What makes log, stone and brick walls different?
Log, stone and brick walls have no hollow cavity and no wood studs to find, so the mount has to go into the wall material itself. That changes the hardware, the drilling and where the TV can go.
Drywall jobs start with a stud finder. These walls start with a close look at the surface: where the solid material is, where the joints are, and how flat the area is. Homes around Vallecito Lake and the Pine River Valley have a lot of these walls, from log great rooms to stone fireplaces, and older Durango homes often have brick.
How do you mount a TV on a log wall?
On a log wall, the mount is fastened with lag bolts and washers into solid log. The bolts go into the body of the log, not into gaps between logs or into chinking, which is not structural.
Plan for movement
Logs shrink, swell and settle with the seasons. A TV mounted without allowing for that can end up out of level, or put stress on cables that run between logs. We pick a spot that stays solid, choose a mount that suits the wall, and check that the TV hangs level once it is up.
Curved and uneven faces
Round logs are not flat. A mount needs a solid, even bearing surface, so placement matters more than on drywall. Sometimes the best spot is a little different from the one you pictured, and we will explain why.
How do you mount a TV on stone or brick?
On stone or brick, the anchors go into the face of the stone or brick, never into the mortar joints. Mortar is softer and can crumble or loosen over time.
We drill with masonry bits and use anchors rated for the load. Brick is fairly predictable. River rock and stacked stone can be uneven, so finding a flat, solid area can take extra time. That is one reason wall type is one of the things that changes the price of a job. See our pricing page for what moves the price.
What about a TV over a stone fireplace?
A TV over a stone fireplace can work, but heat and viewing height decide it. Wood-burning fireplaces put out the most heat, and a screen mounted high above a mantel can be hard on your neck.
We check how warm the wall gets and how high the screen would sit before we commit. If the fireplace wall is a poor fit, we will say so and suggest a better spot. A pull-down mount is one option some people use to bring the screen lower.
How do you hide cables on these walls?
On log, stone and brick, low-voltage cables usually run in a neat surface cover or along a path planned around the wall, because there is often no hollow cavity to fish wire through.
HDMI, speaker and network cables are low-voltage and can run in-wall where a wall allows it. Power cords never run inside walls. If you want a new outlet behind the TV, that is a job for a licensed electrician. Our wire hiding page covers the options.
Should I do it myself?
You can, but these walls are less forgiving than drywall. A hole in the wrong spot on stone or log is hard to hide, and the wrong anchor is a safety problem, not just a cosmetic one.
If you want help, Mounted and More mounts TVs on log, stone and brick walls in Vallecito, Forest Lakes, Bayfield, Ignacio and Durango. Mount and Go starts at $150, and wall type can raise the total. Read more on our TV mounting page or request a quote with a photo of the wall.
Sources
- National Electrical Code (NFPA 70), Article 400: flexible cords are not permitted to be concealed inside walls.