how to prop up a tv without a stand

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Last Updated on September 17, 2021 by

There's nothing more satisfying than having your brand-new TV mounted. However, you might be quickly frustrated by the messy TV wires that can get tangled up, leaving your space feeling cluttered.

Fortunately, there are many creative DIY ways to mount your TV without the wires showing. Hiding your wires will keep your living space feeling and looking clean, tidy, and well organized.

So, how do you hang tv on the wall without the wires showing? Here's what you should consider before doing so.

Things to consider before mounting a TV to conceal the wires

Will you run wires inside the wall or on a wall?

Running wires inside the wall is much more of a hassle compared to running them on the wall.

Feeding the wires inside the wall requires accurate measurements, the right tools, and cutting perfect holes from the back of your TV to the electrical outlet.

In contrast, hiding wires without cutting the wall simply means using plastic rails and covers or hiding them behind furniture or under the carpet.

It's much less work and costs less. However, it may not fully conceal the TV wires.

What are all the input-output locations for your TVs' electronics?

Although it might seem obvious, the number of input and output locations will affect how you conceal your cords.

The more wired connections you need, the more wires you'll need to conceal.

These input and output locations can be caused by the number of speakers you run, projectors, or home theater connection to your other rooms.

For example, if the projector is located far away from your mounted TV, you will have to run the cables and cords together with multiple input-output points.

Also, if you have wired connections to a different room, you need to ensure the rooms share the same wall when running the wires inside your walls.

What position and height do you plan to mount your TV?

Where you plan on mounting your TV will affect the ease with which your TV wires may be concealed. For example, if you mount your TV high up in a corner, you will likely better be able to conceal the wires in the ceiling.

What type of TV mounting bracket will you use?

There are three main types of TV wall mounting brackets: fixed TV wall mounts, tilting wall TV mounts, and a full-motion TV wall mount. Typically, it's easier to conceal wires with full-motion TV wall mount brackets.

These brackets will have an arm where you can place clips on the cord for concealment. However, the downside to a full-motion mounting bracket is that some wires may not be fully concealed.

That's because when you extend your TV outward, you can see the cables along the arm from the side view.

Things to Consider When Running Wires Inside Your Walls Floors or Ceiling

Accessibility

First, you have to check your local building code to make sure they allow you as a homeowner to install low-voltage wires. This includes cords like speaker wires, computer network cables, and phone lines. Generally, there is ok as there is minimal risk.

Also, you'll need to make sure you have space and access to properly run wires through the wall floors or ceiling. There are studs in the wall, so you need to use a stud finder to locate these studs.

You won't be able to mount your TV or feed wires through the point where studs are located without drilling a hole.

Do you have the tools to do it?

This method of concealing your wires won't work unless you have the tools necessary to get the job done.

You'll need some advanced tools like a stud finder or a wall multi scanner to ensure you don't drill through an existing wire.

And there are other tools that you'll need like a measuring tape, keyhole saw, and wire cutters and connections.

If you are going to run a conduit or a track you will need a hack saw or miter saw to cut the plastic.

Is it worth it?

There's a lot that goes into feeding wires through your wall's floor or ceiling.

It requires having all the right tools, checking for building code, your accessibility, and potentially drilling holes in the wall if any pilot holes don't work out.

How to run wires inside your wall's floor or ceiling?

Installing in-wall/floor grommets

One way on how to hide cords on a mounted TV is using an in-wall grommets kit.

Tools and materials needed:

• Drill and bits
• Measuring tape
• Stud finder
• Flashlight
• Electrical tape or string
• Right size hole saw, or a keyhole saw.
• String and fishing weight

Step-by-step procedure

1. Turn off your power. Then use a stud finder to find an open area inside of the walls cavity between the studs.
2. Drill a tiny pilot hole where the location of the outlet will be. Check for any potential obstructions.
3. If it looks good, cut the hole in the wall the right size for the grommet fittings and insert the fittings.
4. Go to your basement or attic if you have access and drill a hole down into the wall plates where the cables need to pass.
5. Use a string or a fishing line, with a weight to feed the wires through the wall opening until it reaches the other end.
6. Connect the cables to the string and feed them through the path you have created.
7. Strip the cords and run them to your electronic devices.

