Mounting a Floating TV Stand or Sideboard: Load, Height and Cable Runs

A floating TV stand or sideboard is longer and shallower than a vanity, and it usually hangs on a wall that also has to carry a television. Here is how we tell customers to plan the install.

Height

• Under a TV: bottom of the cabinet 12–18 inches off the floor, top around 24–28 inches. The TV center should land at seated eye level, roughly 42 inches, so the cabinet and TV read as one composition.
• Sideboard in a dining room: top at 30–34 inches, close to table height.
• Entry console: 30–32 inches to the top, so keys and mail are within reach.

Load path on a long cabinet

A 72- or 84-inch cabinet spans four or five studs. Fasten into every one of them through the mounting rail. On long spans the middle fasteners matter as much as the ends; without them the rail bows and doors go out of alignment.

For 96 inches and up, or on steel-stud walls, install horizontal blocking or a full-length cleat first.

Cable management

1. Decide where the TV mount goes before the cabinet.
2. Run a recessed in-wall power kit and a low-voltage pass-through behind the TV, with the second opening behind the cabinet.
3. Our cabinets ship with a cut-out in the back panel; line it up with the wall opening during the dry fit.
4. Leave 1–2 inches behind the cabinet if you want to route cables outside the wall instead.

Ventilation

Receivers and game consoles need airflow. Use an open bay or leave the door slightly ajar; a closed cabinet full of electronics gets warm quickly.

Checklist

• Mark height and stud locations.
• Rough in power and low-voltage openings.
• Dry fit with two people, check level along the full length.
• Fasten into every stud, center first, then work outward.
• Load the cabinet, then mount the TV.