Project example: a 75-inch TV on a concrete feature wall in a downtown loft — what it looks like and what it costs

The scenario

The unit is a second-floor loft in a converted building: a concrete wall along one side, tall steel-framed windows on the other, a ceiling with exposed ducts and a gray sectional facing the concrete. The kitchen island sits behind the sofa.

The request is a 75-inch TV on the concrete wall, high enough to clear the sofa's back and low enough to be comfortable. The wall is poured concrete, so no stud finder is needed, but the household has no idea what runs inside it.

The building asks for notice, set hours and a copy of the contractor's paperwork, and the freight elevator is bookable only in the morning. The power outlet is on the floor at the base of the wall, which leaves a vertical cable run of about five feet.

What the job involves

1. The installer calls the building manager, books the elevator and supplies the paperwork the building asks for.
2. A scanner and a look at the building's drawings, if the owner has them, show where conduit or rebar may sit behind the planned plate.
3. The plate is held to the wall and leveled with a laser line, and the hole positions are marked clear of anything the scan found.
4. A hammer drill with a carbide masonry bit and a dust shroud makes each hole; the wedge anchors are set and the plate is bolted down.
5. The brackets are screwed to the back of the TV, which two people then raise onto the plate before the lock is set.
6. A painted raceway runs from behind the TV straight down to the floor outlet and the cables are tied inside it.

Hardware and materials

• Tilting mount rated for 65–85 inch panels
• Wedge or sleeve anchors sized for concrete, hammer drill and carbide bits
• Scanner, laser level and a dust shroud
• Raceway kit in a neutral finish
• Floor protection for the polished concrete

Add-ons often paired with this job

• Hide the wires inside the wall — +$90–$150. Not possible in the concrete wall; a drywall return nearby could hold a rated kit.
• Mount a soundbar as well — +$50–$80. A bar on its own bracket in the same concrete, with its own anchors.
• Take down an existing TV first — +$40–$80. An older set on another wall comes down as a separate line.

Why it is done this way

Concrete is a good wall for a heavy screen once the anchors are in, but the risk is hidden: a drill that meets conduit or reinforcing steel is a problem for the whole building. The scan and the notice to management are as much part of the job as the bolts.

The tilt matters because the sofa is low and the wall is tall. The mount lets the screen sit above the sofa's back and still face the seats.

Brick and concrete add to the base range because of the masonry bit, the anchors and the extra time at each hole, and a supplied mount adds its own line, which is why the example reaches high into the range.

A loft also changes how the day is planned. The installer arrives with the building's paperwork already submitted, carries the mount up in the freight elevator, lays down floor protection for the polished concrete and keeps the noise of the hammer drill inside the permitted hours. Because the unit is an open plan with a mezzanine, a second person is on hand for the lift, and the wall is cleaned of dust before the TV box is opened.

What would change the price

• The scan finds conduit and the plate shifts along the wall.
• The building requires a longer notice period or a second visit.
• The wall is concrete block rather than poured concrete, and the anchors move to a filled core.
• A very large screen would add a second installer for the lift.