Wall-mounting is my preferred way to install a TV, and that’s true for a lot of people. The only problem is that some people tend to mount their TVs too high.

It’s such a prevalent problem, that there’s even a dedicated subreddit called r/TVTooHigh and it you do end up mounting it too high it can lead to serious viewing comfort issues. So why do people mount their TVs too high and how can you avoid doing it? That’s what I’m here to explain.

5

They Think It Should Be at Eye Level While Standing

The general rule of thumb when placing a TV in the right spot is that your eye should be at or just below the level of the center of the screen. Most of the time, this means mounting a TV so that the center of the screen is between 40 and 42 inches from the floor. Of course, this varies based on how tall you are, whether you’re sitting upright or watching while reclined, or simply your preference. Remember, it’s important that you mount your TV so that you are happy and comfortable.

However, unless you watch TV standing up (no judgement) you shouldn’t use your standing height to determine the TV mounting height.

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4

They Want It to Look Like a Picture Frame

A flat-screen TV looks like a picture frame, so some people have a tendency to treat it like one when mounting it in a room. It feels intuitive to hang it at the same height as your other wall decorations. I get it. However, if you want to use the TV as, well, a TV, then this is probably too high.

However, if you actually want to use your TV as an art frame, then it’s perfectly acceptable. That’s exactly what I did with my old 2016 4K LCD TV. It’s not great as a TV anymore, but it sure looks great with high-resolution art on a slideshow.

3

They Underestimate the Size of the TV

Big TVs tend to play tricks on our eyes. For some reason, a big TV mounted higher up looks right at first glance. That’s why you shouldn’t eyeball the correct position.

Remember, what matters is how high the middle of the screen is from the floor. If the center of the screen is always going to be in that 40-42 inch range, then the bigger the TV is, the smaller the gap will be between the bottom of the TV and the floor. So, yeah, the TV might look too low if it’s a large format screen.

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2

They Follow Furniture, Not Physics

When figuring out the Feng Shui of your living space, it can feel like the right thing to use the furniture you have (e.g. cabinets and shelves) as a guide to where your TV should sit. This is basically the same problem as trying to align your TV with picture frames and paintings. You’re trying to pull the room together, without considering the ergonomics that could ruin your next viewing of The Big Lebowski.

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1

They Mount Above the Fireplace by Default

When I moved into the house we’re currently renting, the TV mount was above the fireplace. One of the very first things I did was remove it and change the TV’s location to somewhere more sensible.

You should never mount a TV above a fireplace, yet this is something a lot of people seem to think is the perfectly obvious thing to do. Maybe it’s because it’s traditional to hang a portrait above the fireplace, so it sort of makes sense on a superficial level. However, not only is an above-the-fireplace mounting almost certainly too high, if you actually use the fireplace it can be harmful to your TV.

The last thing I would want is to hang my TV above a strong source of heat, and you may also expose it to smoke or gas fumes. Just don’t do it.

Personally, I always use a professional installer when mounting a TV in a new spot, though these days I’m leaning more towards using movable TV stands that let me dynamically change height, distance, and angle as needed.

With a professional installer, it’s easier to go sit in your viewing spot and then work with them to get the correct height and angle for your TV. If you get it wrong you risk one of your “friends” taking a photo of your giraffe-friendly TV and posting it on Reddit. We don’t want that, do we?

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