If you are looking for a new location to watch your favorite movie, you may wonder if you can put a TV on a floating shelf.
The answer is yes you can, as long as both the TV and the shelf are secured properly.
Floating shelves are attractive and convenient, and they come in many different styles to complement your décor style.
Read on to learn more about how you can safely put your TV on a floating shelf and why you might want to…
Can Floating Shelves Hold TVs?
I know you have heard about floating shelves or you wouldn’t be reading this in the first place.
But a question I do hear a lot is how in the world does a floating shelf work?
A floating shelf attaches to the wall without visible support or brackets, making the shelf appear to float.
Floating shelves are currently very trendy, and they can really open up space in a room.
Many people like the look and appreciate the convenience.
Some people wonder if floating shelves are usable as shelves, or if they are just decorative.
The truth is that if the shelf is secured correctly, it can hold a good deal of weight – and this includes most modern TVs.
A rule of thumb is that a deeper shelf can hold less weight.
Now, I am no physicist, but I did learn that longer levers require less force to move them.
If you think of your shelf as a lever – which is actually what you are trying to avoid! -, you realize that as it gets deeper, it takes less weight to make it sag or even break.
You can counteract this by using stronger brackets to mount the shelf. More rods in the shelf bracket mean more strength.
A floating shelf over 50” long should have at least four rods, and one over 70” should have at least five rods.
You can also combine shorter brackets to increase the number of rods.
For example, a 30” shelf could be mounted with a standard bracket with two rods or two smaller brackets containing two rods for a total of four rods.
Also, be sure to mount your shelf to wall studs or masonry blocks.
The shelf is only as strong as its weakest attachment point. A floating shelf where the entire length of the bracket is attached to a solid, secure surface will hold the most weight.
Why Would You Put a TV on a Floating Shelf?
You might want to put your TV on a floating shelf simply because you like the way they look.
You certainly wouldn’t be alone in that.
Floating shelves are on-trend, and the lack of visible hardware or brackets makes a room look orderly.
Using matching floating shelves makes your room look more organized and cohesive.
If you are going for a more designer look, you could have a shelf for your television, one for books, one for picture frames, and one for other decorative items you have.
If all the shelves match or at least coordinate, the room will look great.
Floating shelves can also help make organizing cords and other components of your home theater/audiovisual system easier.
You can put your TV on a large floating shelf and install smaller shelves for consoles, boxes, speakers, or other electronics.
Some shelves have supports for cables and cord management, which will make your entire area look neater.
Also, when your TV, other devices, and cords are organized in one area, it’s much easier to keep the space clean.
Wrapping It Up…
Floating shelves are modern and trendy, and unlike certain other fads, they’re useful, convenient, and inexpensive.
It is relatively easy to install a floating shelf to hold your television and then add matching shelves for other electronics, book or even small houseplants.
When installed properly, which means secured with strong brackets that are screwed into wall studs or masonry brick, there is no reason you can’t put your TV on a floating shelf.
You can also install shelves designed to facilitate cord and cable management or drill holes in the shelves for this purpose.
Floating shelves look great no matter how you style your home and come in different materials like natural wood, painted wood, metal, or tempered glass.
They are an ideal way to mount your TVs and other electronics while maximizing the available space in your room.