Above the Fireplace or Off to the Side? A Professional Installer's Honest Answer on TV Placement

Wayne Lanier
Jun 23
8 min read

It is the most Googled question in home AV: should I mount my TV above the fireplace? Wayne Lanier has installed TVs in hundreds of homes across Garner, Raleigh, Wake Forest, and the Triangle. Here is his real answer, not the diplomatic one.

If you have recently bought a new house, remodeled a living room, or just purchased a new TV, you have probably stared at the wall above your fireplace and wondered. It is tempting. It looks sleek in design photos. It puts the TV in a prominent, central location and solves the problem of where else to put it in a room anchored by a fireplace.

But ask anyone who has actually lived with a TV mounted above a working fireplace, and you will hear a consistent set of complaints. Eye strain. Heat damage. A sore neck from looking up for two hours. A washed-out picture from afternoon glare.

Wayne Lanier has been professionally mounting TVs in homes across the Triangle since 2007. He has seen what works and what does not. Here is his complete, honest guide to TV placement in a living room with a fireplace.

Just moved into a new home and not sure how to set up your entertainment system? Read: Moving to Wake Forest, NC? Here Is What to Know About Setting Up Your Home Entertainment System

1. The Short Answer: It Depends, But Mostly No

The above-fireplace position works in a narrow set of circumstances and fails in a broader set. Most homeowners who choose it do so because it seems like the obvious solution, not because it delivers the best viewing experience. Here is exactly why.

2. The Problems With Mounting Above the Fireplace TV Placement

Viewing Angle Is Too High

This is the biggest issue, and it is physics. The ideal TV viewing angle places the center of the screen at or slightly below eye level when you are seated. For most sofas and living rooms, that means the center of the screen should be somewhere between 40 and 48 inches from the floor.

A fireplace mantel in most homes sits between 48 and 60 inches off the ground. Mount a 65-inch TV above that and the center of the screen lands somewhere between 72 and 84 inches high, which is more than two feet above where it should be. You spend every movie and every game with your neck tilted back. Over an evening, this becomes genuinely uncomfortable. Over months and years, it causes real neck strain.

Wayne says: "If a homeowner tells me they want the TV above the fireplace, the first thing I ask is whether they have ever watched a two-hour movie with the TV in that position. Most have not. I always recommend we try it for a week with the TV temporarily placed before committing to a permanent mount."

Heat Rises, and Heat Damages Electronics

If you have a gas fireplace or a wood-burning fireplace that you actually use, heat is a genuine concern. TVs are designed to operate within a specific temperature range. Sustained exposure to heat from a working fireplace, even a few feet below the screen, accelerates the degradation of the panel, the backlight, and internal components.

Manufacturers' warranties almost universally exclude damage caused by heat exposure. If your TV fails after years above an active fireplace, the repair or replacement is on you.

The exception is electric fireplaces with no real heat output, or decorative fireplaces that are never actually used. In those cases, heat is not a concern.

Glare and Ambient Light

Fireplaces are typically located on an interior wall opposite a window or an exterior wall with natural light. In many living room layouts, placing the TV above the fireplace puts it directly in the path of afternoon sun, creating glare that washes out the picture at exactly the time of day when people most often watch. The better TV wall is one perpendicular to windows, so natural light falls to the side rather than directly onto the screen.

Wiring Is More Complicated

Running power and HDMI cables to a TV mounted above a fireplace typically requires working through a brick, stone, or tile surround, which is significantly more complex than a standard drywall installation. In some cases, the chase between the TV location and the nearest outlet or equipment location is obstructed by fireplace framing, requiring creative routing solutions.

This does not mean it cannot be done cleanly. Wayne has done it many times. But an above-fireplace mount often adds cost and complexity compared to a standard wall installation.

3. When Above-Fireplace Actually Works

There are scenarios where the above-fireplace position is genuinely the right call:

The fireplace is decorative or electric and generates no heat
The room's architecture makes every other TV wall impractical or structurally difficult
A full-motion articulating mount is used, allowing the TV to tilt forward and down by 15 to 20 degrees to partially compensate for the height
The viewing distance is long enough, typically 15 feet or more, that the elevated position has less impact on neck angle
The TV is a secondary screen in a room where casual, short-duration viewing is the primary use

Even in these cases, Wayne recommends a full-motion mount over a fixed flat mount. The ability to tilt the TV down toward the viewer significantly reduces the neck strain that comes with elevated placement.

4. The Better Alternatives: Where Wayne Actually Recommends Putting the TV

Option 1: The Adjacent Wall (Most Often the Right Answer)

In most living rooms with a fireplace, the wall perpendicular to the fireplace, one of the two side walls, is the ideal TV location. It separates the TV focal point from the fireplace focal point, creates a comfortable viewing angle, avoids heat and glare problems, and usually provides a simpler wiring path.

