For my Zircon in the Real World blog, I constantly challenge myself to offer helpful hints for DIYers and Zircon customers to enable them to be successful with their projects. You’re working on the wall, and you’re thinking outside the “wall” (get it?!) of how to best get the project done, easily yet efficiently.
With the many types and methods of interior residential construction, it’s normal for a homeowner or DIYer to not understand all the ins and outs of home construction. A professional contractor in the construction and remodeling business, on the other hand, works on various buildings and has industry experience that guides his decisions. However, a DIYer who sets out to redesign a closet, or hang a large flat screen TV above a fireplace in his home, often starts the planning, design, and remodeling process from scratch.
With that said, let’s consider the project of hanging a flat screen TV. A homeowner determines that the wall space above the fireplace is the perfect place for the new TV. What should he/she do first?
Quiz: How to Hang Your Flat Screen Properly – How Well Will You Do?
1. Grab your Zircon stud finder and carefully review the instructions in its entirety before scanning to locate studs behind the wall.
2. Call Zircon customer support if you receive false positive indications (stud indications where there are no studs) or don’t understand the tool’s readings. Erratic readings are usually due to the tool not having been calibrated before the scan begins. Also, the flue located in this area above the fireplace is often the most challenging area to find studs because the wallboard is potentially made of double drywall (special thick insulation installed for fire safety), so there is a possibility that no stud actually exists in the area.
3. Secure the mounting bracket to the studs in the wall (if they are present) to support
the TV.
The key take-aways in this, and any project, are 1) Never assume a tool (any tool) is going to work as easily as you think it should and 2) ask for help, especially if the resources are there. Whether you’re putting up shelving on your living room wall, hanging a flat screen TV, or installing a grab bar in a shower area in the bathroom, these are projects that may require additional research and expertise to get the job done right and safely.
Want to know more about your walls? Please visit my blog, “A Wall is a Wall is a Wall”.
Even DIYers deserve a helping hand and Zircon is here to help. Utilize our service resources – that’s what we’re here for. Please visit http://www.zircon.com to learn more or call us at 1-800-245-9265 Mon – Fri, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. PST. Personal one-on-one communication still can’t be beat.
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