Mounting a TV in a New York apartment is mostly a question about your wall. Here’s what it costs on each kind, what cable hiding really involves, and when DIY is genuinely fine.
How Much Does It Cost to Mount a TV in NYC?
Mounting a TV in NYC costs $120–350 with most pros, according to 2026 cost guides, with masonry walls adding $50–150. I charge from $130 flat for a TV up to 55” on drywall and from $160 on brick or concrete, quoted from your photos before I visit. The mount bracket is extra, at cost.
| Job | Flat price (from) |
|---|---|
| TV ≤55” on drywall | $130 |
| TV on brick or concrete | $160 |
| Larger TVs (65”+) | Quoted from photos, usually modestly more |
| Cord concealment (raceway/paintable channel) | Quoted with the job |
| Mount bracket, anchors for masonry | Materials, at cost |
What a mounting visit includes:
- Finding the studs, or working out the right anchor plan when there aren’t any.
- Setting anchors rated for the TV’s weight and for the leverage of the mount.
- Hanging the bracket, leveling it, and getting the TV on it square.
- Routing the cables and tidying in a soundbar or console gear if it’s there.
- Vacuuming up the dust, including the red powder masonry makes.
A few notes on that table:
- Prices are “from” because a 43” TV on clean drywall with studs where you need them is a different afternoon than an 85” beast above a fireplace on 100-year-old brick.
- The bracket is extra. A decent fixed mount for a 55” TV runs about $30 retail; full-motion arms more. Buy your own or I’ll bring one at cost. No markup games.
- The quote holds. Big-brand services often re-price once someone sees your wall in person. I quote from photos, so the number you get is the number you pay. Full price list is on my pricing page.
Why Does TV Mounting Cost More in NYC Than the National Average?
Blame the walls. National price guides assume American drywall over wood studs. New York laughs at that assumption:
- Prewar buildings have plaster over brick or plaster-and-lath: brittle, dusty, and unforgiving.
- Brownstones and lofts often have exposed or barely-covered brick that requires a hammer drill and sleeve anchors.
- Postwar towers frequently have concrete or block walls, sometimes with a thin drywall skin that fools stud finders.
- New glass towers have metal studs, which need toggle anchors rated for the load, not the lag bolts YouTube shows you.
Add building logistics (house rules and paperwork in co-ops and condos, freight elevator rules, quiet hours that limit when you can hammer-drill) and you see why a pro who knows NYC buildings charges more than a national app’s teaser price. I’ve worked around enough board rules and elevator schedules to plan for them upfront instead of discovering them at your door.
How Much Does It Cost to Hide TV Cables?
Hiding cables in a paintable on-wall raceway is quoted together with the mount, so it rarely turns into a second bill. In-wall concealment is the expensive route: NYC guides put a conduit kit at $75–150 on top of the mounting labor, and in most apartments here the wall won’t allow it anyway.
Two honest options, then:
On-wall raceway (paintable channel). A slim plastic channel covers the cables, gets painted to match the wall, and mostly disappears. Cheap, fast, fully renter-friendly, and reversible. This is what I recommend for 90% of apartments, and I quote it together with the mount.
In-wall concealment. Running cables inside the wall looks cleanest but is often a non-starter here: masonry walls have no cavity to run through, plaster walls fight you, and running a power cord inside a wall isn’t code-compliant anyway (proper in-wall power kits exist, but that’s a bigger job). If your wall genuinely allows it, I’ll tell you; if not, I won’t sell you a fantasy.
Does TV Size Change the Price?
Somewhat, but less than people expect. Up to 55” on drywall is my $130 baseline, and a 65–85” screen or a full-motion arm gets quoted from photos, typically modestly above that rather than double. For comparison, NYC guides put large-TV mounting at $150–225 on drywall and $175–300 for a full-motion install.
Bigger screens mean heavier loads, more anchors, tighter tolerance for “slightly crooked,” and usually a second pair of hands worth of maneuvering that I’ve learned to do solo with the right rig. What matters more than the diagonal is what’s behind the drywall.
Should I Mount My Own TV?
Mount it yourself if you have drywall over wood studs, a TV under 50”, a stud finder, a level, and a free afternoon. Hire it out if the wall is brick, concrete, plaster, or metal stud, or the TV is 55” and up. The hammer drill and rated anchors alone cost more than my $160 masonry fee.
