Would a sheet of aluminum help with mounting a <20lb computer monitor to wall without studs?

Question

I want to mount a 27inch 12lb computer monitor to a wall where the position of the stud doesn't work. I'm thinking of going with this mount and Toggler Snaptoggles.

I know the optimal thing to do would be to bridge the two studs and then mount to the bridge but I don't think the weight of my TVs presents a great enough risk of failure to justify tearing into the wall. I guess I could just put the bridge on top of the drywall but then it will be visible on either the left or right side of monitor. That being said I'd like to minimize the risk of failure as much as possible if I can without ripping into the wall. One idea I had would be to put a sheet of aluminum the is wider and taller than the wall mount in between the wall and the wall mount. I could then use an additional 4-6 bolts to spread out the load. It would look something like this (ignore scale and where angles aren't 90 degrees)...

Would using the sheet of aluminum to spread out the weight significantly reduce the risk of failure or is this pointless?. If it is pointless then is it really worth adding a bridge from stud to stud for such a relatively low amount of weight?

Answer 1

Aluminum wont help much, unless it is quite thick. It will bend easily, without distributing the weight evenly over the extra anchors.

If you go with a non articulating mount, so the monitor is against the wall, you may be able to get away with strong drywall anchors. With an articulating mount I wouldnt risk it.

I would get a small piece of cheap but decent looking wood to span the studs, and screw it on over the drywall with 2 screws in each stud. Then paint it to match the wall. Screw the mount into that.

A 27" monitor may not weigh all that much, but the movement and lever force from the arm mean whatever is holding it needs to support a lot more than 12lbs. Personally, I wouldnt want to have it fall on my foot, and then have to buy a new monitor!