The common objection is that it splits the room between two focal points. In practice, most furniture arrangements adapt naturally to a side-wall TV. A sectional or L-shaped sofa can face both the fireplace and the TV with equal ease.

Option 2: Built-In or Recessed Installation

For rooms where the fireplace is centered on the main wall and there is no other obvious option, a built-in or recessed installation that places the TV within the fireplace surround, beside rather than above the firebox, can be an elegant solution. This requires carpentry work, but the result is a clean, custom look that eliminates all the problems of the above-fireplace position.

Option 3: A Full-Motion Articulating Mount

For homeowners who want the TV above the fireplace aesthetically but know the viewing angle is a problem, full-motion mounts that extend 16 to 20 inches and tilt the screen down significantly have improved dramatically. A high-quality articulating mount can make an above-fireplace position genuinely comfortable for viewing. This adds cost but solves the primary ergonomic problem.

Wondering what the rest of your home entertainment setup should look like? Read: What Is a Smart Home and Do You Actually Need One? A Practical Guide for NC Homeowners

5. Getting the Height Right: The Most Important Measurement

Regardless of which wall you choose, TV height is the single most important installation decision. Here is Wayne's formula for getting it right:

Measure the distance from your floor to your seated eye level, which is typically 42 to 45 inches for an average sofa
That measurement is where the center of the screen should be
For a 65-inch TV, which is about 32 inches tall, the bottom of the screen should sit at approximately 26 to 29 inches from the floor
For a 75-inch TV, which is about 38 inches tall, the bottom of the screen should sit at approximately 25 to 26 inches from the floor

Most DIY TV mounts end up 6 to 12 inches too high. It is the single most common error Wayne corrects when re-mounting TVs that homeowners have already installed themselves.

Getting the height right matters more than almost any other element of a TV install. A TV at the correct height on an average wall looks dramatically better and feels dramatically more comfortable than a TV at the wrong height on an expensive custom wall. Measure twice, mount once.

Not sure where your TV should go? Call Wayne at (919) 602-4996 or visit nchomeaudiosolutions.com/contact. He will walk your room with you, give you an honest recommendation, and mount it right the first time. Serving Garner, Raleigh, Wake Forest, Fuquay Varina, Clayton, and the greater Triangle.

Frequently Asked Questions

These are the questions Triangle-area homeowners ask most often when planning a TV installation.

Can a TV above the fireplace be made to work with the right mount?

Yes, to a degree. A full-motion articulating mount that tilts the TV forward and down by 15 to 20 degrees significantly improves the viewing experience. It does not fully solve the height problem, but it makes a real difference. Wayne can walk you through which mounts are appropriate for your TV size and fireplace surround during a consultation.

My fireplace has stone or brick. Can you still run wires behind the TV?

Yes, though it is more involved than a standard drywall installation. Wayne has extensive experience with masonry fireplaces and can route wiring cleanly through or around stone and brick surrounds. It typically requires more time and may involve surface channel in certain sections, but the result can still look professional and clean.

What height should a 75-inch TV be mounted at?

For a 75-inch TV with a standard sofa where seated eye level is around 44 inches, the center of the screen should be at approximately 44 inches from the floor. This means the bottom of the TV sits at about 25 inches from the floor. This feels lower than most people expect, but it is the ergonomically correct position for comfortable long-duration viewing.

I already have my TV above the fireplace. Can it be moved?

Absolutely. Wayne regularly relocates TVs that were originally mounted in less-than-ideal positions. He can patch the original mount holes and install at the correct location. Many homeowners who have been living with an above-fireplace TV for a year or two finally make the switch and say they wish they had done it sooner.

Does the viewing distance affect what height the TV should be at?

Viewing distance affects how large a TV you need, but the correct mounting height, with the screen center at seated eye level, stays consistent regardless of how far away you are sitting. The further away your sofa, the larger your TV should be. The height formula stays the same.

Do you serve Wake Forest, Garner, and Fuquay Varina for TV mounting?

Yes. Wayne serves all of those areas and more, including Raleigh, Clayton, Johnston County, and the full Triangle region. TV mounting is one of the most common single-visit services he provides, and he can often schedule within a few days for homeowners in Wake and Johnston counties.

About the Author

Wayne Lanier is the owner and lead installer at NC Home Audio Solutions, based in Garner, North Carolina. Since 2007, he has mounted TVs, set up surround sound systems, and installed whole-home audio for homeowners across Garner, Raleigh, Wake Forest, Fuquay Varina, Clayton, and Johnston County. TV placement is one of his most-discussed topics with clients, and he brings the same honest, practical approach to every consultation.