Insulated plasterboard is a popular choice for loft or garage conversions, or to reduce heating bills in solid-walled homes. If you’re looking to mount a TV (or any other heavy objects) onto a wall fitted with insulated plasterboard, there is a simple rule to keep in mind: you don’t mount to the insulated plasterboard, but through it and into the structure behind.
The best fixings and approaches to achieve this will depend on how the insulated plasterboard is fixed, and the structure of your wall.
How to check the construction of your wall
If you’re not sure what construction your wall uses, or how the insulated plasterboard is fixed, there are a few quick steps to check.
Start by running a magnetic stud detector over the wall. If the insulated plasterboard has been screwed in place, the detector should find the studs, universally known as stud finders.
This means you likely either have timber stud walls or that the insulated plasterboard has been fixed to battens on a masonry wall. To confirm which it is, drill a small pilot hole through the insulated plasterboard to one side of where you detected the fixings. If you eventually hit a brick, it’s a masonry wall, otherwise it’s likely a stud wall.
If the detector doesn’t stick to anything then insulated plasterboard is probably glued to the masonry using a so-called ‘dot and dab’ approach. We’ll look at how to handle this first.
Mounting a TV on dot and dab insulated plasterboard
In a dot and dab approach, the installer applies ‘dots’ of adhesive to the brickwork. The plasterboard is then pushed onto these to stick it in place. There are a few fixing options for dot and dab walls including anchor bolts or specialist steel-cored rawl plugs which transfer the load through the plasterboard and into the wall. To find the right option, you’ll need to check the manufacturer's guidelines for the fixing to ensure they’re designed for dot and dab walls and that they can support the weight of the TV and bracket.
In all cases, you’ll need to drill through the plasterboard and into the masonry wall behind ensuring you use a bit that is wide and long enough for the fixing (again, these should be clearly explained on the box for the fixing). For anchor bolts, which are often quite wide, you may need to start by drilling a small hole and work your way up to the appropriately sized bit.
NOTE: It is important to ensure the hole you’ve drilled goes into the brick or blockwork and not the mortar line between. If the bit goes in extremely easy, you’ve likely hit a mortar line and will need to adjust the placement of the bracket.
Mounting a TV on insulated plasterboard fixed to battens
If the plasterboard is screwed into timber battens, you’ll need to secure the bracket directly to these. Start by using the detector to find the studs, marking them as you go. In most cases these should be at regular intervals (usually every 400 – 600 mm). As the TV bracket will need to be fixed to at least two battens, it’s best to check that the bracket you pick has some adjustment allowing the fixings to be lined up with your battens. Once everything is marked up, you should be able to fix the bracket using self-tapping wood screws (checking the manufacturer information to confirm the fixings can take the weight of your TV).
If you haven’t installed the insulated plasterboard yet, another good tip is to fit 18 mm plywood sheets on 25 x 50 mm battens between the main 50 x 50 mm battens. This gives you a continuous substrate, allowing you to fix the TV bracket wherever you like with self-tapping wood screws.
Mounting a TV on a stud wall fitted with insulated plasterboard
In the case of timber stud walls, your approach should be more or less the same as for battened masonry walls. Use a stud detector to identify and mark the position of the studs then fix the bracket to these with appropriate self-tapping wood screws.
