Drywall – Should I be worried if I missed the studs while mounting the TV

drywallmounting

I think I missed the studs based on how easily the drill moved through the drywall. My LCD only weighs 27lbs and the mount itself is 5lbs (rated to hold 165lbs, and uses 4 8mm lag bolts). I pulled as hard as I could downward on the tv and nothing moved at all, everything seems pretty sturdy. Should I be worried? Is there something I can test in a week or so, to see if it will continue to hold strong?

Best Answer

Your TV is being supported by two pieces of paper. That should be all you need to know.

The white plaster material in the middle of drywall resists compression. The interaction between the shaft of the bolts and the inner plaster is keeping the load from shearing straight down the wall and will support a significant load.

However, on the front and back of the drywall are two sheets of paper that resists tension, similar to the purpose of rebar in concrete. And the interaction between the threads of the bolts and these two sheets of paper are all that are preventing your TV from being pulled out of the wall. Over time, the top bolts will pull out from vibration, temperature and humidity changes, and especially if you adjust the angle of the TV.

Once those top bolts start to pull through, the paper will tear, the plaster will shear out of the hole, and the TV will only be supported by the lower bolts under a highly leveraged load. Those lower bolts will immediately fail, and you'll have a broken TV on the floor at best, or a broken person that was hit by the TV at worst.

So, as everyone else has already said, remount the TV to proper structure.