The TV is usually the main center of attraction in the living room. As it receives so much attention, it only makes sense to ensure you put a lot of thought into its position in a room.
These days, you can display a flat-screen TV in two main ways. It is either mounted on the wall or placed on a TV stand.
It is acceptable for a TV to be a few inches bigger than its stand only when the TV is on the wall. As long as you intend to place the TV on a stand, it is ideal for the stand to be bigger than the TV.
Can You Put a Bigger TV On a Smaller Stand?
Putting a large TV on a more undersized stand is not advisable. Placing a giant TV on a more undersized stand constitutes a severe safety risk.
Therefore, it is generally encouraged that your TV stand is more extensive than your TV.
Nonetheless, placing a TV on a more undersized stand is possible, as long as you carefully observe the stand you intend to use.
Make sure it is solid and will not easily topple over from all angles. Be aware that it is not as safe as using a finding a perfect stand instead.
TVs placed on TV stands of too-small sizes that can barely support their weight are at an extremely high risk of falling over.
It can cause harm to young ones and pets in the home. In addition, a toppled TV can inflict injuries on you and your visitors. Falling might damage your TV and even leave ugly dents on your floor.
Deciding whether to place your TV on a more undersized stand or to get a new stand of the best size might not be straightforward, but these three critical factors will help clear your doubt.
#1. Width
It is common to see Flat-screen TVs wider than their TV stands. Therefore, it is not a problem if your TV is more extensive than your stand.
However, the actual problem arises when the TV stand is extremely narrow compared to the TV.
Extreme Differences in the width of the TV and the stand will cause the edges to stick out too far away.
In this position, it is easy for the TV to fall over to one side or the other. Anyone can easily knock it over by simply walking past it.
#2. Weight
Any TV stand of your choice must be able to hold the TV’s weight easily. The manufacturers have a set weight limit a particular TV stand can withstand.
Not paying attention to it can lead to a domestic disaster. The weight of your TV should be within the weight limit of the stand to be on the safer side.
In case you are not sure what the weight limit of your TV stand is, do some research on the weight of your TV and the recommended stand width of the TV stand.
If you do not find anything substantial, research the weight of items you can compare to your TV and decide with that.
If you are still unsure whether your small TV stand can hold your TV, then do not use it.
#3. Position In the Room
When you have decided to use a small stand for your wide TV, position the TV and stand in a part of the room where it is least likely to be touched.
It is the last factor to consider. Placing the TV in the safest part of the room would reduce its chances of falling over.
Place the flat-screen TV against a wall, with just a few inches of space between the wall and the TV.
Make sure the edges of the TV do not render anything inaccessible, like corners or hallways. If you plan to place your TV and its stand in a central position, then reconsider your decision to use a small stand.
In this position, it can easily get knocked forward or backward. If it is a bustling room, placing a big TV on a small stand is not advisable as accidents are likely to occur.
What Do You Do If Your TV Is Too Big To Stand?
A ready alternative to placing your TV on a stand is to mount it on the wall. No matter how big, there is a perfect stand for every TV.
However, if the TV size poses a problem, mounting it on a wall is an easy fix. Most flat-screen TVs can be mounted on the wall or assembled on a TV stand.
Other alternatives to solving this problem of your TV being too big to place on a stand include buying a more prominent stand or assembling your TV on a cabinet or floor.
You can temporarily stand your TV on the floor if no kids or pets are running around in the home before you decide to mount your TV or buy a large TV stand.
You could also place your TV in a cabinet. These days, there are a lot of modern and sleekly designed cabinets which not only have great aesthetic value but also provide an excellent stand for your TV and space for storing other items.
Can Mounted TV Be Wider Than Stand?
Yes, a mounted TV can be more expansive than its stand since you are not resting its weight on the stand.
However, do not overdo the difference in width. Should there be more than a few inches of width difference between the mounted TV and its stand, it would look imbalanced and unpleasing; a general eyesore.
To buttress the above point, a 50-inch flat-screen TV requires an ideal TV stand of 40-55 inches. There is a range of 5-10 differences in width.
Mounting your TV on the wall allows for many things that would not be ideal with a TV stand.
The pros and cons of mounting your TV are in the table below.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| It is safer. | It is more expensive. |
| You can store more items on the TV stand. | Hiding all the wires is tricky. |
| It is perfect for a small room. | |
| You can adjust the TV angle. |
Generally, the advantages of mounting your TV on the wall far outweigh the disadvantages.
Should TV Overhang the Stand?
Ideally, your TV should not overhang the stand. At the bare minimum, it is good to ensure that your stand is at least two inches wider than both edges of your TV. It gives your TV set up a more visually pleasing and centered appearance.
Despite that, it is not necessarily a problem when the edges of your TV reach a few inches over the edge of the TV stand in an overhang.
As long as the overhang is not greater than three inches on each side, then it is safe.
If the TV overhang is excessive, it becomes a potential safety hazard and a problem that can lead to injuries and loss.
How Wide Should a TV Stand Be?
The width of a TV stand solely depends on the size of your TV. There is no specific size in which every TV stand must come in.
There are different sizes of TVs, and in the same way, the size of TV stands also varies. The best size a TV stand can come in is 65 inches. Professionals recommend this stand width because it has a wide weight limit.
A different size might fit your TV better, and to determine how wide your TV stand should be, you have to measure your TV.
TVs are measured diagonally, while TV stands are measured horizontally. In measuring your TV, run the tape from the left upper corner of the screen to the right bottom corner.
To find the actual width, run the tape horizontally from one side of the TV frame to the other.
It is a crucial measurement and is a few inches lower than the TV’s measured diagonal width. To find the actual width of the TV stand to buy, add 2-6 inches to the TV’s width.
Conclusion
Finding the perfect stand for your flat-screen TV does not all depend on how aesthetically pleasing it should look.
As a last resort, stand your TV on the floor before you can get a fitting TV stand. Professionals advise that your TV stand should be longer than your Tv length, whether you mount it on a wall or place it on the TV stand.
