Mounting your TV above the fireplace

Mounting your TV above the fireplace

“If you want to sit and stare at a fireplace, go camping”

When designing a new living space, or if you simply want to wall mount your HDTV, it’s tempting to look to the space above the fireplace.  No longer does the room have to accommodate two focal points – the fireplace and the TV, they can be accommodated together…can’t they?

Well, it’s a resounding no! Unfortunately.  The worst place in the World to mount your TV may be at the bottom of an ocean or a live volcano, but the worst place in your living room is above a working fireplace.  It’s bad for any number of reasons but two reasons in particular. It’s bad for the TV and it’s bad for your viewing pleasure.

Modern lounge with TV mounted on a wall

Bad for the TV:

Here in the UK we have a resurgence of wood burning stoves. These produce soot as well as heat, neither of which your new HDTV is going to like much. Your flat panel has heat vents that allow cold air in and warm air out, the warm air that your stove generates will actually heat up the components in your TV rather than cool them. Add to this the soot content that will coat your delicate circuits and you are severely reducing the life of your purchase.

The melted bottom of your TV is NOT covered under manufacturer’s warranty. I know, I was surprised when I found out too!!!

Bad for your viewing pleasure:

The trouble is when you consider the positioning of your TV in a room you generally do it standing up.  It may be a conversation you are having with your interior designer, contractor or family, but more often than not you will be standing in the room as you discuss it. The temptation is then to mount the TV at the height you might hang a picture on a wall.  All eyes then focus on the space above the fireplace.

What happens then is, once mounted you watch the TV when sitting down, meaning once seated you have to look up at the screen continuously which is literally a pain in the neck! The centrer of your TV should be at eye level when you seated or as close as aesthetics will allow.

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