How to anchor a TV: to the wall, to the stand, and what to do without studs

Three routes, in the CPSC's order

Televisions were involved in 47 percent of the 217 tip-over deaths the CPSC counted from 2013 through July 2023. The CPSC's advice is to anchor TVs and furniture securely to the wall; where that is not possible, to place the TV on a sturdy, low base, push it as far back as possible, and keep cords out of reach. That gives three routes, and they are not equal. The ranking of the straps used in routes two and three is best TV anti-tip straps.

Route 1: wall-mount it

A wall bracket rated for the TV's size and weight, lag-bolted into two studs, removes the tip-over entirely; there is no longer a TV on a stand to tip. Choose a bracket whose rating exceeds the TV's weight with margin, use the bracket's lag bolts (not drywall anchors, ever, for a TV), and route the cords so nothing dangles. The stand underneath becomes an ordinary cabinet and still gets anchored as one. This is the route for anyone who owns the wall.

Route 2: strap it to an anchored stand

The steps are in the box above. The rule inside them: the stand is anchored first, because a TV strapped to an unanchored stand goes over with the stand. Then the TV is strapped through its VESA holes (the four threaded holes on the back) to the stand's top rail or straight to the wall stud. Safety 1st sells its HS304 strap specifically for the TV-to-furniture-to-wall configuration in one 53-inch run, which is the neatest version. Anchoring the stand is the same job as a dresser: how to anchor a dresser.

Route 3: without studs

If the wall behind the TV has no stud where you need one, first try the cleat trick (a wood strip across two studs) or anchor the stand into a stud anywhere along its width. If the wall is plaster or brick, use a rated masonry anchor; see furniture anchors for drywall, plaster and brick. If you cannot drill at all, QuakeHOLD!'s 4520 is an adhesive-both-ends strap that its maker rates to 70 inches and 150 pounds; it stops a pull-off and it is weaker than a screw. Use it, and also do everything in the next section. The honest limits of adhesive are in no-drill vs screw-in furniture anchors.

Placement, whichever route

Low base, pushed all the way back, cords tucked behind and out of reach; never a TV on a dresser, because a dresser has drawers to climb. Remotes and toys do not go on top of the TV stand, because a toddler who wants the remote climbs for it. These are the CPSC's own words for the no-anchor case, and they are worth doing in every case.

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