Installing an in-wall socket kit

Follow the instructions on how to use an in-wall socket kit to hide cords on a wall-mounted TV. The kit should come with a plastic tube, and connected outlets, a long extension cord, cover, and a keyhole saw.

Hiding cables in the wall provides the cleanest and most clutter-free look out of all the possible concealment methods.

Tools and materials needed:

• In-wall socket kit (may also be called "In-wall and power cable kit")
• Outlet boxes
• A keyhole saw
• A cordless drill
• Screws

Step-by-step procedure

1. Once you mount the TV mounting bracket on the wall, identify where the two holes need to go so that the bottom part of the cable outlet is close to any existing wall outlets and where you need them and the top part is directly behind the TV.
2. Utilize a keyhole saw to make these holes before fitting the outlet box.
3. Secure the outlet to the wall using screws.
4. If you're running a tube through your walls to make it easier to run future wires, push the tube in through the top hole.
5. Thread the cables through the tube and out the hole on the bottom. Then connect them to the backside of the TV on the cable box and wall.

Things to consider when running wires with a wall track

How will it look?

Cable wall tracks just like running wires inside a wall hide messy cables. Of course, this assumes that you're able to do a tidy job of it and that you are okay with being able to see the track attached to the skirting board on your walls.

An inlet and outlet box can be used in a similar way as above. The only difference with using a cable wall track is that the cables will run in a channel on your wall instead of inside the wall.

The advantage of running a wall channel or PVC pipe conduit is that you can easily feed in new wires in the future or remove wires. While also being easier to set up without having to make holes in the wall.

Is it worth it?

Always consider whether drilling holes in your wall is worth the risk of potentially damaging your walls or even wires. The beauty of using a wall cable channel system is that you won't have exposed TV wires and you won't have to damage or put holes in your walls.

Do you have the tools to do it?

There are a handful of tools you'll need to complete each task. Luckily, by getting the in-wall socket kit, you'll have most of the tools you need. The only additional ones you'll need are a keyhole saw, and wire cutters.

Ways to hide wires without running them inside your walls

Run speaker wires under the carpet on wall edges

One sneaky and inexpensive way to hang a tv without wires showing is to slip them underneath the carpet.

Make sure to place wires under the carpet close to the wall edges, so you can tuck them in without anyone standing on them or noticing the hump.

Use cable ties and hide wires behind furniture

You can make use of your furniture to hide cords on a wall-mounted tv without drilling.

Dangling cords are frustrating and messy, but you can easily anchor them behind the silhouette of your furniture. You can use command cord clips on the back edges of furniture.

Press the clips down, and use cable ties to bunch the wires together to keep them better organized. The clips will hold them in place. An alternative is to use a black electrician's tape.

Use a cable tunnel or track and elbow connectors

Use cable tunnels to hang tv on the wall without wires showing. Cable tunnels or plastic tracks act as a cable organizer and cover that is mounted on your wall directly on top of or on the skirting board but can go anywhere really.

Installing  a wall cable track

Here's how to hang a tv without wires showing using a wall cable track:

Tools and materials needed:

• Measuring tape
• Cable concealer kit (cable tunnel or plastic track should be included)
• Hacksaw
• Screws and screwdriver

Step-by-step procedure

1. Measure the wall between the floor and the base of the screen. This measurement will be the length of the tack needed to get to the floor. Then measure the length of the distance you need your wires to travel to desired outlets.
2. Use a hacksaw to cut the track to fit the right size.
3. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to mount the raceway base to the wall utilizing screws and how to connect corner joints.
4. Insert and lay the TV wires inside the channel and snap the cable tunnel cover over the top.
5. Make sure you buy a cable tunnel that is the same color as the wall so that it blends in, making it less obvious that you're trying to conceal your cord. You could spray paint the track before installation.

How does your system determine wire input and output locations?

The position of your home audio speakers

The positioning of your home audio speakers plays a major role in how you conceal the audio wires. If the speakers are located within the same vicinity of your audio cabinet, it'll be easier to hide all of your wires in one place.

