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The brick wall is half the reason you bought the place. Then the TV arrives, and somebody has to put holes in it. In a Chicago two-flat or bungalow that brick may be a hundred years old, and in some rooms it is hidden behind plaster.
The short answer: brick holds a TV very well, if the anchors go into solid brick with the right drill. What takes thought is where the holes go, which anchor holds, and where the wires will run. Here is each one, for brick walls and brick fireplaces.
Can you mount a TV on a brick wall?
Yes. Solid brick is one of the strongest walls a TV can hang on. The mount goes up with at least four masonry anchors in a rectangle, in holes drilled with a hammer drill and a masonry bit. The holes go in the brick, at least half an inch from its edges, not in the mortar joints.
Drill the brick, not the mortar
Drill the brick. Mortar is softer than fired brick, and under the constant weight of a TV an anchor's grip in it weakens over time. This Old House and the brick maker Pine Hall Brick say the same thing: the holes go in the brick, not the joints.
Keep each hole at least half an inch from the brick's edges, or the brick can crack. If a mark lands on a joint, slide the wall plate until it does not. A few guides put the holes in the joints instead, but the brick is the stronger material, and that is where the anchor belongs.
Some walls need more care. Hollow or cored brick takes a chemical anchor with a sleeve. Brick less than 2 inches thick, like a veneer, can leave a screw too little to bite into. Soft or crumbling old brick needs a closer look before anything heavy hangs on it.
Anchors compared: sleeve, wedge, concrete screw and chemical
| Anchor | How it holds | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Sleeve anchor | A metal sleeve expands against the hole as the nut is tightened | Solid brick. A common TV choice, often 1/4 or 3/8 inch and 3 inches long |
| Wedge anchor | A clip at the bottom of the hole expands as the nut is tightened | Solid, sound brick only |
| Concrete screw | The screw cuts its own threads into the masonry | Solid brick. This Old House suggests them for TVs over 75 pounds |
| Chemical anchor with a sleeve | Resin fills the hole and sets around a threaded rod | Hollow or cored brick, where an expanding anchor has nothing to grip |
Mounting a TV above a brick fireplace
A brick fireplace is often the best-built wall in the room and the hardest one to drill. The chimney breast is solid masonry, the mantel sets the lowest the TV can go, and the firebox below puts heat into the air around the TV.
The anchoring is the same as on any brick wall. What changes is heat and height. Mounting a TV above a fireplace covers both, and our fireplace TV mounting page shows what that job includes.
Step by step: mounting a TV on brick
1. Find out what is under the surface
Painted brick is still brick. Plaster may sit right on the brick or on furring strips in front of it. Plaster is not something to anchor in, so the anchor has to reach the masonry behind it.
2. Look at the brick
Solid, sound brick takes a concrete screw or an expanding anchor. Hollow brick needs a chemical anchor with a sleeve, and soft or crumbling brick needs a closer look first.
3. Mark the plate and the holes
Level the wall plate and mark at least four holes in a rectangle. Slide the plate until every hole lands in the brick, at least half an inch from its edges, and none lands on a mortar joint.
4. Drill with a hammer drill and a masonry bit
Drill to the anchor's diameter and about 1/4 inch deeper than its length. Blow and brush the dust out of each hole before the anchor goes in.
5. Set the anchors and hang the plate
Set the anchors, hang the wall plate and tighten with care. Skip the impact driver, which can easily over-tighten and crack old brick.
6. Plan the wires, then hang the TV
Decide where the cables run before the TV covers the wall. On brick that choice is much harder to change later.
Hiding wires on brick: a painted cover, a nearby wall or an electrician
Brick does not hide a cable the way a stud wall does. Solid brick has no hollow space to drop a wire through, so the usual answer sits on top of it.
A slim cover painted to match runs down the brick, often along a mortar line so it reads as part of the wall. It is the most common fix. A framed fireplace surround or a drywall wall beside the fireplace can sometimes carry the cables instead, out of sight. Wires or a new outlet through the brick itself are possible, but that is a bigger job for a licensed electrician.
For the options on any wall, see how to hide TV wires and our hidden wires service.
Chicago brick: common brick, face brick and painted brick
Chicago's bungalows and the two-flats of the 1910s and 1920s were built with brick walls on concrete foundations. The Chicago Bungalow Association notes that the fronts were clad in face brick, while the sides and backs used common brick.
Chicago common brick was made from Chicago River clay and fired buff yellow, salmon pink or deep red, often spotted where the bricks touched in the kiln. It went on the backs, sides and interiors of buildings, and the last maker closed in 1981. When a rehab exposes an inside brick wall, it is often common brick.
Age matters more than color. A hundred-year-old wall is not a new brick fireplace: old brick can be soft, and paint can hide cracks and soft spots in either. Exposed brick in a loft is rarely flat, so the wall plate may need shims to sit true, and with no cavity behind it every wire shows.
Not sure your wall is brick at all? What's behind your Chicago wall has five quick tests, and our TV mounting service checks the wall before anything is drilled.
Common questions
Can you drill into a brick fireplace?
Yes. Use a hammer drill and a masonry bit, put the holes in the brick rather than the mortar, keep them at least half an inch from a brick's edges, and set at least four anchors. Check the heat above the mantel and the height first, since those decide whether the TV belongs there at all.
Should you drill into the brick or the mortar?
Into the brick. Mortar is softer, and an anchor's grip in it weakens under a TV's constant weight. Keep each hole at least half an inch from the brick's edges so it does not crack, and slide the wall plate if a hole lands on a joint. Hollow or crumbling brick needs a different anchor or a closer look.
What is the best anchor for a brick wall?
In solid brick, sleeve anchors, wedge anchors and concrete screws all hold a TV when each hole is drilled to the anchor's size. Hollow or cored brick needs a chemical anchor with a sleeve. Use at least four, in a rectangle.
How do you hide TV wires on a brick wall?
Not the way you would in drywall, since solid brick has no hollow space. Most often a slim cover painted to match the brick does it. If the fireplace surround is framed, or the wall beside it is drywall, cables can sometimes run through that. Wires or a new outlet through the brick itself are a job for a licensed electrician.
Can you hang a TV on brick without drilling?
Not on the wall itself. Adhesive hooks and clips are made for frames and cables, not for the weight and leverage of a mounted TV. Without drilling, the TV belongs on a stand or a console.
- #Brick walls
- #Brick fireplaces
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