How much does TV wall mounting cost?

Solid masonry — brick or block — is the most straightforward. The right plugs and screws into sound brickwork will hold any domestic television comfortably.

Plasterboard on studs needs the bracket fixed into the timber studs, not the board. Board fixings alone will not hold a large TV over time, whatever the packaging claims. Stud spacing sometimes means the TV cannot go exactly where you wanted it, which is a conversation worth having before drilling.

Dot-and-dab plasterboard over masonry is the one that catches people out. There is a void behind the board, so fixings must reach through into the brick with the right length of screw — a short fixing pulls out taking a chunk of board with it.

Metal stud partitions, common in flats and newer builds, need specific fixings again.

A good installer establishes what the wall is before quoting. If someone quotes over the phone without asking, that is worth noting.

Three options, and the price difference between them is significant.

Leaving them visible costs nothing and looks like it. Fine behind a unit, less so on a bare wall.

Trunking — a plastic channel on the wall surface, paintable to match — is cheap, quick and reversible. It is the sensible middle option and it is often what people actually want once they hear the price of the alternative.

In-wall concealment means chasing a channel into the wall, running cables inside, and making good afterwards. It looks best and costs £50–£150 on top. Important: mains cable inside a wall is electrical work with its own requirements, so the usual approach is a proper in-wall power kit with sockets at both ends rather than simply burying an extension lead — which is not safe and is not compliant.

Agree which you are having before work starts, and where the power socket will be.

Most televisions get mounted too high. The comfortable position has the centre of the screen at roughly seated eye level, which is usually lower than instinct suggests. Sit on your sofa and have someone hold the TV up before anything is drilled.

Above a fireplace is popular and is the most common cause of neck strain, because it forces a permanent upward viewing angle. If you are set on it, a tilting bracket helps considerably. Also consider heat — a working fire or stove can push warm air up the chimney breast, and manufacturers set operating temperature limits.

Brackets come as fixed, tilting or full-motion. Fixed is cheapest and sits closest to the wall. Tilting suits higher mounting. Full-motion arms swing out, need more clearance and cost most, but they are genuinely useful in rooms with more than one seating position.

Check the VESA pattern of your TV matches the bracket before buying either.

Choose trunking over in-wall concealment unless the look really matters. It saves most of the extra cost.

Buy your own bracket, having checked the VESA pattern and the weight rating against your TV.

Mount at normal height on a normal wall. Fireplaces, chimney breasts and awkward corners all add time.

Bundle it with other jobs — a handyman mounting the TV, fitting a shelf and hanging a mirror in one visit costs far less than three call-outs.

And know your wall type before asking for prices. It is the single thing that most changes the quote.