In many prewar New York apartments the fireplace wall is the natural focal point — and the only wall without windows or doors. Mounting a TV there works well when you avoid five common mistakes.
1. Ignoring the heat
Electronics don’t like heat, and a working fireplace sends warm air straight up the wall. Before mounting:
- Check your TV’s manual for its operating temperature range and any guidance about heat sources.
- Feel the wall above the mantel after the fireplace has been running for a while. If it’s too warm to keep your hand on comfortably, it’s too warm for a TV.
- A deep mantel helps by deflecting heat away from the wall. Decorative or non-working fireplaces avoid the problem entirely.
If you use the fireplace often and the wall gets hot, consider another wall.
2. Mounting too high
Above a mantel, the TV almost always ends up higher than ideal, and a screen that’s too high means looking up for every movie. Ways to keep it comfortable:
- Mount the TV as low above the mantel as heat and clearance allow.
- Use a tilting mount to angle the screen down toward the seating.
- For a high mantel, a pull-down (mantel) mount brings the screen down to eye level when you’re watching.
Mark the outline with painter’s tape and sit in your usual seat for a few minutes before deciding. Our guide to TV mounting height has the math.
3. Hanging the power cord in the wrong place
Electrical codes don’t allow a TV’s ordinary power cord to be run inside a wall or chimney chase. The options are:
- an in-wall power kit rated for the purpose, where the wall is hollow;
- a new outlet behind the TV, installed by a licensed electrician;
- a paintable cord cover on the surface — often the only option on brick or stone.
Plan this before choosing the TV position, because it changes where the mount can go. See TV wire concealment.
4. Anchoring into the wrong part of the chimney
A chimney breast can be solid brick, stone, a drywall box around a flue, or a mix. Each needs a different approach:
- Brick: anchors go into solid brick, not mortar joints.
- Stone: drill slowly with the right bit; some stone is brittle.
- Drywall over a framed chase: find the framing, and keep clear of the flue inside.
Never drill where you don’t know what’s behind the surface — the flue liner, in particular, should not be touched.
5. Skipping the final check
Once the TV is up, run the fireplace and the TV together and check that the screen, cables and wall stay at a sensible temperature. Make sure the mount sits tight against uneven masonry and the TV hangs level.
ArtFixPro mounts TVs above fireplaces on brick, stone and drywall chimney breasts across Manhattan — and tells you honestly when another wall is the better choice.