But a better home audio system spaces out speakers for better surround sound quality if the speakers are on opposite sides of the room, you need to follow this guide on how to conceal the wires.

Think about what other electronics will connect to your TV

There are plenty of electronics you can connect to your TV other than speakers and the cable box. This includes gaming consoles, laptops, and set-top boxes such as Google Chromecast, Amazon FireTV Stick, Apple TV, Roku, etc.

Your TV mounting hardware

Fixed TV wall mount

A fixed TV wall mount makes it easier to hide wires, especially when feeding wires inside of the wall. There isn't an arm that extends out, which could show the cables. If you wanted to conceal the wires outside of the wall for a fixed amount, you'll likely only be able to use a cable tunnel.

Extending TV wall mount

Extending TV wall mounts are similar but the wires can still be exposed if you extend the TV arm forward from side view although this really an issue.

Some extending TV wall mounts do come with cable management solutions such as cable clips to neatly align with the extending arm. Other times, they may include little cable brackets that hold the wires onto the arm. We recommend buying these clips if they don't come included with the mount you think is best.

Corner TV mount

The key distinction is that your TV is mounted on two wall sides with a corner TV mount.

If you're hiding wires inside of the wall, you'll want to feed it through the same wall as the wall outlet so that you don't have to run wires through the corner studs.

Pull-down fireplace TV mount

The tricky aspect of the pull-down fireplace TV mount is that you don't want TV wires anywhere near your beautiful fireplace.

The best solution is to feed the wires through the wall. However, some pull-down fireplace TV mounts allow you to wrap the wires around the mount for easy concealment.

Also, if you pull down the fireplace just above the fireplace, you can hide the wires on top of the fireplace ledge without going through any complicated drilling.

What is the Mountyourbox gold standard that consoles wires

Follow these steps to follow the Mountyourbox gold standard and conceal your TV wires.

1. Mount your TV in the best location using the right type of mount
2. Conceal wires inside your wall from the TV to another closed location
3. From here sits a PC. your equipment, like a home audio controller and all wires, go from here to your speakers. (either concealed inside walls or concealed in a track).

Tips for having fewer wires

One of the best ways to reduce cable clutter is simply to limit the number of cables you need. Here are tips to have fewer wires:

1. Use Bluetooth for speaker cables
2. Get a Smart TV that connects to the Internet.
3. Eliminate cables that you don't use or need.
4. Unplug cables when you aren't using them. For instance, you may not need multiple HDMI cables connected to your TV instead you could have just one and a  multi-box in another location.

Tips for organizing wires

Follow these simple tips to organize your wires better and make them look neat:

• Color all of your cords and wire tips to eliminate confusion. Label the cord type on the base of the wire and what media component or appliance it connects to.
• Use cable ties to eliminate the clutter.
• Hang the coil on the back of furniture, desks, to your entertainment center.
• Use hooks to hang electrical cords.
• Designate an area inside of your home or office to do all of the charging.
• Consolidate your cords and keep the number of cords you need to a minimum.

Safety tips when it comes to DIY and hiding TV wires

There is some risk involved in hiding TV wires, especially if you are running wires inside your wall.

• Keep all standard electrical wiring such as phone, computer, and speaker wires away from the wall where you're running the TV cables through. This prevents electric shock and reduces interference.
• Run wires through interior walls when possible because the exterior walls contain insulation and more bracing for your home.
• Turn off breakers inside the electrical box before feeding cables because it reduces the likelihood of electrocution if you drill or cut into the existing wiring.

Conclusion

After spending a lot of money on your beautiful new TV screen and taking the time to mount it on your wall, the last thing you want to see is a bunch of tangled cables.

Whether you choose to hide your TV wires inside the wall or out of the wall, there are many ways to do it. Just make sure to consider each method here and how difficult or easy it'll be.

Hi, my name is Johann Holsinger, here at mountyourbox.com I share all of the tips and tricks I have professionally learned to help you set up your ultimate home entertainment system.

how to prop up a tv without a stand

Source: https://www.mountyourbox.com/how-to-hide-tv-wires/

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