Step-by-step guidelines for combining electric fireplaces with TVs

Having a TV above the fireplace has become the norm and is on the wish lists of most of our clients. Fortunately, this is easily and safely accomplished with an electric fireplace, for several reasons.

Advantages of electric fireplaces below TVs:

• Electric fireplaces are zero-clearance. There is no combustion inside electric fireplaces, so the walls around them don’t get hot enough to affect electronics.
• Electric fireplaces have lower heat output than gas. This means that they are not blowing excessive heat up onto the TV.
• Electric fireplaces come in a wider range of sizes than gas. There is literally an electric fireplace to match every size of TV, up to 100 inches wide.

First things first: Comfort Matters

We have seen hundreds of fireplaces installed below TVs. We know what looks good as well as what’s comfortable for the people using the space. Your wall needs to be designed so that you never have to strain your neck to look at the TV, or the fireplace. This will be determined by your seated position in relation to the TV and fireplace. Your viewing angle may be different from your sofa vs. your bed.

How high should I mount my TV above the fireplace?

It’s one of the most important decisions you need to make when hanging the TV. Our advice is based on making sure that you can comfortably watch the TV from a seated position, without getting a kink in your neck. In a sitting area, like your family room, we recommend that the bottom of the TV be no more than 42-inches off the floor. Since there are a lot of different size TVs out there, and a lot of different seats and people of different heights sitting in those seats, we can give you a maximum height only. From there, you can figure out if you need to go lower to suit your own preferences. In a bedroom, where you will be watching TV from a high mattress, your TV will need to be higher on the wall. The important thing is that the TV is not a space filler between the fireplace and the ceiling; it is not meant to be centered top to bottom on the wall. If you can’t be comfortable when watching the TV, you will curse it every time you use the room.

How high should I mount my fireplace?

In a sitting area, we recommend that a linear fireplace – the shape that most clients want below their TV – be no less than 12-inches off the floor. The closer to the floor it becomes, the harder it will be to see the flames beyond the furniture. Some folks will center the fireplace top to bottom, between the bottom of the TV and the floor. This may put the bottom of the fireplace a little more or a little less than 12-inches from the floor. As long as it’s in this range, it will look fine. In a bedroom, the fireplace will need to be high enough to be visible from the bed. With a more traditional fireplace, you can have the fireplace at floor level, because it’s generally going to be taller than the linear fireplaces, and therefore more visible.

A Note About Mantel Ledges: If you are thinking of adding a mantel ledge to the wall above the fireplace, you will need to have more space above the fireplace than below, in order to allow space for the ledge without pushing up the TV.

What size fireplace should I install below my TV?

Ideally, the fireplace should be wider than the TV in order for the wall to look balanced. If you think of a pyramid, the wider part is at the bottom, and the narrowest part is at the top. If you turn the pyramid upside down, it will not look balanced and will make you feel uncomfortable. That’s the same feeling you get if your fireplace is smaller than the TV above. Remember that TVs are measured on the diagonal, while electric fireplaces are measured straight across. We’ve put together a handy table to show fireplace and TV sizes that work together.

What size fireplace will look good on my wall?

Setting the TV aside, a fireplace becomes the focal point in your room, so it must be in proportion to the wall and to the room in order to hold your attention. From a practical construction standpoint, you will need at least a few inches on either side for framing to support the fireplace. Beyond that, you want to see enough space on either side so that the fireplace doesn’t look like it’s been forced into the wall space. We suggest a minimum of 6 – 10 inches of wall on each side; exactly how much wall you want to see may also depend on the dimensions of your wall coverings. For example, you may want to expose a full tile width on each side, or you may want to see a particular veining pattern in full.

Should I recess my TV above the fireplace?

When it comes to the decision on whether to mount the TV on the wall or in a niche, opinions vary. Many clients love the look of the TV sitting neatly in a niche, with no wires or hardware showing. The limitation may be that you can’t vary the size of the TV later. However, if you have selected a TV size that looks balanced above the fireplace, you wouldn’t want to change the size anyway. One great advantage of a niche is that you can create a ledge on which to rest the speaker bar, or small electronics that attach to the TV.

Tips for creating a TV niche:

• Be sure to leave 1 – 1.5 inches of finger space around the TV, so your finger will be able to grab onto the TV for installation and repositioning after installation.
• Mount the TV on a sturdy articulating bracket. The only way to get a TV into a niche is to install an articulating bracket in the back of the niche, then pull the bracket out to mount the TV. If you have a flat bracket on the back of the niche, you will not be able to maneuver the TV onto it within the confines of the niche.

Tips for mounting the TV on the wall:

• Look for a flat bracket that is as slim as possible.
• You will also want to consider a recessed electrical outlet behind the TV, so the cord can be hidden. What you can’t safely do is to run the power cord inside the wall to an outlet below.
• If the power cord is going to be visible as it runs down the wall to the outlet, consider mounting the TV within 1 – 2 inches of the top of a console, so the cord is in the shadow of the TV.

Summary: Designing a fireplace wall with TV above

• Electric fireplaces are safe below TVs.
• TV height should be set with comfortable viewing in mind.
• Fireplace height should be set with optimum visibility in mind.
• Fireplace size should be larger than the TV, and in proportion to the room size.