Long story short, we finally gave in and decided to move the extra television that has been sitting in the closet to our bedroom. We're only going with rabbit ears so that we don't end up using it very often. There will be days where we want the news on the morning while getting ready or a place to get cuddly and watch a show or two at night. We aren't television watchers - but the option will be nice.
Back to the installation. I mounted the cleat on the wall to the studs and the other cleat on the back of the television. Obviously, mounting it to the studs is a must. The cleat says it will hold 100 pounds, which I found very impressive. Maybe I should have Stacey hang from it sometime to test it. I added 2 felt "bumpers" to the back of the television to protect the wall and to keep the television parallel to it. I had cut the back of the case out previously for a different antenna. I included summer sausage in the photo since this type of manly project requires a snack such as this. The antenna was fixed to the wall with mounting tape in a location where the ears have free movement and where it looks like it's the base of a fancy mounting system.
After finding the wall stud for the cleat, I could tell which side of the stud the outlet box had been nailed to. After finding the location on the wall that was on the correct side of the stud yet still hidden by the television, and in an area where the cord wouldn't hit the back of the television when hanging, I cut a hole with my knife. I had to cut out part of the outlet box (plastic) in order to thread the plug through it. I drilled a hole in the outlet cover for the cord and assembled/hung everything.
The best part about this system is that I can take the television on and off the wall whenever I want. Only the small metal bracket is attached to the wall. Find me a television stand that's the perfect height and width for this space and that's only 15 Euros let alone $15. Oui oui, mon ami.
