Welcome to our first comprehensive HOW TO on choosing the correct bracket for your TV or monitor.

We will attempt to show you the steps to selecting the correct bracket for your TV.

Having made the decision to hang your TV or monitor on the wall what is the first step to selecting the right bracket?

Measuring the mounting holes:
The easiest method is to simply measure the distance between the holes both vertically and horizontally on the back of the TV.

Take your tape measure and firstly measure the distance between the holes from top to bottom using roughly the centre of the hole. Repeat this process for the holes from left to right also.

Once you have these measurements (in our case they are 320mm high x 630mm wide) you can start to figure out which bracket you need.

Another method to determine the mounting hole dimensions is to have a look in the user manual for the TV. This information is not always available on the booklet.

Working out which one is right for you:
There are lots to things to consider when choosing a mount for your new TV.

What height should it be mounted at? Will I need the bracket to tilt? Should I make it swing away from the wall? Is it a permanent mount?

All of these questions will affect your choice of bracket and the amount of money you will need to spend.

Think about the use for the TV now and in the future. If it is in a kitchen it may be a good idea to get a swivel style so you can watch it whilst cooking and also from the dining room table. In the family room you may wish to mount the screen a bit higher than usual (to make it look more like a picture frame) and need to tilt the screen down a bit to achieve a better viewing angle.

It is also important to measure the outer dimensions of the bracket. For example if your TV is 800mm wide and the brackets is 880mm wide this would be unsuitable as you would see the bracket sticking out from beside the TV.

Tilting, swivelling, flat ... What does it all mean?
TILT – The ability to tilt a bracket does 2 things. It allows you to tilt the screen up and down to achieve a better angle from which to view the TV and also makes life really easy when plugging in new cables etc. TV's are mounted around 60-70mm from the wall.

SWIVEL – This gives you TV the ability to move left and right. The further the bracket comes away from the wall the more degrees of swivel are obtained. TV's are mounted the furthest from the wall around 100mm.

FIXED – This is generally a 2 piece bracket that is mounted in a fixed position from the wall. When choosing one of this style brackets you need to be aware of the minimum distances from the wall recommended by the manufacturer. TV's mounted in this way can be as little as 15mm from the wall.

Choosing the correct bracket for your TV:
The next step is to sort out from all the varied descriptions which ones will fit your TV.

There are a few standards that make life easy for you. VESA is the most common and comes in sizes like 100x100, 200 x 100 and 200x200. These are squares, or rectangles, of standard sizes that most smaller to medium sized LCD's use. If your TV has mounting holes that are 100x100 (ie 100mm square) you are in the best category for choice as there are many different styles to choose from.

As your TV gets bigger, so do the mounting hole spacings.

The range of brackets for larger TV's is not as broad but then neither are the applications that most people want to use them in. If the mounting holes for your TV are less than the sizes on our listings they will generally fit. ie our TV is 320mm x 630mm so a bracket that fits up to 580mm x 780mm will fit just fine!

The box says 15” to 30” and my TV is 32” is this OK?
Generally speaking ... it should be fine. The important things when selecting your bracket is the size of the mounting holes and the weight capacity.

The weight capacity:
Your TV's manufacturer has a weight rating for their panel. This is usually found in the back of the user manual or the back of the box in which the TV is contained. Every TV is different and there is no such thing as a standard weight.

When choosing a bracket from us, each one has its own rating for the recommended maximum weight. We generally recommend going for a bracket with a higher weight rating as this will ensure a sturdier fitment to the wall and a more secure mount on the TV

Choosing the right colour for your room:
Colour is an important part in most rooms and the correct colour bracket is important too. Realistically, with the bracket behind the TV you will not likely see it, however we do suggest that when you have a choice try to get a bracket that matches the colour of the back of your tv.