The Short Answer
On our estimates, wall mounting a TV under 50 inches costs about £60 to £150 with your own bracket; a large TV £100 to £250. Hiding the cables inside the wall brings it to £150 to £300. A standard job takes one to three hours; with hidden cables, three to six.
Chasing cables into the wall is a job for an electrician. If there's no socket behind the TV, an electrician can add one (£120 to £250 on our estimates), which is tidier than trailing leads.
TV mounting prices
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| TV under 50 inches | £60 to £150 |
| TV 50 inches or more | £100 to £250 |
| With cables hidden in the wall | £150 to £300 |
What changes the price
- The wall: plasterboard, brick and stud walls need different fixings. A large, heavy TV on plasterboard costs more because the installer has to find a secure fixing and often needs a second person to lift it.
- The bracket: fixed brackets are quickest; tilting and full-motion brackets take longer. Some TVs need their own mount.
- The cables: plastic trunking on the wall is cheap; chasing cables into the wall needs an electrician and making good.
Hiding the cables
You have three choices, from cheapest to neatest:
- A cable tidy: a self-adhesive plastic cover cut to length and stuck to the wall below the TV, which you can paint to match the wall. A kit costs very little.
- Through a stud wall: where the wall is hollow plasterboard, the cables can be fed down inside it between a hole behind the TV and one lower down.
- Chased into a solid wall: the plaster and brick are cut out, a conduit goes in to protect the cables, and the wall is replastered and redecorated. The most work, and best left to an electrician.
If there's no socket behind the TV, the tidiest answer is a new socket there, so only a short lead shows. I'd decide this before the TV goes up, because moving a bracket later leaves holes to fill.
Choosing a bracket
- Fixed: holds the TV flat to the wall. The quickest to fit.
- Tilting: angles the screen down, useful if it's mounted high, for example above a fireplace.
- Full-motion (cantilever): pulls out and swivels, so you can watch from different parts of the room. It takes longer to fit and puts more load on the wall.
Doing it yourself
Hanging a smaller TV is a reasonable DIY job if you have a drill, the right fixings for your wall, a spirit level and a cable and pipe detector. Follow the bracket maker's instructions to the letter, especially the weight limit and fixings. For a large, heavy screen on plasterboard I'd pay someone: it needs a secure fixing and usually two people to lift it into place.
Before the installer comes
- Decide the height sitting down: picture the screen on the wall from where you'll watch it.
- Don't drill directly above, below or in line with sockets and switches, where cables usually run; a detector helps find pipes and wires.
- If you rent, check your tenancy agreement: most need the landlord's permission before drilling.
Related
Aerial or satellite needed too? See TV aerials. Socket behind the TV: sockets.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to mount a TV on the wall?
On our estimates, about £60 to £150 for a TV under 50 inches and £100 to £250 for a larger one.
Do you need an electrician to put a TV on the wall?
Not to hang it: a handyman or TV installer can. You need an electrician to chase cables into the wall or add a socket behind the TV.
How much does it cost to hide TV cables?
Mounting with cables hidden in the wall costs about £150 to £300 on our estimates.
Can I mount a TV on the wall myself?
A smaller TV, yes, with the right fixings for your wall, a level and a cable detector, following the bracket maker's instructions. Large TVs on plasterboard are better left to an installer.
Can a TV go above a fireplace?
Yes, but it sits above eye level, so a tilting bracket helps, and check the TV maker's guidance on heat from the fire below.
How long does it take to mount a TV?
About one to three hours, or three to six with the cables hidden in the wall.
How we priced thisHow our estimates are made
Rules come from the legislation and official guidance, read at source. Prices are our estimates: we check them against trade price data, retailer shelf prices and specialists' price lists, then build them up from their parts so the totals add up. This page relies on our own estimates and the trade price guides we compare against, which we don’t list. Where sources disagreed, we've said so. More on our method.
