How to Choose the Right TV Wall Mount for Your TV (and Your Wall)

Choosing the right TV wall mount bracket comes down to more than picking whatever’s cheapest at the store. The right choice depends on your TV’s size and VESA pattern, the type of wall you’re mounting into, and how you want to access cables behind the screen. There are three common types of TV wall mounts on the market — tilting, full-motion (articulating), and fixed / low-profile — and each one solves a different problem.

What to Consider Before Choosing a TV Wall Mount

Before comparing mount types, there are four practical factors that determine which bracket will actually work for your setup:

• Maximum weight capacity the wall mount can support, relative to your TV’s actual weight.
• VESA mount compatibility — the pattern of four mounting screw holes on the back of the TV.
• Wall type you’re mounting into — drywall with wood studs, drywall with metal studs, concrete, brick, cinder block, or interior/exterior plaster.
• Cable connection orientation on the back of the TV — pointing sideways, downward, or straight back toward the wall.

What Is VESA?

VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) standardized the mounting hole pattern on the back of flat screen TVs and monitors, and virtually every major TV brand has adopted it. A VESA-compliant TV has four screw holes on the back — two near the top and two near the bottom — that line up with a matching VESA-compliant mounting bracket. If your TV’s VESA spec is listed as 400×400, that means the screw holes are 400mm apart horizontally and 400mm apart vertically. You’ll need a bracket rated for that same pattern (or a range that includes it). Full VESA specs for every mount we carry are listed under “Additional Information” on each TV wall mount product page.

Nearly all flat screen TVs and monitors on the market are VESA compatible, with one notable exception: some Sony W6xx, W7xx, and W8xx series models. If you own one of these, check the back of the TV — if you only see two mounting holes instead of four, you’ll need Sony’s separate VESA adapter kit before you can use a standard VESA mount bracket.

Tilting TV Wall Mounts

Tilting brackets offer the widest compatibility of any mount type, working with virtually any VESA-compliant flat or curved screen TV without modification.

Pros and Cons of Tilting TV Wall Mounts

Pros:

• Works with any flat or curved screen TV — LCD, Plasma, LED, or OLED
• Suitable for nearly every wall type: drywall over wood or metal studs, interior or exterior plaster, concrete, brick, or tile
• Wide wall plate with lateral shift, making it easy to center the TV in most installations
• Typically provides 2″ to 3.1″ of clearance behind the TV for cable access, regardless of connector orientation
• Tilts downward for better viewing angle on TVs mounted high above a fireplace
• Many models also tilt upward, giving you extra room to reach cables without dismounting the TV
• Pairs well with a component wall shelf to keep excess cable slack hidden behind the TV
• Straightforward to install and manage wiring behind the screen

Cons:

• Sits slightly further from the wall than a low-profile mount — a reasonable trade-off for the added flexibility
• Does not swivel left or right

Our Recommended Tilting Mount for Large TVs

For 46″ to 90″ TVs, we recommend the Sanus Advanced Tilt 4D Premium TV Wall Mount. A few reasons it stands out from other tilting brackets:

• Tilts up and down and pops out roughly 6.8″ from the wall, making it far easier to reach cables behind a large screen
• When pushed flush, the TV sits as close as 2.1″ from the wall
• Slight left-and-right swivel, despite being classified as a tilting mount
• Large cutout in the wall plate to accommodate an electrical outlet or cable jack positioned behind the TV
• Micro-level adjustment lets you fine-tune the TV’s level after it’s already installed

Full-Motion (Articulating) TV Wall Mounts

Full-motion mounts come in two configurations: single-stud mounts built for lighter TVs, and double-stud mounts designed to support heavier screens.

Single-Stud vs. Double-Stud Full-Motion Mounts

Double-stud full-motion mounts support significantly more weight than single-stud versions, making them the better choice for larger, heavier TVs. Their wall plates are also noticeably narrower than a tilting mount’s plate — that’s normal for this mount category. Most full-motion mounts are designed for studs spaced 16″ apart on-center, with only a handful of models on the market accommodating wider 24″ spacing.

Pros and Cons of Full-Motion Wall Mounts

Pros:

• Swivels left and right
• Works with any VESA-compliant flat or curved screen TV
• Well suited to large rooms or corner installations
• Folds flush against the wall when you don’t need the TV angled
• Some models swivel up to 180°
• Tilts downward, and most models tilt upward as well
• Easy cable access — simply pull the TV away from the wall

Cons:

• The narrow wall plate limits where the TV can be centered — it depends entirely on where your studs are located, which makes it less ideal for narrow walls or over a fireplace
• Bulkier design that protrudes further from the wall than other mount types
• Requires studs spaced 16″ to 24″ apart on-center; wider or irregular framing (common in basements or where walls meet perpendicularly) can rule out many models
• Not well suited to heavy TVs on drywall with metal studs or most exterior plaster walls in older homes
• Centering a TV over a fireplace depends entirely on stud placement

If your studs are spaced wider than 16″ apart on-center, the Sanus VLF728 Advanced Full-Motion Mount supports stud spacing up to 24″ apart, giving you more flexibility than a standard full-motion bracket.

Centering a TV Over a Fireplace With a Full-Motion Mount

Before installing a full-motion mount above a fireplace, check exactly where your wall studs are located. The odds that your studs happen to line up perfectly with the center of your fireplace are low — and that determines whether your TV can actually be centered.

For a standard mount with 16″ stud spacing, perfect centering requires one stud exactly 8″ to the left of the fireplace’s center and another exactly 8″ to the right — 16″ apart on-center, precisely. In the real world, that alignment is rare.

In situations where stud placement would leave your TV off-center, the Sanus VLF728 Advanced Full-Motion Mount can help — it supports studs up to 24″ apart on-center and lets you slide the arm along the wall plate to shift the TV closer to your desired position.

Cable Length Considerations for Full-Motion Mounts

When using a full-motion mount, make sure your cables are long enough to reach your components with room to spare. Full-motion arms need extra slack to travel the full length of the arm when extended, and to move freely around every pivot point without tugging on cables.

Fixed / Low-Profile TV Wall Mounts

A fixed or low-profile mount keeps the TV as close to the wall as possible, trading adjustability for the slimmest possible installation.

Pros and Cons of Fixed Low-Profile TV Wall Mounts

Pros:

• Keeps the TV tight against the wall for the slimmest possible profile
• Works with any flat or curved screen TV that has side- or downward-facing cable connections
• Suitable for nearly any wall type — drywall over wood or metal studs, interior or exterior plaster, concrete, brick, or tile
• Wide wall plate with lateral shift for easy centering

Cons:

• Keeps the TV so close to the wall that changing cables afterward usually means dismounting the TV first
• No tilt or swivel — the viewing angle is fixed
• Not ideal for TVs with rear-facing cable connections, since there’s little to no clearance to plug cables in without risking damage (right-angle connectors can sometimes work around this)
• Excess cable slack is difficult to hide behind the TV
• A standard electrical outlet positioned behind the TV will need to be recessed

A low-profile bracket is a poor fit if your TV’s cable connections face straight back toward the wall. Right-angle connectors can work around this in some cases, though the specific angle you need isn’t always easy to find. Spacers between the bracket and the TV are another option, but they add clearance back in — which defeats the purpose of choosing a low-profile mount in the first place.

Comparison: Tilting vs. Full-Motion vs. Fixed Low-Profile

Still not sure which bracket fits your TV and your wall? Our team handles TV wall mount installation across the GTA, including VESA verification, stud detection, and full in-wall cable concealment. For larger installations, we can also help plan the full setup as part of a home theater design.