# Best screws for mounting a TV mount to a wall?



## 2Dumb2Fix (Nov 18, 2021)

I want to buy and install a new wall mount. I never mounted or installed a TV mount before.
I was thinking of just using good old regular coarse drywall screws but not sure if that's right application for the job.

Would anyone know whats the best screws to mount a tv mount to a wall? I have wood studs.


----------



## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

The wall mount will come with a plethora of screws that you can use. They are metric, so be aware and have a set of hex head sockets available. Make sure you can locate your studs and apply the bracket over them. And, no sheetrock screws won't work.


----------



## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

Just make sure you hit the studs. After that, it does not matter too much, buuuut.....
The proper screw is called a wood screw. Probably a round head or pan head would work best, depending on your bracket. I would want at least 1" engagement into the wood, so that would be a 2" long screw. #8 or #10. Best to pre-drill, with a bit just smaller than the minor diameter of the screw.


----------



## 2Dumb2Fix (Nov 18, 2021)

SPS-1 said:


> Just make sure you hit the studs. After that, it does not matter too much, buuuut.....
> The proper screw is called a wood screw. Probably a round head or pan head would work best, depending on your bracket. I would want at least 1" engagement into the wood, so that would be a 2" long screw. #8 or #10. Best to pre-drill, with a bit just smaller than the minor diameter of the screw.


thank you very much. So just standard wood screws.. okay then thank you


----------



## 2Dumb2Fix (Nov 18, 2021)

chandler48 said:


> The wall mount will come with a plethora of screws that you can use. They are metric, so be aware and have a set of hex head sockets available. Make sure you can locate your studs and apply the bracket over them. And, no sheetrock screws won't work.


ok thanks! im watching some youtube videos right now.. Im seeing theres alot of options


----------



## Half-fast eddie (Sep 19, 2020)

How to hang big screen tv


Questions come up occasionally on how to mount a tv, so i thought i would post a few pictures of how i just did mine. In the first pic, the studs are the small yellow strips, and the point of the diamond is the center of the space between the windows. Of course the studs aren’t centered, and...




www.diychatroom.com


----------



## wrbrb (Aug 18, 2020)

I would not use standard wood screws. My fairly cheap TV mount, for a 50" TV, came with lag screws that were probably 1/4" in diameter. I cut away the plaster several inches below where I needed to drill, to find the exact left and right sides of the studs, marked those edges up the wall to where I did need to drill, in order to make sure I was drilling into the exact center of the studs.


----------



## zanydroid (12 mo ago)

You want fasteners that have some guarantee of shear strength. One would hope the old school massive lag screws that come with the mount are rated for that when driven into a stud. They'll also properly dock with the mount without additional hardware like washers.

PowerLags and cabinet screws if you want some modern high-tech options.

As said several times already, drywall screws are a meme of being weak. I don't know if it's true or not, hopefully there's some facts behind the humor. Anyway, there's no rating on their packaging for shear strength etc, and they're not marketed for that purpose. While PowerLags, cabinet screws, and other such structural screws have all these specs up on the packaging and the manufacturer website.


----------



## HotRodx10 (Aug 24, 2017)

First question is what kind of mount is it? Is it one that hangs the TV flat against the wall, or one of the articulating mounts that allows you to pull the TV away from the wal 8, 10, or 12 inches? Huge difference in what is needed to secure them to the wall.


----------



## Fish_Stick (Feb 28, 2017)

On my wall mounts I've used Spax Powerlags with the t-star head. Probably overkill but I'd rather have that than a tv on the floor. I would not use a standard wood screw because of the head size. You only need 4 of them and most places sell them individually. I've seen too many pictures of failed installs where they cheap out on the screws or anchors.


----------



## AHovel (Oct 3, 2021)

Also depends if your wall is drywall or solid wall and yeah you may want to find studs to screw into?


----------



## Half-fast eddie (Sep 19, 2020)

zanydroid said:


> You want fasteners that have some guarantee of shear strength. One would hope the old school massive lag screws that come with the mount


Massive is correct. The screws that came with my mount were large enough that inwas concerned with splitting the studs, particularly if the screw wasn’t exactly in the middle of the stud.

And there’s nothing wrong with washers under screw heads.


----------



## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

Be sure to use the topmost holes on the wall mounting bars or bracket or plate regardless of the shape or style or mechanics of the TV mount assembly..

Fat screws and especially lag bolts (I guess a 3/16" hole for a 1/4 inch screw shank) need pilot holes drilled into the stud first.


----------



## zanydroid (12 mo ago)

Half-fast eddie said:


> Massive is correct. The screws that came with my mount were large enough that inwas concerned with splitting the studs, particularly if the screw wasn’t exactly in the middle of the stud.
> 
> And there’s nothing wrong with washers under screw heads.


I don’t think the chance of splitting will be that high with predrilled holes.

The schtick behind those high tech screws is that they are narrow and self drilling, slicing through wood like butter with modest power drills, yet have the same strength as a huge lag.


----------

