Forget Studs: Here's An Easy Way To Mount A TV Without Drilling

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Wall-mounting a TV can have a lot of practical and aesthetic benefits — not only does it look sleeker and more streamlined, but you're able to mount your TV at an ideal viewing height. In small living rooms and bedrooms, this could also save space and visual clutter by eliminating the need for a bulky TV stand or console. All these advantages are wonderful ... unless you're a renter and can't drill any holes in your walls. Luckily, there's a product that helps you get your TV on the wall without needing to find studs or drill large holes. Whether you're a tenant or just hesitant to use special tools, consider a no-stud TV wall mount, like the HangSmart TV Wall Mount.

No-stud wall mounts are designed to distribute the weight of the TV across the mount to make it possible to safely install them on common wall materials like drywall without drilling into studs. This means they don't require a stud finder or electric drill; usually a hammer and screwdriver is all that's needed for installation. These typically hang by small pin nails driven into the wall at downward angles, so they will leave a tiny hole behind, but these are smaller and easier to cover than the drill holes required for stud mounts. In most cases, a small bit of spackle is all you need for an easy and cheap way to patch nail holes, making it simple to fix up the space when it's time to take the TV down.

The HangSmart TV Wall Mount uses just a few included nails to secure the TV to the wall via a pair of hanging brackets, but it holds screens up to 100 inches in size and has a weight capacity of 150 pounds. Similar products consist of a single bar that attaches to the wall, such as the Commercial Electric No Stud Fixed TV Wall Mount; it's a bit cheaper at around $30 and has a stud-mount option but only holds 20- to 57-inch TVs weighing up to 100 pounds. Whatever model you choose, these products show there's simply no need for bulky entertainment centers and other clunky furniture, because they make mounting a TV accessible for almost anyone, even if you can't drill into studs.

There are some cons to no-stud TV mounts. While the mounts typically fit various VESA wall mount screw sizes and configurations to work with standard flatscreens, they are usually fixed, so you can't adjust the angle of the TV to optimize the viewing angle. You won't find products with an articulating or swivel arm (it would disrupt the weight distribution), meaning they're only good for layouts where you don't need to move the TV. If glare from a room light or incoming sunlight is an issue for your viewing experience at certain times of day, no-stud mounts provide no way to adjust the angle to fix it. No-stud mounts also rely on the structural integrity of the wall itself, which can be less reliable than wooden studs. For example, faulty drywall may cause a failure, potentially resulting in a broken TV. However, with good conditions and careful installation, many renters and novice DIYers are happy with no-stud mounting systems.