Some work to do. DIY mounting an LCD.

So the very next weekend after getting the Sony I tore up the walls in the house. Litterally. Why? To hang the set on the wall :) I went to best buy and got the Sanus VisionMount Wall Mount for Most 30-50" Flat-Panel TVs - Black . The plan was to hide all the wires. Sounds easy huh! WRONG!

Here is what needed to be done;
1.I had to find the studs in the wall
2.mark the location
3.draw a straight level line where the mount would go
4.cut a hole for where the wires would exit to the back of the TV set
5.cut a hole in the wall for were the wire would exit to the back of all the devices
6.cut a hole in the wall near the celing to bring extra satelite and network feed to the back of the devices.
7.cut another hole for the outlet at the back of the TV
8.bring the power outlet up to the back of the TV

Here are the materials I needed;
1.stud finder
2.screwdriver
3.drill
4.drywall screws
5.replacement drywall
6.drywall putty
7.drywall tape
8.drywall saw
9.drywall knife
10.wire boxes
11.Romax electic wire (code requirement in my area)
12.electric wire box
13.outlet
14.outlet cover
15.8ft componet cables (2 sets)
16.8ft audio cables
17.15ft HDMI cable
18.time time time

Before doing any project I always research to make sure I that I have everything covered. The day before I set out to make all this happen I found some bad news that would almost crap this entire project. The info that I found out was that you cannot run power cables in the walls. I almost went into this thing thinking that I could just cut 2 holes and throw everything in and out them. Well technically you can do whatever you want really but b/c this particular thing is against building code if something were to happen like your walls catch fire you are 100% at fault. What that means is that you won't be able to just call up the insurance company and ask for a check. Once they find out you did a DIY job without doing homework and see that you ran non coded power cable in your walls you are pretty much SOL.

With that said I had to rethink my approach to this project. I thought out how to bring up an outlet to the back of where the TV would be. I went to my local Home Depot and spoke to an electric guy. He gave me the Romax wire b/c that was the recommended wire that was within code for my area. Now I have the plan and all the materials

I began my work at 4am Suturday morning. First finding studs and marking holes. Then I drilled the holes for the mount screws. Then hung the mount. Then came cutting and drilling holes and running extra feed cable from network and satelite dish. After I got that out the way it was time to put the power to the living room and bring up the power outlet to the back of the TV. I have to say that part was what had me concerned the most. I have never done electrical work before. I guess thats b/c I almost shocked myself when I was a kid. Anyway the Romax was run and the outlet was installed. Time to test. I got a lamp and plugged it in and we have light.

The next step was to patch up all the holes. I cut the drywall to the correct size and plaster/taped them up. While that was drying I pulled the cables through the holes. I was think it mid afternoon and I can finish by night. Then the unthinkable happend. The power went out in my house. My wife comes running out asking what I did and if I plugged anything in. It wasn't me. Come to find out a transformer in the neighborhood blew out due to the rain that was falling all day. while waiting for the lights to come back on I took a shower and cleaned up a bit. The lights came back on shortly after. I got my brother to help me hang the TV for the first time. What a beautiful sight.

It was already night and all I had left was to sand, prime and repaint the wall. At least my TV was mounted. The next day I covered the TV with a garbage bag and sanded the wall. Then I primed and pained.

Here are pics of the end result of my work.
(I didn't take pics of the painted wall yet)




The back, very flat against the wall.


Down behind the credenza. Thats the outlet I tapped into to bring up behind the TV. And it does still work ;)