Worked case: a 55-inch TV on an exposed brick wall in a downtown loft — masonry anchors, the building's rules and the price range

The scenario

Picture a second-floor loft in an older brick building a few blocks from the rail line, converted to apartments with the original brick wall left exposed. The living area has tall ceilings, a long steel-framed window and ductwork overhead. The exposed brick wall is the only long wall in the room.

The household wants a 55-inch screen on that wall, set low enough for a sofa a few feet back. The building's management decides what can be drilled, and this one asks for notice, set hours and a contractor's paperwork. A conduit runs vertically up the wall close to one end, and the outlet the TV will use sits at floor height beside it.

The mount is supplied as part of the job, because the household has no bracket and wants a tilting one that can angle the picture away from the window glare in the afternoon.

What the job involves

1. The building's management is asked about hours, notice and what can be drilled into the brick wall, and the answer is kept with the unit's papers.
2. A tape outline shows the screen, and the installer checks it at the hour the room is brightest, since the steel window throws a long reflection across the room.
3. A scanner and a close look along the conduit show where wiring and pipes run, and the position keeps clear of them by a wide margin.
4. The plate is held against the wall, the bolt holes are marked, and a hammer drill with a masonry bit opens each hole to the stated depth, with the dust cleared before the anchor goes in.
5. Sleeve anchors are set into the brick faces and not into the mortar joints, the plate goes on, a laser line confirms it is level, and the TV is hung and locked.
6. The cables follow a slim painted raceway down to the outlet beside the conduit, so nothing is cut into the brick.

Hardware and materials

• Tilting mount supplied for a mid-size TV
• Sleeve anchors sized for solid brick
• Hammer drill, masonry bits, a vacuum for the dust
• Scanner for conduit and metal, laser line
• Paintable raceway with a snap-on cover

Add-ons often paired with this job

• Mount a soundbar as well — +$50–$80. A bar below the TV needs its own anchors in the brick.
• Full-motion (articulating) mount — +$30–$50. A longer reach asks more of brick, and the position must stay clear of the conduit.
• Take down an existing TV first — +$40–$80. Taking down a set already on the wall is separate.

Why it is done this way

Mortar is the weakest part of masonry, and an anchor set into a joint is the common way a brick-wall mount fails. The anchors go into the face of the brick, at the depth the maker states, with the dust blown out before they are set.

In loft and concrete buildings, the building's management decides what can be drilled, and many ask for notice, set hours and a contractor's paperwork. Brick and concrete need masonry anchors, and the installer checks for wiring, pipes and conduit before drilling.

A brick wall has no cavity, so there is no room for an in-wall kit. A raceway painted to match is the clean choice and is what loft owners usually expect.

The brick-and-stone line in the typical range pays for the slower drilling and the anchors. A new outlet, if the existing one is in the wrong spot, belongs to an electrician and is outside this scenario.

What would change the price

• The brick is soft or crumbling, which calls for different anchors or a different spot.
• The scan finds conduit where the plate would go, so the plate moves.
• The building limits the hours, and the visit follows them.
• A larger TV changes the plate size and the number of anchors.
• A swing arm adds reach and load on the anchors.