and we go through it a couple of times to be sure.
If there are two people in the house, one sits on the lounge while the other helps me lift the tape measure slowly until the person sitting says stop. Then they swap and we do it again. Sometimes both people pick almost exactly the same height. Other times they’re quite different, and we find a compromise that works for both.
There is an average height most people land on. After thousands of wall mounts, I’ve got a pretty good idea of it. But I don’t mention it at the start, because I don’t want to sway anyone. It’s your lounge room, and it should be your height.
Once the height is chosen, I know exactly where the bracket needs to go. A lot of customers tell me afterwards they didn’t realise there was so much to choosing the height.
Why Every Lounge Room Is Different
There’s no single right height, and that’s why I don’t just pick one and get drilling. Everyone is different. Every TV size is different, and every lounge room is different. Some people sit close to the screen, others sit further back. Some lounges are low and deep, others sit higher.
The TV cabinet plays a big part too. Most cabinets are somewhere between 40 and 60cm tall, though some are higher, and the TV needs to sit comfortably above it. If you’re still choosing a screen, my guide on what size TV to buy is a good place to start. You can also see how this worked on a real job in my Castle Cove mounting height post.
What Can Change Your TV Installation Time
A few things can make the job quicker:
- Leaving the TV in its box, so I can lay it on the box to fit the bracket and measure it
- Clearing the area of toys, plants and photo frames
- Having your wifi password and streaming logins ready, plus a phone or tablet for the QR code sign-ins
There’s a full list in my checklist for before your installer arrives.
Other things can add a bit of time, such as connecting a soundbar or other gear, or working with a brick wall. I’ll give you an idea of what to expect when we talk about your job.
Book a TV Installation on the Northern Beaches or North Shore
I don’t just choose a height, put the TV up and leave. You get the complete service, from positioning and height through to cables, setup and a proper run-through before I go. That’s why so many of my customers call me back and refer their family and friends.
If you’d like the TV installation time spent getting it right rather than rushing, get in touch through the contact page or send a message and we’ll get it booked in.