I fix DIY mounting jobs regularly, so let me be fair to both sides.
DIY is genuinely fine if the wall cooperates. Most mount kits ship with adequate instructions. Budget two hours, work with a level and a friend, and accept one or two exploratory holes while you hunt for studs.
Call a pro if you’re mounting above a fireplace or in a corner, hanging it on a full-motion arm, or renting and can’t afford wrong holes. Masonry bits and load-rated anchors add up fast, and that’s before the value of a TV that stays on the wall.
The failure mode I see most: anchors rated for the TV’s weight but not for the leverage of an extended full-motion arm. The TV holds for three months, then pulls a chunk of wall down with it. Then you’re paying for drywall repair plus a re-mount. From $140 for the patch and paint, if you’re curious. But I’d rather you not need it.
Renter-Friendly TV Mounting Options
Renting doesn’t mean living with the TV on a dresser.
- Standard mount + exit plan. Honestly, this is usually the best answer. Four to six holes, and when you move out, a drywall patch and paint touch-up makes the wall like new. I do both ends of that deal.
- Heavy-duty TV stands and mounting rails that lean or stand instead of bolting to the wall: zero holes, real stability, especially good when your lease or your wall says no.
- Anchoring for safety. If you have kids or a cat with opinions, I also do anti-tip furniture anchoring ($130), and it pairs well with a TV mounting visit.
Tell me you’re renting when you send photos and I’ll lay out the options with straight prices.
What About the Rest of the Wall?
Half my TV mounting visits turn into “while you’re here” visits, and I’m glad they do: one $130 minimum, several jobs. Popular pairings: floating shelves under the TV for the console gear ($130 per shelf), a gallery wall on the opposite side ($140 for up to 10 pieces), or a soundbar added to the mount. Bundling is the single best way to lower the per-task cost. More on that in my full handyman cost guide.
When to Call Me
If any of this sounds like your living room, here’s the short version:
- TV mounting: from $130 on drywall, $160 on brick/concrete
- Shelving and storage: floating shelves from $130
- Picture hanging: heavy mirrors from $130
- Drywall repair: patch + paint from $140, for the DIY attempts we don’t talk about
I work evenings and Sundays: same prices, and the Sunday calendar is the one with gaps in it. I clean up the drill dust before I leave. Send a photo of your wall and your TV size to get a flat quote: you’ll hear back from me, not a dispatcher.
Letters to the desk, answered
How much does it cost to mount a TV in NYC?
2026 cost guides put TV mounting in NYC at $120–350 depending on wall type and screen size, with masonry walls adding $50–150. I charge from $130 for a TV up to 55 inches on drywall and from $160 on brick or concrete, quoted flat from your photos before the visit.
How much does it cost to mount a 65-inch or 75-inch TV?
Big screens are quoted from your photos, typically modestly above my $130 drywall baseline rather than double it. For comparison, NYC guides put large-TV mounting at $150–225 on drywall and $175–300 for a full-motion arm. What moves my number is what's behind the wall, not the diagonal.
How much does it cost to hide TV cables?
A paintable on-wall raceway is the renter-friendly answer for most apartments, and I quote it together with the mount. In-wall concealment is the pricier route: NYC guides put a conduit kit at $75–150 on top of the mounting labor, and most masonry walls here have no cavity to run cables through anyway.
Why does mounting on brick or concrete cost more?
Masonry needs a hammer drill, carbide bits, and sleeve anchors instead of regular studs and lag bolts. It takes longer, wears out gear, and there's no forgiveness if a hole goes in the wrong spot. That's the $30 difference.
Is the mount itself included in the price?
Labor and standard hardware are included; the mount bracket is materials and billed extra at cost. If you already bought one, great. Send me the model with your photos and I'll confirm it fits your TV and wall.
Can you mount a TV in a rental without losing my deposit?
Yes. I do renter-friendly installs and will tell you honestly what each option involves. Even a standard mount leaves holes that a simple drywall patch and paint fixes when you move out. I do that too.
Do I need my building's approval to mount a TV?
Usually no for the work itself, but many co-op and condo buildings have paperwork and work-hour rules for outside pros. Check your house rules or ask the management office before booking. Quiet hours matter most for masonry drilling, so I'll schedule around them.