How a mounting visit works
- Send the details. The TV’s size and model, or its weight and the VESA pattern from the manual, a photo of the wall, and what you want hidden. In a condo, add your building’s rules for contractors.
- Get a written quote. You get a flat-rate price for the mount, the wall and the cables before anything is drilled. Art, mirrors and shelves can go on the same quote.
- Clear it with the building. Tell the concierge when we are coming, and check whether your building allows drilling into concrete, so nobody is turned away at the desk.
- On the day. We confirm the height with you, find the studs or confirm the concrete, fix and level the wall plate, hang the TV and check that it tilts or swings as it should. Cables are tidied before we pack up.
What your wall is made of, and what holds a TV on it
The wall decides the hardware, so it is the first thing we ask about.
Concrete
Toronto condo towers are built around poured concrete columns, and many have concrete exterior walls and concrete walls between suites. A wall plate goes into concrete with a hammer drill, a masonry bit and anchors rated for the load. Concrete can also hide rebar and electrical conduit: if a bit hits steel, we stop and move the hole rather than force it. Some buildings restrict drilling into concrete at all, so check your rules or ask your property manager first.
Steel studs and drywall
Interior walls in most condos are drywall on light steel studs. Those studs are thin sheet metal, so the lag bolts that hold a mount in wood have little to bite into. On these walls we use toggle-style anchors rated for the TV and the mount, spread across the whole wall plate, or wood blocking where the builder put it in.
Wood studs
Houses in Toronto and the suburbs are mostly framed with wood studs, usually 16 inches (406 mm) apart. Lag bolts go into the centre of the studs. When the studs do not line up with where you want the screen, a wider plate or an articulating arm can shift the TV sideways.
Plaster and brick
Many older Toronto houses have plaster on wood lath, and some have plaster laid straight onto a brick outside wall. Plaster cracks if it is drilled carelessly, so holes are pre-drilled with care; on brick, anchors go into the brick itself rather than the mortar joints.
Hiding the cables
- Drywall walls: low-voltage cables (HDMI, network and speaker wire) rated for in-wall use can run behind the drywall between two recessed wall plates.
- Power: the TV’s power cord is a flexible cord, not permanent wiring, and it does not go inside the wall. Ontario’s Electrical Safety Authority says that ongoing power needs permanent wiring and outlets installed by a Licensed Electrical Contractor. If you want a plug hidden behind the screen, we coordinate a licensed contractor and add their price to your written quote.
- Concrete walls: there is no cavity to run cables through, so they go in a slim surface channel that can be painted the colour of the wall.
Condo rules in Toronto
Your building’s rules come from its governing documents, and the Condominium Authority of Ontario notes that they must be reasonable and consistent with the Condo Act. What we see most often:
- contractors sign in at the concierge or security desk;
- drilling and other noisy work is limited to set hours;
- large deliveries need the service elevator, booked by the resident.
We work inside those rules. Tell us about visitor parking or the loading area when you book; downtown, that often decides the start time.
Height and placement
A common starting point is the centre of the screen at seated eye level, roughly 105 cm (42 in) from the floor in a living room, then adjusted for your sofa and the room. Above a fireplace the screen ends up much higher, so a tilting mount helps the viewing angle. Before the drill comes out, check what sits behind the spot: outlets, switches and thermostat wires all limit where the plate can go.
What to have ready
- The TV’s model number, or its size, weight and VESA pattern: the spacing of the holes on the back, in millimetres, such as 300 x 300 or 400 x 400.
- The mount, if you bought one, with its box and all its hardware.
- A clear wall, with the furniture below it moved or emptied.
- Your building’s contractor rules, if you live in a condo.