Can you mount a TV above a fireplace? A guide for Inland Empire homes

What we do and do not do

• We do: find the studs, mount the bracket, hang the TV, level it and set the tilt. We can also run a paintable surface raceway for the cables.
• We do not: move or add outlets, run power inside the wall, or install in-wall power kits. If you want an outlet behind the TV, hire a licensed electrician first.
• Brick, stone and tile: a custom quote. They need different anchors and more time. Choose Brick, stone or tile on the TV mounting page and send the form.
• We do not judge your fireplace. We cannot tell you if your fireplace is safe to build above. Your fireplace maker or a chimney professional can.

Height: why fireplaces make TVs sit too high

The usual advice is to put the center of the screen about at seated eye level. Per Sanus, a mount maker, forty-two inches from the floor to the center of the TV is the optimal viewing height. The blog post is dated December 6, 2016. A Bob Vila guide also recommends mounting a TV at eye level for optimal viewing. The guide was updated July 17, 2023. Sony's help guide for a BRAVIA TV says that when you are seated, your eyes should be level with the center of the screen.

A fireplace pushes the TV up. Bob Vila says to leave a clearance of at least 6 to 12 inches from the top of the mantel to the bottom of the TV. A big screen then puts its center well above 42 inches. A 65 inch TV is about 32 inches tall, so its bottom edge sits at the mantel top plus the gap and the center is another 16 inches higher. Check that sum against your own mantel before you buy.

We looked for a doctor or ergonomics source that measures neck strain from TV height. We did not find one we could open. The only ergonomics results we saw were about computer monitors, so we are not claiming anything medical here. The simple test: if you have to tip your head back to watch, the TV is too high.

The 35 degree figure is Bob Vila's report of SMPTE, not a document we opened ourselves.

Heat: what TV makers say

TV makers publish a temperature range for the room, not for a spot above a fire. A Samsung manual lists an operating temperature of 50°F to 104°F (10°C to 40°C) and operating humidity of 10 percent to 80 percent, non-condensing. We read it on a manual mirror, not on Samsung's own site. An LG manual for its 50LF580V model lists 0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F). The same LG manual lists operating humidity of less than 80 percent.

An LG owner manual (model 60LN5710) says do not place the TV near any heat source such as stoves and other devices that produce heat. It warns that this may result in fire, electric shock, malfunction or product deformation. The LG 50LF580V manual says the distance between the product and the wall should be more than 10 cm. That is about 4 inches. The same manual says do not install the product in a place with no ventilation. A tight mantel gap or a recessed alcove can cut that airflow.

Bob Vila adds that mounting a TV above a fireplace may void the TV's warranty, so read the fine print before you do so. We did not find a TV maker page that says a fireplace is allowed or not allowed. That means the manual for your own TV is the document to read.

• A UK home-security guide suggests running the fire at full for about 30 minutes and measuring at the spot where the TV would hang. It uses a 40°C limit, which matches the TV manuals above (104°F). That guide has some numbers that disagree with each other, so use the idea, not its figures.
• A cheap room thermometer taped where the screen would sit, read after a long fire, tells you more than any chart.
• Hot air rises, so the wall right above the opening is the spot to test, not the room average.

Gas, wood and electric fireplaces

The heat is not the same for all three. We could not open a U.S. code page (NFPA 211 or a fireplace maker's clearance chart) that gives clearance numbers for a TV, so we are not quoting one. What we can say from what we opened:

• The UK guide above lists its own clearances above the fire, which differ by type of fire. These are UK rules written for UK buildings, not California code.
• Some units send heat upward or out of a vent. Read the unit's manual to see where the heat leaves.
• Because the UK guide asks for the most space around wood burners and open fires, a wood fire is the case where another wall is most likely the better choice.
• Bob Vila says to surround the fireplace with a noncombustible barrier. A chimney sweep, the fireplace maker or your city's building department can tell you what applies to yours.

We also read advice online that a mantel shelf shields the TV from heat. We could not find a maker or code source that says so, so we do not repeat it. Treat the mantel as decoration, not protection.

Mount types that help

A fixed mount is flat and close to the wall. Over a fireplace that sends the screen straight out at a high angle. A tilting mount ($45 from us) angles the screen down a few degrees. A full-motion mount ($85 from us) swings out and tilts, which helps when the TV is high, but it holds the TV further from the wall and puts more load on it.

A pull-down mount moves the TV lower when you watch. We did not open a source that tests pull-down mounts, and we do not list one. If you want one, tell us the model before you buy it. We will tell you if we can install it.

Brick, stone and the wall above the fireplace

Many fireplaces in the Inland Empire are faced with brick, stacked stone or tile. We price drywall at a flat $119 to $169 by TV size. Masonry is different. It needs masonry anchors and a different drill, and the job takes longer, so we do a custom quote. Send it as a custom request and we will reply with a custom price.

If the TV would hang on drywall above a stone surround, we still check the studs and the wall surface first. A Samsung wall mount guide gives a minimum wood stud size of 51 x 102 mm (2 x 4 in). Per the same guide, screw holes must be drilled in the center of studs. Per the same guide, do not fix the mount to drywall without any reinforcement. Your mount's manual has its own numbers.

Cables and power

Most fireplaces have no outlet nearby, so the cord ends up hanging down the face. We offer a paintable surface raceway for this. We do not run power inside the wall and we do not offer in-wall power kits. For a recessed outlet behind the TV, hire a licensed electrician before we come. Our TV mounting cost guide explains why we do it this way.

