LCD Mount Buying Guide

You've spent plenty of time and money selecting the perfect LCD flat screen. Have you considered where you're going to place it and how? We'll make the next steps easy with some helpful tips for mounting your new LCD.
When it gees to mounting an LCD screen, there are several things you need to know for an easy and successful installation:

What's behind your wall or ceiling?
LCD screens are fairly light, but to make sure that your investment is securely mounted, you need to first have a wall stud or a ceiling joist that will confidently support the weight of a screen. We offer additional hardware if it's not included.

Ceiling Mount Basics
When using an LCD ceiling mount, check above your ceiling surface for wood or metal joists. Most of our LCD ceiling mounts include extension pipes, ceiling flanges and extension pipes necessary for mounting; check to make sure the mount you want will meet your hardware needs.

Wall Mount Basics
For wall mounting an LCD screen there are lots of style and mobility options (flat, tilt, swivel, flip-down and articulating arms), but the principle is the same: you need a sturdy pair of wall studs to securely mount your screen.

What type of mount do you need?
The most popular types of LCD mounts are wall mounts, flip-down mounts, and tabletop or desktop mounts.

Wall Mounts
There are several options to choose from when wall mounting an LCD screen. You can mount your screen flat for direct viewing, you can tilt it down from the wall so that it is better angled for viewing when it is positioned relatively high on the wall, or you can mount the screen with an articulating arm. If you're looking at a tilting wall mount, check to see how easily adjustable it is; some mounts allow you to tilt your screen while it's mounted, others require you to remove the screen before making adjustments.
The articulating arm is by far the most versatile of the LCD mounts that are offered; they offer both tilt and/or swivel, in addition to a wide range of positioning options enabled by the extension and bend of the arm.

Flip-Down Mounts
Flip-down LCD mounts are great for places where wall mounting is not an option, like under a cabinet in your kitchen. Our flip-down LCD mounts allow you to fold the screen against the bottom surface of a cabinet, and retract the screen a few inches to increase work space. Flip-down LCD mounts allow tilt and a lot of adjustability for viewing angle.

Tabletop or Desktop Mounts
Tabletop mounts can be paired with attractive stands, tables or desks and generally offer options like tilt and vertical screen-positioning flexibility. A desktop mount on an LCD geputer monitor adds great ergonomic flexibility for screen placement.

Adapter Plates and VESA gepliance
Once you know what kind of mount you want and where you're going to put it, the next step is to make sure that your screen and mount will be gepatible. Every screen has a hole pattern on its back to which a mount can be fastened with screws. Since screen manufacturers make a variety of hole patterns on their screens, adapter plates may be necessary to make sure mounts that are made to match most screens will acgemodate the particular patterns that are specific to each model. An adapter plate is just a metal plate with the same hole pattern as the screen it matches and the same hole pattern as the mount it matches.
Most LCD screen manufacturers use a standard hole pattern, 100 mm, 75 mm or 200 mm squares, for easy, universal mount gepatibility. The Video Electronics Standards Assocation (VESA) guarantees that mounts that are VESA gepliant and selected for the right size screen (you may find information on your LCD screen's VESA gepliance in the screen owner's manual) will fit VESA gepliant screens. In these cases VESA adapter plates may not be required, since they're already built into the mount. However, some LCD screens are not VESA gepliant, so be sure to check with the seller or manufacturer.

How do I install my screen and mount?
Installing your screen and mount should be done with a minimum of two people if your screen is large. Lifting the screen into place, positioning it and then fastening it is a simple job, but it is important to have a friend available to help hold the screen while you work. We regemend securing your mount to its fixture in the ceiling or wall, fastening the adapter plate to your screen, and then mounting your plasma and adapter plate to the mount itself.
Depending on your mount, cable management will be one of the final steps of the LCD installation process. Many mounts do offer cable management systems to conceal unruly wires.
Be sure to read the mount and plasma installation instructions that acgepany your screen and mount, and get a friend to help.