What’s More Important – Size or Weight When Wall-Mounting a TV
While electronics break, become outdated, or you simply feel the need to upgrade, furniture has a much longer lifecycle. We see people trying to fit new TVs in very old entertainment centers all the time (#3 on this list). If you’ve gone through the trouble of wall-mounting your TV, one common question is about compatibility. Your old TV was almost certainly smaller than your new one. The mount? It surely had some sort of size restriction associated with it. Does that mean you need a new mount? Is it really the size that is the important factor when wall-mounting a TV or is it more about weight? Let’s discuss!
Honestly, It’s Mostly About Weight
When you purchased your wall-mounting mount, it probably had both TV size and weight recommendations as part of its specifications. The size was probably the one you focused on (and remember best) because it is really the easiest to remember.
The thing is that TVs have been getting progressively lighter (overall) over the years. CRTs weighed an absolute ton and plasmas weren’t much better. As you’d suspect, the TV mount really doesn’t care about how large of a TV it holds. The size recommendation was really more about the weight. As long as the mounting holes on the back line up with your new TV, and the new TV isn’t too heavy for the mount, you can use it with your new TV.
Articulating Mounts
While your old mount will work with your new TV based on its weight, it may not work as well because of its size. If your TV mount is articulating (meaning it can be moved to angle the TV), then the larger size of the TV may restrict the movement. This is where the size limitation is important. While your new TV will likely work with your old mount based on its weight, the larger size will limit how much you can adjust the angle of the TV.
When you first mount your new TV on your old mount, take care when moving your TV for the first time. You don’t want it to hit the wall before it reaches the desired angle. This is especially true of mounts that are designed to be very flush to the wall. We’d recommend adding a bit of rubber tape to the points where the back of your TV might touch the wall. This will reduce the chance of damaging the wall or the back of your TV.
