Mounting a TV above a fireplace: what to know before you drill
Heat, viewing height, what is behind the stone, and how to hide the cables without breaking code. A straight answer on whether your fireplace wall will work.
Tim LearyOwner, Handy'sSeptember 15, 20265 min read
Key takeaways
- Do a heat test first. Tape a thermometer where the bottom of the TV will sit and run the fireplace for a couple of hours.
- Above a fireplace, the screen usually sits well above seated eye level. A tilting or pull down mount fixes most of the neck strain.
- Know what is behind the surface. Wood studs, brick and thin stone veneer each need a different fastener.
- Power cords are not allowed inside the wall. Use a rated in wall power kit or a painted raceway.
The wall above the fireplace is the most requested spot for a TV in Salt Lake homes, and for good reason. It is usually the focal point of the room, the furniture already faces it, and there is rarely anywhere else to put a 65 inch screen. It is also the spot where we most often slow down and ask questions before anyone picks up a drill.
The short answer
Yes, you can usually mount a TV above a fireplace. Whether you should depends on three things: how hot that wall gets, how high the screen will end up, and what the wall is made of. Get those right and it looks great for years. Get them wrong and you end up with a sore neck, a TV that runs hot, or a mount that is not holding onto much.
Heat: test before you commit
Heat and rising soot shorten the life of electronics. Many TV manuals list an upper operating temperature somewhere around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, so check the exact number in yours.
The easy way to find out if your wall is a problem:
- Tape an inexpensive thermometer to the wall where the bottom edge of the TV will sit.
- Run the fireplace the way you normally would, for two to three hours.
- Check the reading. If it is comfortably below the limit in your manual, you are in good shape.
A mantel helps a lot because it pushes rising heat away from the wall. Sealed gas inserts tend to be kinder to a TV than an open wood burning fireplace. If you have no mantel and the wall runs hot, a mantel shelf or a different wall is the honest recommendation.
Viewing height and neck strain
This is the complaint we hear most from people who mounted it themselves. For comfortable viewing from a sofa, the center of the screen is usually around seated eye level, roughly 40 to 45 inches off the floor. Above a typical fireplace and mantel, the center of the screen often lands at 60 inches or higher.
You have three good options:
- Tilting mount. Angling the screen down 10 to 15 degrees takes most of the strain out and cuts glare from windows.
- Pull down mantel mount. These arms let you bring the TV down to eye level for movie night and push it back up after. They need solid structure behind them and enough clearance above the mantel.
- Sit further back. The further the sofa is from the wall, the less the height matters.
What is behind the wall
The finish you see tells you very little. What matters is the structure behind it.
| Wall type | What we look for | How it usually mounts |
|---|---|---|
| Drywall over wood studs (framed chase, common in newer homes) | Stud locations, any gas line or vent in the chase | Lag bolts into at least two studs |
| Solid brick | Sound brick, not crumbling mortar | Masonry sleeve anchors into the brick itself |
| Stone veneer | How thick the stone is and what sits behind it | Fasten through to the structure, not just the veneer |
| Metal studs | Stud gauge and spacing | Rated toggle anchors or added blocking |
Two rules we never break: never drill anywhere near the flue, and never guess on thin stone veneer. A few extra minutes finding out what is behind the surface is the difference between a mount that is rated for your TV and one that only looks like it is.
Hiding the cables the right way
Dangling cords ruin the look, but a standard TV power cord is not permitted to run inside the wall under the electrical code. The safe ways to get a clean look:
- In wall power kit. A recessed inlet behind the TV connects through rated wiring to an outlet lower down. It is the cleanest result on a framed wall.
- Low voltage in the wall. HDMI and other signal cables can go in the wall if they are in wall rated.
- Paintable raceway. On brick or stone, a slim raceway painted to match is often the best answer.
- Box it in the mantel. Streaming boxes and a soundbar can live on or under the mantel, keeping the wall clear.
If there is no outlet behind the TV position at all, adding one is electrical work, and we will tell you when a job needs a licensed electrician.
Picking a size
A rough guide for 4K TVs is to sit about 1 to 1.5 times the screen size away. Above a fireplace, add a little distance to take the edge off the height.
| Screen size | Comfortable distance (general guide) |
|---|---|
| 55 inch | About 5 to 7 feet |
| 65 inch | About 5.5 to 8 feet |
| 75 inch | About 6.5 to 9.5 feet |
| 85 inch | About 7 to 10.5 feet |
Whatever the size, check the mount is rated for both the weight and the VESA pattern of your TV. Full motion arms in particular need to be rated well above the TV's weight because of the leverage when they are extended.
What it typically costs
These are typical industry ranges across the US, not Handy's prices:
- Standard mount on drywall and studs: roughly $100 to $250.
- Above a fireplace, brick or stone: roughly $200 to $500.
- In wall power kit and cable concealment: often an extra $150 to $300.
At Handy's we quote after a quick look at the wall, because a framed chase and a floor to ceiling stone surround are very different jobs.
Before you drill
- Heat test done and below the limit in the TV manual
- Fireplace clearance chart checked
- Wall type confirmed: studs, brick, stone veneer or metal
- Mount rated for the TV weight and VESA pattern
- Tilt or pull down chosen if the screen center is above about 50 inches
- Power plan decided: in wall kit, raceway or mantel
- Soundbar and streaming box location decided
If you get stuck on any of these, that is exactly what our technicians are for. Most TV visits are a 2 to 3 hour job including cable work, and we will tell you before we start if your wall needs a different plan.
Tim started Handy's in Salt Lake City in October 2023 with $550 and now runs it with his dad Peter and a crew customers know by name. Handy's is Best of SLC 2026 Gold and rated 4.8 stars from 415 Google reviews.
