Now that you’re settling into your new home, it’s time to figure out exactly where all your furniture goes. It’s likely that some pieces will fit perfectly, while others will feel awkward and you’ll end up selling them or using elsewhere. Thankfully, flat screen televisions give you a variety of options. You may decide to use a typical TV stand and set it on a media console. But if you’re looking to mount the television, keep these ideas in mind.

Always screw into studs. This may seem like a no brainer, but plenty have tried hanging their TV wall mounts straight into the drywall, which will rip up your wall in no time. Buy a cheap stud finder at your local hardware store, and be sure you’re drilling into actual wood, not just drywall.

Consider adding a cable management system. Most electronics and hardware stores have simple cable runners that can be mounted to the wall and keep your TV area looking sharp. Installing one of these not only cleans up the aesthetics, but it also helps to prevent safety hazards from free wires hanging out of your TV devices.

If you have to cut into the wall, know what’s behind it! You may want to run certain wires, like your speaker wires, through the wall. This might require cutting some of your drywall, and it’s always good to proceed with caution when you don’t know what’s behind the area where you’re cutting.

Always (always!) turn off the power before working on anything electrical. Again, this is probably bush league advice, but plenty of do-it-yourself-ers could tell you horror stories of forgetting to turn the breaker off. So if you’re messing with anything electrical, just make sure you don’t have any live wires. first.
© 2014 PhotoSpin, Inc. All rights reserved.