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I'm trying to mount a 50 inch TV (25 lbs) over a fireplace using a Sanus tilt mount. The previous homeowner had a TV mounted over the fireplace so I assume it's doable, but I'm not sure what the size and weight of the TV were as well as the type of mount and hardware they used.

I've located the studs and their centers. Based on what I read these are furring strips, but I'm not sure. They are 3 and 1/4 inch by 1.5 inch. The depth of the drywall is 1/2 inch. So I can work only with 2 inch (1/2 inch of drywall plus 1.5 inch of the wood) of the width of the wall to secure the mount to. I don't know what's behind the studs, there seems to be at least 1 inch of void after the studs. The supplied lag bolts are a little over 2.5 inch long, so if I use them, they'll be extending 1/2 inch from the wood into the void.

The manual asks for minimum of 3 and 1/2 inches of the depth of the wood, while these studs are only 1 and 1/2 inch deep.

Given the fairly light TV (25 lbs) plus maybe another 10 lbs of the mount, would it be safe to mount this using the existing hardware? Also it's a tilt type mount, so less load comparing to full motion mounts, if I understand that correctly.

Please let me know if this hardware will suffice for this amount of load, or I need to find another type of bolts.

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  • You should really take a look at the plethora of posts at this site that explain why mounting a TV over a fireplace is a bad idea. I would encourage you to reconsider your options.
    – Michael Karas ♦
    Jun 4, 2021 at 5:00

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3-1/4" x 1-1/2" ? I have a hunch you simply have 2x4s - which are actually 3-1/2" x 1-1/2" turned flat to provide a heavy duty structure but not be quite as thick as a regular stud wall. If that's the case, as long as you can get screws (but use 2" screws, not 2-1/2") to hold the mount into at least 2 studs, you will be fine.

The void sounds a bit strange. It may be that the original wall was "bumpy", e.g., natural stone rather than flat bricks, and a previous owner built out a wall in front using 2x4s turned sideways for the part in front of the stone in order to avoid having to cut each piece to match the contours of the original wall.

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    Thank you! I should be able to find shorter lag bolts. Yes, I'll be mounting to two studs. You are right, these might be 3-1/2" x 1-1/2" studs turned flat. I got to the attic area and I see them going along up the wall. By void I meant that I poked a thin screwdriver inside the hole I drilled and it's nothing after the wood ends. Although I didn't insert it deep enough. Need to find something long and thin to check how deep it goes. P.S. Pardon for multiple edits. I tried to insert a line brake and it ended up saving my comment every time.
    – lazy_tester
    Jun 4, 2021 at 4:49
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    Site is limited function that way - no line breaks in comments. Even if you shift-return, which appears to work while writing the comment, it just takes them away when posting.
    – Ecnerwal
    Jun 4, 2021 at 14:22

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