How to Mount a TV on a Brick Wall

If you have ever mounted a TV on a typical wall (drywall on wood studs), you know it’s not that difficult. The most important things are making sure the screws are going into the studs, and that the mounting bracket is level.

But what do you do when you want to mount a TV on a brick wall? It’s basically the same concept, but you don’t have to worry about hitting the studs, and there is a little more drilling involved.

I recently mounted a TV on the brick chimney on our back porch. So I thought I would document the process and show you how I did it.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Hammer Drill
• Level
• 3/16″ Masonry Drill Bit
• Impact Driver
• 1/4″ Masonry Screws

Step 1: Determine the Placement

Unless you have a unique set up, you normally want to mount a TV in the center of the wall horizontally. I measure the width of my brick chimney to find the center point and made a mark. But what about the height? Here are the recommended heights you should mount a TV based on size:

TV Size	Height from floor to TV Center
42″	56″
55″	61″
65″	65″
70″	67″

Another thing to consider when mounting your TV is the location of the power outlet. I like to mount my TV so that the outlet is near the top of the TV. That way the TV can be tilted down some without the power plug interfering with the amount of tilt.

Step 2: Drill Holes

Now that you have determined exactly where you want to place the TV, it’s time to drill the holes. As mentioned above, this is where the process is different than mounting a TV on a standard framed plus drywall wall.

I held my mounting bracket in place and then used a pencil to mark on the brick where I wanted to drill the holes.

Since mortar is a little easier to drill than brick, I made sure to line my holes up with a horizontal mortar joint.

Using the horizontal mortar joint got me really close to level. But then I took a level and laid it across both marks to double-check. If they are off a little, simply adjust and make a new mark.

When you are drilling a hole in brick, you need to use a special masonry drill bit. For this project, I used a 3/16″ Tapcon bit.

Next, I used the hammer drill to drill my holes on each mark. You only need to drill as deep as the screws are long.

Step 3: Fasten with Screws

Once I had all four holes drilled, I held the mounting bracket in place against the brick. I added a washer to the first screw and drove it into the drilled hole.

Then I followed with the three remaining screws adding washers to each.

Step 4: Add the Brackets to the TV

This step is pretty straight forward. Using the supplied screws and washers, I added the two mounting brackets to the back of the TV. Be careful not to over tighten the screws. Doing so might damage the TV.

Step 5: Hang the TV

This is where you might need some help. Find someone to help you hold the TV while you connect the wires, or vice versa. Then both of you lift the TV up so that the mounting brackets hook over the top edge of the wall mount. Before turning lose of the TV, double check to make sure that the brackets are securely in place.