Is it Better to Wall Mount a TV or Put it on a Stand

You just bought a new TV and now you wonder whether to wall mount it or place it on a table or shelf.

Both options have their merits and demerits. 

Let’s know more in this article.

Wall mounting a TV looks aesthetically pleasing, reduces clutter, saves room space, and is safe for kids and pets while a TV stand is easy to set up, easy to shift, cheaper, takes room space, and not very safe for small kids. 

How easy to use and convenient is stand mount 

TV on a TV stand

Using a stand for placing your TV is easy. Just Place the TV on the stand and you are done.

No hard work at all.

Stand mounting your TV is very convenient.

You can use many things as a TV stand – bookshelves, drawers, dressers, chests. Even a study table can also be used.

However, it is recommended to use a sturdy stand for TV which cannot easily tip over.

Accessing the ports on the sides or backside of the TV is easy with a stand mount. You can easily shift the stand in case ports are inaccessible.

With a TV stand, you get extra space.

A TV stand can have shelves for placing other equipment like a set-top box, gaming consoles, and soundbar. 

You can also place your books or other belongings on the shelf.

This is handy.

Room Space

wall mounted TV

A Wall-mount does not take your room space but if you want to place your TV on a stand then you will need to buy a TV stand that consumes room space.

With a bigger screen size, using a TV stand is a big problem as you will also need a bigger and wider stand which will take up more room space. 

But with wall mounting, there is no issue with room space as long as the wall is large enough for a big TV.

If you follow minimalism and don’t want clutter in your room then avoid a stand. 

Types of TV mount

types of TV mount

Before you can go to the next section, you must know the different types of mounts used for wall mounting.

1. Fixed or Flat Mount – This is the most common and basic type of wall mount.

It features a simplistic design, is affordable, and easy to install.

The TV is fixed to the wall and cannot move or tilt.

2. Tilting Mount – Similar to flat-mount but allows tilting of the TV by some degrees. 

You can tilt the TV screen up or down for a better viewing experience. 

In case you decide to mount the TV high on the wall then It can be tilted down to make its screen towards you.

3. Full motion or Articulating Mount – Complex design, high on price, and gives full control over the motion of your TV.

You can either rotate it horizontally or vertically.

The TV can also be pushed towards or pulled away from the wall mount.

This is the best option for large rooms or when you have multiple watching spots.

Viewing Experience

Wall-mounted TV especially with the full-motion mount ensures to give you the best viewing experience. 

Suppose your TV is just wall mounted outside the kitchen. And now you go to the kitchen to try a new recipe you watched on youtube. 

Just play the youtube video on the TV and rotate the TV horizontally towards the kitchen. 

Now you can follow the tutorial from the kitchen itself.

However, this is limited to the full motion wall mount and not possible with a fixed or tilting wall mount.

Or in case you enjoy the TV sitting down on the ground.

With the tilting or full-motion mount, you can tilt the TV screen down towards you.

This all is not possible when you use a TV stand.

TV stand can tip-over along with the TV

There is a possibility that your TV may fall over from the TV stand, this is not possible in the case of wall-mounted TV.

This can damage or break your TV screen making it unusable.

Let’s see what are the cases in which your TV can fall over.

Case1: You have playful kids at your home 

child clinging to the TV self
Source

They like to run hither and thither. Their nature makes them investigate and play with different devices at your home. 

Due to a kid’s innocent nature, he may try to do something which will make the TV along with the entire TV stand to fall over. 

This is not a 100% possibility but it can happen. 

Have a look at this report which states that more than 340 people were killed in the US by a TV tipping over.

Of all the casualties, 72 percent were children.

I have not mentioned this report for instilling fear in you but to enlighten you with what is possible.

Case2: Your area was hit by an earthquake 

Due to violent shaking, the TV stand + TV fall over making the TV completely defective. 

If it was a wall-mounted TV then it would come unharmed through it.

However, if the magnitude of an earthquake is too high such that the entire home falls like a pack of cards then what can we say about the TV. 

Case 3: You have dogs or cats at home

They have a playful nature and like to play with everything. A dog can easily make your TV + TV stand fall over. 

Check this video where a dog easily made the LED TV to tip-over

Now you may say your dog can even damage the wall-mounted TV. 

Hmm.

Use a tilting or full-motion wall mount and mount your TV higher so that it becomes difficult for your dog to reach.

All these 3 cases are true when your TV stand has the possibility of tipping over or is not fixed

If your TV stand is fixed then there is no chance of your TV stand falling over. 

Note that a fixed stand cannot tip over but there is still the possibility of your TV to fall over due to some mischief.

But also with a fixed stand, the chances of your TV from falling over are very low.

What If You have several components for the TV

In case you have several components like a set-top box, Blu-ray player, gaming console, soundbar, etc. These need to be near the TV for use and so need space.

Then whatever be your setup – a TV stand or wall mount, you will require a shelf under the TV for placing these components.

A bookshelf is pretty neat for this. 

To reduce the wire clutter you can drill a big hole on the backside of the shelf. All the wires which need to be connected to the TV can go through this hole at once.

Wrapping UP

If you have made your mind to place the TV on a stand then do note these few things

  • Avoid dressers, chests, drawers as TV stands: Small kids may climb the drawers and try to open them, possibly causing it to topple over.
  • Use a fixed stand or fixed furniture.

If you have made your mind to wall mount the TV

  • Then do choose the appropriate type of wall mount. Not all will be the same. 
  • Double-check the screen size it is compatible with and the load it can handle
  • Measure the horizontal and vertical distance between the holes of your TV’s backside. Use this distance to check wall mount options.
  • Whatever way you want to wall-mount your TV, the screen must be in alignment with your head otherwise its colors will appear awkward.

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