Before you book

• Measure from the floor to the top of the mantel. Add the gap you want and half the TV's height. That is the screen center.
• Read your TV manual for the temperature range and the clearance around it.
• Run the fire and check the heat at the spot where the TV would hang.
• Look up your fireplace make and model. Its manual may have a rule about what can be above it.
• Photograph the wall, the fireplace and the mantel.
• If you rent or have an HOA, ask first.

When not to do it

• The screen center would sit well above seated eye level and you will watch for hours.
• The spot gets hot or warm air blows up the wall.
• The TV maker says no heat sources nearby and you cannot keep the TV out of that zone.
• It is a working wood fire, which the UK guide treats as needing the most clearance.
• You cannot tell what is behind the surface. Choose Brick, stone or tile on the TV mounting page and send the form, and we will confirm what is behind the surface first.

A good alternative is the wall beside the fireplace or the wall across the room. We mount a TV from $99 on drywall. See our TV mounting page or get a price. We cover Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland and every city within 15 miles.

Common questions

Where this applies

We work in every place within 15 miles of Ontario: Ontario, Upland, Montclair, Chino, Rancho Cucamonga, Claremont, Alta Loma, Eastvale, Pomona, Etiwanda, Chino Hills, Jurupa Valley, La Verne, Norco, Fontana, San Dimas, Diamond Bar, Corona, Walnut, Rialto, Covina, Glendora.

Related services: TV mounting, Instant quote.

More guides

• TV Mounting Cost in the Inland Empire
• TV Size and Mounting Height for Your Room
• Mounting a Samsung Frame TV, and Options for Renters

Sources

1. Sanus blog, "How High Should I Mount My TV?" (42 inches to center, tilting mount). December 6, 2016. “Forty-two inches from the floor to the center of the television is optimal viewing height”
2. Bob Vila, "How High to Mount Your TV on the Wall" (42 inch center, 6 to 12 inches above mantel, SMPTE 35 degrees as reported, warranty note). Updated July 17, 2023. “recommend mounting a TV at eye level for optimal viewing”
3. Sony BRAVIA 6 help guide (eyes level with the center of the screen when seated). “When seated, your eyes should be level with the centre of the screen”
4. Bob Vila, "How High to Mount Your TV on the Wall" (42 inch center, 6 to 12 inches above mantel, SMPTE 35 degrees as reported, warranty note). Updated July 17, 2023. “leave a clearance of at least 6 to 12 inches from the top of the mantel to the bottom of the TV”
5. Bob Vila, "How High to Mount Your TV on the Wall" (42 inch center, 6 to 12 inches above mantel, SMPTE 35 degrees as reported, warranty note). Updated July 17, 2023. “viewers need to tilt their heads up more than 35 degrees from eye level in order to see the top of the screen”
6. Bob Vila, "How High to Mount Your TV on the Wall" (42 inch center, 6 to 12 inches above mantel, SMPTE 35 degrees as reported, warranty note). Updated July 17, 2023. “screen downward is one way to position it higher than eye level”
7. Samsung 6 Series user manual, environmental section (50 to 104°F, humidity), copy on ManualsLib. “operating temperature 50°F to 104°F (10°C to 40°C) operating humidity 10% to 80%, non-condensing”
8. LG 50LF580V owner manual (safety: heat sources, 10 cm wall distance, ventilation; specs 0 to 40°C). “Operating Temperature 0 °C to 40 °C”
9. LG 50LF580V owner manual (safety: heat sources, 10 cm wall distance, ventilation; specs 0 to 40°C). “operating humidity less than 80 %”
10. LG 60LN5710 owner manual (safety: heat sources). “Near any heat source such as stoves and other devices that produce heat”
11. LG 60LN5710 owner manual (safety: heat sources). “Otherwise, this may result in fire, electric shock, malfunction or product deformation”
12. LG 50LF580V owner manual (safety: heat sources, 10 cm wall distance, ventilation; specs 0 to 40°C). “The distance between the product and the wall should be more than 10 cm”
13. LG 50LF580V owner manual (safety: heat sources, 10 cm wall distance, ventilation; specs 0 to 40°C). “Do not install the product in a place with no ventilation”
14. Bob Vila, "How High to Mount Your TV on the Wall" (42 inch center, 6 to 12 inches above mantel, SMPTE 35 degrees as reported, warranty note). Updated July 17, 2023. “may void the TV’s warranty, so read the fine print before you do so”
15. Home security guide (UK), "TV Mounting Above a Fireplace" (30 minute heat test, 40°C, UK clearances; some figures conflict). Undated. “run the fire on maximum for 30 minutes and check”
16. Home security guide (UK), "TV Mounting Above a Fireplace" (30 minute heat test, 40°C, UK clearances; some figures conflict). Undated. “Run the fire on maximum for 30 minutes and check. If it exceeds 40”
17. Bob Vila, "How High to Mount Your TV on the Wall" (42 inch center, 6 to 12 inches above mantel, SMPTE 35 degrees as reported, warranty note). Updated July 17, 2023. “with a noncombustible barrier surrounding the entire fireplace”
18. Samsung Slim Fit wall mount installation guide (stud size, drywall warning, pilot holes). “Minimum wood stud size: 51 x 102 mm (2 x 4 in)”
19. Samsung Slim Fit wall mount installation guide (stud size, drywall warning, pilot holes). “screw holes must be drilled in the center of studs”
20. Samsung Slim Fit wall mount installation guide (stud size, drywall warning, pilot holes). “Do not fix it to drywall without any reinforcement”

Written by Foothill Home Services. Local prices on this page are our own draft rates from the price list the quote tool uses. Where we quote an outside page, the quote is linked in the sources above, and we last checked this page on October 13, 2026. Other outside figures are described as the source reports them.