MantelMount assembly
This is the one TV mount you have to tune to your television before it ever touches the wall.
The gas pistons are counterbalanced against the weight of your specific TV. Set that tension after the mount is up and you are working in the worst possible position, and too much of it can bend the installation bolts.
A mount that is really a mechanism
Above a fireplace is the most common place people want a television and the worst place to put a fixed one. The screen ends up too high, which is why a standard mount, even a full-motion one that tilts down, never quite solves it: the center of the picture is still above eye level. A pull-down mount answers that differently, by physically bringing the TV out and down in front of the fireplace to eye level for viewing, then returning it flush when you are finished.
MantelMount does that with automotive-grade gas pistons and counterbalance technology, and the numbers are substantial. Depending on model, the range covers twenty-four to thirty inches of vertical travel, thirty to eighty degrees of swivel, up to nine degrees of tilt, and fifteen to twenty inches of off-the-wall movement. The MM540 pulls out nineteen inches and down a further twenty-seven. Across the range they carry televisions from twenty to a hundred and twenty-five pounds.
That makes this a different installation from any other mount. It is a moving assembly carrying a heavy object over a heat source, it has to be balanced against the weight of the specific television going on it, and the mount alone weighs twenty-nine to thirty-eight pounds before the TV is anywhere near it. None of that is difficult, but almost all of it happens before or during mounting rather than after.
What it actually takes
The wall work is comparable to any large mount. The tuning and the heat check are extra.
| Model | Time | People |
|---|---|---|
| Checking wall type and framingFireplace walls are rarely standard. | 20 to 30 minutes | 1 |
| Setting counterbalance tension for the TVBefore mounting. See below. | 15 to 30 minutes | 1 |
| Fixing the mount to studsReaches studs up to 24 in apart. | 45 to 90 minutes | 1 to 2 |
| Mounting into brick or stoneProvided concrete anchors, thick solid brick. | add 45 to 90 minutes | 2 |
| Hanging the TV and setting stopsAdjustable stops protect wall and mantel. | 30 to 45 minutes | 2 |
| Cable management through full travelCables must survive 27 in of movement. | 30 minutes | 1 |
Two people for the TV, always. The mount alone is up to thirty-eight pounds and it is going above head height.
What to get right, specifically
Adjust the tension before the mount goes on the wall
This is the step that separates a pull-down mount from every other mount, and it is easy to skip because nothing else works this way. The gas pistons are counterbalanced against the weight of your television, and installer guidance is explicit that tension should be set before mounting. Too much tension makes the TV difficult to pull down and can bend the installation bolts, which is a hardware problem rather than an annoyance. Weigh or look up your actual TV weight, set the tension for it, and only then put the mount on the wall.
Fireplace walls are where framing gets strange
Standard mounts assume studs at sixteen inches on center, and a chimney breast is exactly the place that assumption breaks. MantelMount designs for this: their mounts reach studs up to twenty-four inches apart, which covers a lot of irregular framing. Where there is no framing to reach at all, they state the mount can be fixed to stone or brick with the provided concrete anchors, with the important qualifier that the brick must be thick and secure. Establish what is behind the surface before you buy, because a fireplace wall can be framed, solid masonry, or masonry veneer over framing, and those are three different jobs.
The handles exist so you do not pull on the television
A genuinely good piece of design worth passing on to whoever uses it. The pull-down handles direct the pulling force into the mount rather than into the TV, which matters because the instinct is to grab the edge of the screen and haul. Repeatedly pulling a large panel by its frame is how bezels crack and panels flex. Show everyone in the house where the handles are on day one, because a habit formed in the first week is the one that sticks for years.
Heat is a real consideration, and the mount tells you about it
MantelMount builds heat-sensing handles that turn bright red when the temperature above the fireplace exceeds a hundred and ten degrees Fahrenheit, signaling that you should raise the TV and or turn the fireplace off, with a visual temperature sensor on some models. That is a manufacturer designing a warning into the product because the location genuinely gets hot. General practice for pull-down installations is to keep the TV in its raised position at least six to eight inches above the firebox opening, though clearance requirements vary, so follow the instructions for your specific mount and the clearances specified by your fireplace manufacturer.
Set the adjustable stops so the TV cannot hit anything
The mount travels a long way and it swivels, which means there are things it can reach: the mantel itself, a projecting stone surround, a shelf, the wall beside the chimney breast. Adjustable stops exist to limit that travel, and setting them is part of the installation rather than an optional refinement. Take the TV through its full range slowly by hand before anyone uses it normally, and set the stops so the worst case is a stop rather than a corner of the screen meeting a stone mantel.
