Winnipesaukee Forum - WinnisquamZ - Your fireplace and flat screen

Hey WinnisquamZ.

The photo of your fireplace caught my eye (will moving water freeze thread). I have a very similar set-up...only the chimney extends upward further due to a cathedral ceiling. Like you, I have a wood burning stove inserted into the original opening and lots of natural stone which in my case, and I assume yours, varies slightly in terms of bump-outs. In other words, it's not a perfectly flat surface. We almost never use our fireplace.

The location above the firebox however is perfect for a large flatscreen in our room. But I'm not sure how to affix it to the stone. Did you do that, or did you connect it to the ceiling (which wouldn't be an option for me)? I'm also thinking I'd want the TV to be lower since I've read installing it high up isn't the most comfortable viewing position (is that fiction???). I've even thought of purchasing a bracket that would allow me to lower the TV even lower when using it, in which case it would partially cover the firebox (we don't have a mantle) and, again, we seldom have a fire though I want to preserve the option to do so). I do hear that a hot fire isn't going to make my TV very happy.

I know there are plenty of brackets out there but just not sure how to establish the flat surface. I'm thinking mounting directly to the stone would be preferable with some sort of hanger type bolts that work with stone. Putting in a plywood base would be an option too except it would mean another 1/2" of protrusion into the room and I'd still have to figure out how to get the plywood perfectly flat.

How did you affix your TV to that uneven surface? Has anyone out there had a similar situation and successful result?