Worked case: a 65-inch TV on a pull-down mount above a brick fireplace — what happens and what it costs

The scenario

A living room has a brick fireplace running up to the ceiling, with a wood mantel at about shoulder height. The household wants the TV above it, but a screen on a fixed mount there would sit near the ceiling.

The fireplace is used on cold evenings. The installer checks the wall above the mantel for heat with the fire running, because a screen has an operating temperature range.

A pull-down mount parks the TV high and brings it down in front of the mantel when it is watched. The household has no mount, so one is supplied.

The mantel is deep enough that the screen, once lowered, hangs clear of the front edge. The household wants to keep the brick as it is, with no paint and no cut openings, so every cord route goes around it.

What the job involves

1. With the fire running, the wall above the mantel is checked for heat and compared with the TV maker's operating range.
2. The mortar joints are identified, and anchor spots are chosen in the solid brick rather than in the joints.
3. Sleeve anchors are set after a masonry bit has made the holes, and a level confirms the bracket.
4. The arms and the TV are assembled, and the TV is hung and locked.
5. The pull-down travel is tested for clearance past the front of the mantel.
6. A raceway along the edge of the brick carries the cords to the outlet without cutting the masonry.

Hardware and materials

• Pull-down fireplace mount with gas-spring arms
• Masonry sleeve anchors, masonry bit and hammer drill
• Level, laser line, painter's tape
• Paintable raceway
• Optional heat thermometer for the wall check

Add-ons often paired with this job

• Hide the wires inside the wall — +$88–$148. An in-wall run would have to go around the masonry, so the raceway is the usual choice.
• Mount a soundbar as well — +$48–$78. The bar goes below the TV's lowered position or on the mantel.
• Take down an existing TV first — +$38–$76. Taking an old set off the wall first is a separate charge.

Why it is done this way

Brick takes a bolt well, as long as the anchor lands in the brick and not the joint, and the wrong drill speed is the usual way a face cracks.

Heat is the fireplace's main effect on a screen. The wall is measured; guessing is a poor approach.

A cut into brick for cords is hard to repair, so a raceway is the neater route.

A pull-down mount is heavier than a fixed one, so the bolts are sized to the arm's reach and the brick's soundness. A cracked or crumbling brick would move the anchor to a different spot altogether.

What would change the price

• The brick is a veneer, which calls for longer anchors that reach the structure behind it.
• The wall above the mantel runs too hot, and the screen goes elsewhere.
• A gas fireplace vents heat into the same wall.
• A bigger screen than 65 inches moves the job to the next size band.
• The household already owns a pull-down mount, which removes the supplied-mount charge.