Cables have to survive twenty-seven inches of travel
On a fixed mount, cable management is tidiness. Here it is a moving part. Every cable running to the television has to accommodate the full extension and the swivel without going taut, snagging or being pinched as the mount closes, and it needs to do that thousands of times. Route with generous slack at full extension, secure it to the arm so it moves with the mount rather than dragging, and cycle the full range several times watching the cables before you call it finished.
Check the model against your TV, not the brand against your TV
Capacities differ meaningfully across the range. Some models cover forty-four to eighty inch televisions at twenty to ninety pounds with VESA up to six hundred by six hundred, while the range as a whole extends to a hundred and twenty-five pounds and a hundred inches on other models. Confirm your television’s weight, size and VESA pattern against the specific model you are buying rather than against MantelMount generally, and remember the mount’s own weight adds to what the wall carries.
Before you buy
Find out what your fireplace wall actually is: framing, solid masonry, or masonry veneer over framing.
Locate the studs and measure their spacing, remembering these mounts reach up to twenty-four inches apart.
Confirm your TV’s weight, screen size and VESA pattern against the specific model, not the range.
Check the clearance above your firebox opening against your fireplace manufacturer’s requirements.
Plan cable routing for full extension, and have enough slack and cable ties on hand.
Arrange a second person for the lift, since the mount alone can weigh thirty-eight pounds.
Who this is really for
Anybody who has a television above a fireplace and has been living with the neck ache. It is genuinely the right answer to that problem, because it addresses the geometry rather than compensating for it, and the room stops having only one decent seat.
It also suits rooms where the fireplace is the obvious focal point and there is nowhere else sensible for a screen. Bringing the TV down to eye level for viewing and returning it out of the way afterward is a better outcome than either compromise.
The case for professional installation is stronger than for a standard mount, and for specific reasons: the counterbalance has to be tuned before mounting, fireplace walls are the least predictable walls in the house, brick and stone need the right anchors into sound material, and the finished result is a heavy moving assembly over a heat source. Those are four things that reward experience rather than one.
What an installer does
- Establishes what the fireplace wall is made of and where the framing actually runs.
- Sets the counterbalance tension for your television’s weight before the mount goes up.
- Fixes into studs up to twenty-four inches apart, or into sound brick or stone with the correct anchors.
- Checks clearance above the firebox against the fireplace manufacturer’s requirements.
- Hangs the TV with enough hands and sets the adjustable stops through the full range of travel.
- Routes cables with slack for full extension and cycles the mount to confirm nothing snags.
- Shows the household to pull on the handles rather than the screen, and explains the heat indicator.
Get it built by someone who has built one before.
Tell us your ZIP and what you bought. Installers near you will quote you directly, and you deal with them, not with us.
Questions people ask
What makes installing a pull-down mount different?
The counterbalance has to be tuned to your specific television, and that adjustment should be made before the mount goes on the wall. Installer guidance notes that too much tension makes the TV hard to lower and can bend the installation bolts, so getting it right up front protects the hardware and makes the mount operate properly.
Can it go on brick or stone?
Yes. MantelMount says the mount is typically surface-mounted to drywall over studs at standard sixteen inch centers, and can also be fixed to stone or brick using the provided concrete anchors, provided the brick is thick and secure. Establishing which of those you have is the first step, since fireplace walls can also be masonry veneer over framing.
What if my studs are not sixteen inches apart?
These mounts are designed for that. They reach studs up to twenty-four inches apart, which covers a lot of the irregular framing found around chimney breasts, where standard mounts assuming sixteen inch centers often will not work.
Is the heat above a fireplace a problem for the TV?
It is a real consideration, which is why MantelMount builds heat-sensing handles that turn bright red above a hundred and ten degrees Fahrenheit as a signal to raise the TV or turn the fireplace off. Follow the clearance requirements in your mount instructions and from your fireplace manufacturer, and use the raised position when the fire is running hard.
How should the TV be pulled down?
By the handles, always. They are designed to direct the pulling force into the mount rather than into the television, which protects the panel and the bezel. It is worth showing everyone in the house on the first day, because people naturally reach for the edge of the screen.
Will my cables cope with the movement?
Only if they are routed for it. The TV travels a long way out and down and swivels as well, so cables need generous slack at full extension and should be secured to the arm so they move with the mount rather than dragging or snagging. Cycle the full range several times while watching the cables before finishing the job.
Installers.org is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by MantelMount. MantelMount is a trademark of its owner, referred to here only to describe the installation services that independent installers on this directory provide. Follow the clearance requirements specified by your mount and your fireplace manufacturer.