Fireplace mantle and television mounting height question

[branimal]

I'm trying to figure out what height to mount my diy mantle on a NON-working fireplace. Above the mantle I'm mounting a 55" flat screen tv.

Above the firebox (again non-functioning) there are some bricks laid out vertically. They give the fireplace some character. I think the mantle should be above the vertical bricks.

That puts the mantle center roughly 42". It's a 5" mantle so the top will sit at 44 1/2". If I put the bottom of the tv 6" above the mantle, the tv bottom is at 50 1/2". The tv is 33" tall, so the tv center is at 67" and the tv top is at 83 1/2".

The distance from the sofa to the tv is 10'.

The TV seems a bit high. Am I wrong in making that presumption.

I'd like to flat mount the tv. I don't those angle mounts.


Any options to make this workable?

 

[FMB4]

Distance from viewers to screen should be good to go. As for the screen being ~ 5.5 feet high at the center then consider the following; does your seating/couch have a high back? If so, you might be OK on that (you might be able to rest you head against the high couch back and be good). Another thing is that many movie theaters have the front seats that are much higher than the center of the screen. But the best thing to do, of course, would be to somehow temporarily mount the TV and see how it does.

 

[bbbarracuda]

"How High Should a 55-Inch TV Be Mounted?
A 55” TV should be around 61 inches from the floor to the center of the TV screen."

How High Should I Mount a Flat Screen TV? | MantelMount

Each is unique but there are common questions households ask about TVs including the height at which a TV should be mounted. MantelMount looks into the details.

www.mantelmount.com

Quoted from the link above.
I kinda used this standard to mount one.
Note these are folks trying to sell you mounts.

 

[yatg]

The TV seems a bit high. Am I wrong in making that presumption.

Tape a piece of cardboard the size of the TV to the fireplace. Sit back and look at it for awhile. Are you comfortable with holding your head back like that? Doubt it.

Personally, I think TVs should be at eye level from your favorite chair / sofa. Putting them over the fireplace was some interior decorator idea and not for functionality. Nobody ever put big *** tube tv's on a 4' platform.

 

[mike93lx]

Above a fireplace is almost the worst place for a TV. Baffles me that people do it.

Get it at a height slightly above your eye height when on your couch.

 

[ive]

Buy yourself a nice piece of furniture that has a back high enough to support your head. It will be so much more comfortable.

You are welcome.

 

[kelpaso1]

Above a fireplace is almost the worst place for a TV. Baffles me that people do it.

Get it at a height slightly above your eye height when on your couch.

Exactly. Tried that once and abandoned that idea after a couple days.

 

[jar944]

Ideal location is center of the screen at eye level to your viewing position.

I've done the mount above the fireplace. I wouldn't do it again personally. However as low as you can reasonably go is as good as you can make it over the fireplace

 

[like2wheel]

When I mounted mine, I was told the bottom of the screen should be at your eye level while sitting.

Years later no complaints, although I think a little higher would not be a problem. I definitely wouldn't go any lower.

 

[Masheen365]

We mounted our tv above a mantle, above a gas fireplace. The bottom of this 65” is at 63” above the floor (9’ ceilings). Our normal seating positions are about 14’ away from the screen. I got a mounting bracket from Sam’s that tilts, rotates and extends which makes it easy to get to the back of the tv. If we didn’t sit so far away it would be pretty uncomfortable to have your neck craned up that far, but it has been about a year and we got used to it. I like it because we don’t hav an entertainment center taking up another wall, which makes room for all the chairs and couches my wife seems to collect.

Haven’t had an issue with heat from the fireplace. When it’s running I can touch the screen and it’s not any warmer than normal. The mantle is 8x8 and seems to do a good job of deflecting the heat out into the room. But we only run it in 10-15 minute intervals to take the chill out of the air during the mild winters of South Georgia.

 

[Metal-Marc]

If you mount your TV above a fireplace, make sure the couch is on a 4 feet high platform so th TV is at eye level when sitting on the couch.

 

[mike93lx]

I used an articulating wall mount in the corner at my last house. No bulky furniture to deal with and we could push it against the wall if needed.

 

[branimal]

Thanks for all the replies.

Sounds like mantle + tv will put the tv at an uncomfortable viewing height. I could drop the mantle all together. If I place the bottom of the TV just above the ornate vertical bricks, that would put the center of the tv at 55 1/2". If that's still too high I could lower it and the old mounting holes will be covered by the TV.

Unfortunately this is the only location the TV will work.

I did put some time and money into the mantle but why compound my mistakes. The wood was free (100 year old rough cut framing lumber), the metal for the bracket was scrap. The epoxy was $80, but I haven't used it yet, so I can save it for another project.

I don't watch much tv. NFL in the fall and winter. And maybe one or 2 movies a week via streaming.

 

[mike93lx]

There are also pull down mounts designed for this.

Here is one

Monoprice Motorized Above Fireplace Mantel Pull-down, Full-Motion, Articulating TV Wall Mount Bracket - For LED TVs between 50in and 100in, Max Weight 110lbs, VESA Patterns up to 800x600 - Monoprice.com

Settle in and get comfortable with this Motorized Above Fireplace TV Wall Mount from Monoprice™. This mount positions your TV safely above the fireplace mantle when not in use, then swings it fo

www.monoprice.com

 

[rlitman]

Personally, I think TVs should be at eye level from your favorite chair / sofa. Putting them over the fireplace was some interior decorator idea and not for functionality. Nobody ever put big *** tube tv's on a 4' platform.

Nobody ever put big *** tube TVs high up, because they were stupidly heavy.

I don't know about you, but my couch seated spinal orientation is not straight up and down, so looking straight ahead means I would have to be bending my neck downwards for an eye "level" height. I would suggest this instead:

Put up some strips of masking tape at various heights on the wall with your furniture in position. Sit down and with your eyes closed, get comfortable and face where you feel the TV should be. Take your time, count to 10 slowly and open your eyes and make a note of which strip you're looking at. I'll bet it's higher than you think.

Putting a TV over a fireplace makes a lot of sense, so long as we're not talking about a functional wood burning fireplace.

 

[gungatim]

LGR!

 

[PCMusicGuy]

My TV is above my fireplace because the built in nook (where it was supposed to go) was too small and I couldn't center it on the room. I use a pull down mount and it works great.

 

[Voi]

I've never mounted a TV above a fireplace but would consider it with a swing down mount. I happen to like my TV's a bit higher than what is normally recommended anyways.

With the right mount you could then focus on what looks right when in the stowed position.

I built a fireplace surround at our old house that came out great. I wanted a stone mantle but my wife was against it as she thought it looked good as is.

One day when I was off but she wasn't I made a template and then traced it on to some rigid foam board and carved out a mantle. I had some gray Drylok masonry paint and put a thick coat on and mounted my mock up mantle with some two sided tape.

When she got home she loved it so I dropped the template off with my stone guy he cut a travertine mantle for us.

I would do something similar in your case and get the scale right.

 

[rslaback]

This was already in our house when we moved in 7 years ago. No complaints.

 

[Metallitubby]