Removing a TV wall bracket before moving house
The Abimeister team · Updated · 5 min read
Moving house usually means the TV has to come off the wall, and most people only realise how it was put up once they are standing in front of it with a screwdriver. A wall-mounted TV is heavier and more awkwardly balanced than it looks, and the bracket is often fixed with anchors that were never meant to come out again. This guide covers what to prepare, the order to work in, the mistake that catches most people out, how to patch the wall afterwards, and whether the bracket is worth bringing to the new flat.
What you need before you unscrew anything
Get a second pair of hands before you start. Even a 32-inch television is awkward to hold one-handed while undoing a locking screw with the other, and larger sets are genuinely heavy enough to cause an injury if they tip. This is not a job to do alone on a stepladder.
You will need a screwdriver set or a socket set matching the bolts on the bracket arm, a stud finder or at least a torch to check what is behind the plaster, a filler knife, ready-mixed filler, fine sandpaper, and a dust sheet or old blanket to lay the television on once it is down. If you plan to repaint, keep a small pot of matching paint or budget for a fresh coat over the whole wall, since patched spots rarely match old paint exactly.
- Screwdriver or socket set for the bracket bolts
- Second person to take the weight of the TV
- Stud finder or torch to check the wall
- Filler knife, ready-mixed filler, fine sandpaper
- Dust sheet or blanket to rest the TV on
- Small pot of matching paint, if you intend to touch up
The right order for taking down the TV and the bracket
Start with the television, not the bracket. Unclip or unscrew it from the mounting plate first, with one person supporting its weight while the other releases the locking mechanism. Most brackets have a small lever or bolt that has to be pushed or turned before the plate slides free; check the underside before pulling.
Set the TV down flat on a blanket, screen facing up, away from foot traffic. Then unscrew the arm from the wall plate, and finally take the wall plate off the wall itself. Working in this order means you are never holding a loose television and undoing a wall fixing at the same time.
Keep every bolt, washer and the small plastic spacers in a labelled bag or box. If you decide to reuse the bracket, this is what saves you a trip to the hardware shop later, since the exact bolts are not always a standard size.
The most common mistake with this job
The mistake almost everyone makes is turning the last bolt without anyone holding the television, on the assumption that the bracket alone will keep it in place a second longer. Many wall mounts release the moment the final fixing is loose, and a falling screen is one of the more expensive things to drop in a home.
The second version of the same mistake is prying at anchors with a flat screwdriver to speed things up. In panel buildings the wall behind the plaster can be quite thin concrete, and forcing a stuck anchor often takes a fist-sized chunk of plaster with it, turning a five-minute patch into a proper repair.
How to close up the holes left in the wall
Once the bracket is off, pull or unscrew the anchors rather than knocking them flush into the wall, since a hidden anchor can cause problems for whoever drills there next. Vacuum out the dust from each hole, then fill with ready-mixed filler using a small filler knife, slightly overfilling since it shrinks a little as it dries.
Leave it to dry fully, usually overnight, then sand flush with fine sandpaper and wipe away the dust. On plasterboard walls, larger holes from toggle bolts may need a scrap of mesh tape first so the filler has something to grip. A final coat of paint over the patched area, or the whole wall if the old paint has faded unevenly around it, finishes the job.
Can you take the bracket to your new home
Physically, yes, most brackets unbolt from the wall plate and travel perfectly well in a box. Whether it is worth doing depends more on the new wall and the new television. A bracket rated for a 40-inch set will not necessarily suit a larger one bought later, and VESA hole patterns vary between TV models, so check the pattern printed on the bracket against the mounting holes on the back of your next television.
The other variable is the wall itself. A bracket bought for solid brick or concrete needs different anchors on a plasterboard stud wall, and panel-building walls sometimes need yet another type again. Bringing the bracket costs nothing, but budget for new anchors and possibly a new wall plate rather than assuming the old fixings will do.
When to stop and call someone in
If the anchors will not budge, if the television is a large or unusually heavy model, or if you are not confident holding it safely with a helper, it is a reasonable point to call in a professional rather than risk the screen or your back. This kind of removal and patching work fits within our hourly rate, from 39 € an hour with a 25 € call-out in Tallinn that is deducted if the job goes ahead.
It is also worth thinking ahead: if you are mounting the same or a new television at your next address, that is a separate job we quote for TV wall mounting, from 65 € per job, and any repainting after patching falls under our painting and decorating work, from 12 € per job.
Take the TV off before the bracket, never let go of the screen until the last bolt is out, and check the wall and VESA pattern before assuming the old bracket will suit the new flat.