Mouting TV bracket on a plywood wall?

[PET84]

Hi,

I have stud walls in my room with 18mm plywood screwed into the studs and then 12.5mm drywall plasterboard on top of the plywood and then a skim coat on top.

So I was thinking I can mount the TV bracket directly to the wall using m8 x 50mm lag bolts and no need to screw the bracket into the stud(as I have 18mm plywood)because it is a bit difficult to find the stud, what do you think?

I did the same as you and it worked fine. We too attached the tv bracket to plywood in the wall (which my carpenter added himself).

@Smallgoon Thanks for confirming.

ply is often used behind plasterboard in drywalled kitchens because it gives a strong wall suitable for hanging wall cabinets on (they can be very heavy).

Once you have drilled your first hole, you can probe sideways to find where the studs are (usually at 400mm centres) so you can probably put a couple of longer screws in to meet them, which will be even better. I expect your TV wall plate has plenty of holes so you can usually find some in the best place. I sell a special tool to help.

There is no point in using 50mm screws, except into studs, as they will be mostly hanging in fresh air.

if there are sockets and switches on the wall, and it is fairly modern, the cables will probably (should be) run directly vertically or horizontally from them. So try not to drill or screw where they may be, and only go through the thickness of the plaster and ply. Same with pipes, especially radiators.

Just make sure the coach screw doesnt have a long shank or there will be no thread left in the ply. Also be careful of pipes and cables as far as possible, try not to drill in the horizontal or vertical plane of an accessory/ fitting.

I'd probably avoid coach screws and use 5x40 screws. This will hang through by no more than 8mm (less depending on bracket thickness).

A good tip for finding studs is to use a magnet. Run it around the wall until it sticks to the nails used to fix the plaster board to the stud. Then move the magnet down. The other nails should be in a straight line, so that's the stud.
Alternatively if the stud isnt where you want to put the tv, I used a wall plug that stretches into a star shape behind the plaster board and is supposed to take lot of weight.

That’s a brilliant tip! There are also electronic stud finders available and you can drill small pilot holes to check you’ve got it right before you drill the proper ones.

Great idea with the coat hanger, I have a stud finder but no luck as the depth is too great.

Yes I have a power socket and ethernet and aerial ports installed centrally on the wall and wires go up vertically from it and looking to place the bracket around these socket so these socket will end up centre of the bracket.

Ok so I will try to find the stud with the coat hanger but if the stud are not central I guess I can still screw directly into the ply as the TV is only 55 inch in size and weighs 15kg and I will probably use shorter lag bolts probably m6 x 40 or 45mm or m8 so Iam not screwing into thin air...

I've attached a photo to give you a idea what my wall looks like..

you don't want to pay me £25 for a coat hanger, then?

@PigletJohn

you don't want to pay me £25 for a coat hanger, then?

haha thanks for the coat hanger trick I managed to locate the studs with it today. @PigletJohn

Don't assume that the cables are exactly vertical. If they wiggle round obstructions it could be some way off vertical. The standards say cabling should be vertical or horizontal of accessories but it's not unusual for it to wonder a little!