College dorm rooms are small hubs of all kinds of activities.
In the limited space allotted to you and your roommate, you must eat, sleep, shower, and study.
Apart from these necessary tasks, college dorm rooms also provide a space for respite and relaxation away from the hustle and bustle of campus life.
Adding a new TV to your dorm room is a great way to cultivate the ultimate college experience, achieving the perfect balance between work and down time.
TV’s open the door for movie nights with new friends, Saturday morning cartoons to heal from a night out, and a much better way than your laptop to binge Netflix in bed.
How to Mount a TV in a Dorm Room: An Easy Guide
Before buying a new TV or attempting to install one in your dorm room, it is important that you know the best way to go about it.
Here are some of the easiest options for turning your dorm room from an ordinary closet space to an entertainment pad with the simple addition of a TV:
Know The Rules of Your Residence Hall
Before hitting up the TV aisle at Best Buy and mounting your new shiny friend up on your dorm room wall, be sure to check your residence hall’s own rules and regulations about drilling or attaching items to walls.
Mounting a TV requires thick screws which results in more damage to walls, a big no-no for most residence halls. Always check what’s allowed before planning a mount.
Read: How To Hang Curtains in a College Dorm Room (Step by Step)
Choose the Right Setup for Your Space
Dorm rooms are small and thus the amount of available space must be dealt with carefully.
In order to keep the space orderly and permissible, it is important to choose a TV setup that is functional, compact, and rule-friendly.
With a little planning and research, TV stands and certain wall-mounted options meet this criteria.
Here are the two main setup styles to consider:
TV Stand Options
It is safe to say that most residence halls aren’t big fans of giant holes in their walls.
If this is the case and mounting isn’t allowed in yours, a TV stand is your best bet.
Every new addition to your dorm walls is an opportunity to introduce more storage space to the compact space.
If you have the space for a furniture addition, TV stands made with shelves are perfect for dorms, with the ability to store controllers, remotes or any other electronics scattered around.
Make sure that the TV stand has a slim profile and isn’t too bulky in order to save well-savored space.
Many times, there just isn’t enough room in the dorm to add an entirely new TV floor stand. In fact, many students opt for multi-use furniture – like a dresser, bookshelf, or mini media console – that doubles as a stand.
Save your money and get creative with what you already have!
Wall-Mounted Options
If you don’t have the surface space to accommodate a TV, or just don’t like the cluttered style of stuffing a TV onto an already cluttered space, there remain some non-permanent solutions for wall-mounted TVs to explore.
By going with this TV mount route over a stand, you will save valuable floor space and create a cleaner look.
Good news – there are ways to still hang the TV up on the walls without breaking any dorm rules.
Your residence hall may have a stipulation that non-permanent solutions for wall mounted TVs are allowed.
These include no-drill mounts that use adhesive, tension, or over-the-door brackets to hoist the TV onto the wall.
To be safe, read product descriptions to clarify if the product is designed for dorm or rental use to avoid the risk of wall damage.
Picking the Right Mounting Option
Most dorms will not allow you to drill holes into their walls, so permanent wall mounts are not feasible for your dorm space.
Although this method produces a sleek look, there are plenty of alternatives that are damage-free that use tension or furniture support to create a very similar look.
With tension mounting, you can use an adjustable pole set between the floor and ceiling to keep the TV in place at eye-level.
Or, if you would rather avoid the whole “pole in the middle of the room” outcome, go with an over-the-door mount that uses hooks to situate the TV on the back of a door.
Either way, think vertically to free up horizontal space and make your room feel bigger. There is no need to overdo it in such a small space!
Read: Can You Have an Air Fryer in a College Dorm Room? Here’s the Answer
Best Overall TV Options for a Dorm Room
Here are a few options that would work in your dorm room without breaking any rules or cramming up the space.
1. Amazon’s Top Seller: Samsung 32-inch smart TV
The Samsung 32-inch smart TV is Amazon’s top seller constructor.
It has a thin, sleek design with a built-in stand for placement on desks or dressers.
2. Best Quality-Price Relation: Packard Bell 21-inch Monitor
The Packard Bell 21-inch monitor, which is the smallest option perfect for a compact space and has an adjustable tilt feature for glare-free watching.
This model has the best picture quality-price relation, so you will get the best bang for your buck!
3. Amazon’s Overall Pick: Westinghouse 24-inch TV
The Westinghouse 24-inch TV is Amazon’s overall pick.
It is a sleek, technologically advanced product that is a bit more expensive but high quality.
It also comes with WiFi connection and access to all the streaming apps.
Step-by-Step: How to Mount a TV in a Dorm Room
Whether you’re using a mount or a stand, here is how to get the job done right, the first time:
- Step 1: Pick the right spot.
Think about where you will be watching the TV the most and make sure the place you pick for mounting is viewable from that location.
Ensure that the TV isn’t blocking anything important, like the opening of a door or window!
- Step 2: Measure the mark.
Get out your ruler, pencil, and the level app on your phone, and mark down the precise measurements on the TV. No one wants to watch Friends lopsided!
- Step 3: Install the mount or set up stand.
Cleaning the wall or surface before installation is integral to a long-lasting hold. Read the directions on the mount that you decide to use for the most detailed instructions.
Also, always recruit your roommate or a friend to help you with this step, as TVs are heavy and cannot be mounted alone.
- Step 4: Connect the wires to your other devices and tuck them away.
Tidy up the area with a cable box and adjust the TV for the best viewing experience. Once everything is in order, it is time to relax and test out the setup!
Conclusion: How a TV Improves Your College Experience
If TVs aren’t drawing your attention, consider a projector as another option.
Relatively the same price as a TV, projectors aren’t as permanent and use white walls or hanging sheets to cast images, which can be taken down on a whim.
All in all, propping up a small TV or projector in your college dorm will provide comfort and entertainment value to your college experience.
Whether you want to watch movies or play videogames!
These forms of entertainment will make the place feel more like home and provide an outlet for relaxation amidst your busy schedule.
Time to go shopping!
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