9 Tools Professional TV Installers Use That Most Homeowners Don’t Own

Professional TV installers make the job look effortless, don’t they? One minute they’re walking through your front door with a toolbox, the next your massive telly is mounted perfectly on the wall. No wobbles, no visible cables, & everything working beautifully. It’s almost like magic — except it isn’t. What they’ve got is experience, skill, and specialist tools that most of us simply don’t have lying around in our garden shed.

I’ve worked alongside these pros for years, and I’m constantly amazed at how their specialised kit makes quick work of jobs that would take me hours with my basic DIY tools. So before you attempt to mount that 65-inch OLED beauty yourself with just a hammer and some hope, let’s look at the essential tools the professionals bring to the job.

Stud Finders With Advanced Features

Sure, you might own a basic stud finder that beeps when it detects something solid behind your plasterboard. But professional installers typically carry multi-function stud detectors that do MUCH more than locate wooden supports.

Professional-grade stud finders can detect electrical wiring, water pipes, and even differentiate between ferrous & non-ferrous metals. This is crucial because drilling through a water pipe or electrical cable while mounting your TV can turn your cosy Saturday project into a proper disaster. These advanced models often feature LCD displays showing the exact width and centre of studs, plus the depth of detected objects.

I once attempted a DIY TV mount installation with my cheap stud finder and ended up patching three misplaced holes. When the professional arrived with his device that cost upwards of £100, he found the studs in seconds — and pointed out where my electrical wiring was running too. Lesson learned!

Cable Detection & Fishing Tools

Nothing ruins the clean look of a wall-mounted TV like cables hanging down. Professional installers create that seamless, cable-free finish using specialised tools most homeowners simply don’t possess.

Cable fishing rods (sometimes called “glow rods”) are flexible fibreglass poles that can be extended and pushed through wall cavities to pull cables from one opening to another. These often have glow-in-the-dark tips to help visibility inside dark wall spaces. Pros also use magnetic cable pullers — two powerful magnets that can draw cables through walls without needing to fish the entire cavity.

Cable detectors are another essential that helps installers trace existing wiring inside walls. This prevents accidental cutting during installation and helps them plan the best routing for new cables. These tools might seem unnecessary for one-off jobs, but they’re what make the diffrerence between a professional installation and an obvious DIY attempt.

Professional-Grade TV Wall Mounts

This might surprise you, but the actual TV brackets professionals use are often vastly different from what consumers typically purchase online or from electronics shops.

Professional-grade mounts feature heavier-duty construction, more precise adjustment mechanisms, & integrated bubble levels. They often include cable management solutions built right into the design. Perhaps most importantly, they have security features like specialised screws that prevent the TV from being easily removed — crucial for commercial installations but handy for home security too.

These mounts typically cost 2-3 times more than consumer models but offer significantly better stability, adjustability, and longevity. When a professional installs a TV that costs thousands of pounds, they aren’t taking chances with flimsy brackets that might fail!

Laser Levels & Measuring Tools

That perfectly level TV didn’t happen by chance. Professionals rely on laser levels that project perfectly straight lines across your wall, ensuring everything is precisely horizontal.

While basic bubble levels work for small pictures, mounting a 55-inch television requires greater precision. Professional laser levels can project continuous lines across entire walls, some offering both horizontal & vertical lines simultaneously. Many also self-level, eliminating human error in positioning.

Alongside these, pros use digital measuring tools rather than traditional tape measures. Laser distance measurers provide instant, accurate readings up to 50 metres away, and can calculate areas & volumes too — useful when planning complex installations involving multiple components or custom cabinetry. When I finally invested in a decent laser level for my own projects, the difference was immediately obvious. No more “close enough” installations!

Specialist Drill Bits & Anchoring Systems

Your basic DIY drill bit set probably isn’t up to the task of properly mounting heavy televisions. Professional installers carry specialised bits designed for specific wall materials — masonry, plasterboard, concrete, & even ceramic tile.

They also use anchoring systems you won’t find in most home toolboxes. Toggle bolts, snap toggles, and expansion anchors provide significantly more holding power than standard wall plugs. For plasterboard walls, pros often use specialised hollow-wall anchors that can support hundreds of kilos when installed correctly.

I’ve seen frighteningly inadequate DIY mounting jobs using basic screws that would never hold a TV’s weight long-term. Professional anchoring systems distribute weight properly across wall surfaces, preventing those heartbreaking “TV crashed to the floor” scenarios we all dread.

Cable Management & Testing Equipment

The difference between amateur & professional installations often comes down to cable management. Pros carry specialised tools just for this purpose.

Cable sheathing tools create clean, protective coverings for multiple wires, while wall plates & recessed boxes allow for flush mounting of connection points. Professional installers also use specialised cabling for in-wall installation that meets fire safety regulations — something many DIYers overlook.

Once everything’s connected, they use signal testing equipment to verify picture quality, signal strength, & proper connection. These devices can diagnose issues invisible to the naked eye, ensuring everything works perfectly before they leave. Without these tools, you might not discover problems until your installer has left and you’re trying to watch the football final!

Specialised Cutting & Finishing Tools

Creating clean openings for cables and mounting hardware requires more precision than most household tools provide. Professional installers use oscillating multi-tools with specialised cutting attachments designed specifically for plasterboard and other wall materials.

For larger openings or recessed installations, they employ hole saws in various precise diameters, along with plasterboard saws that create cleaner cuts than standard utility knives. Finishing tools like crown bits create professional-looking edges around cable pass-throughs.

These tools aren’t necessarily expensive compared to other professional equipment, but they’re rarely found in typical home toolboxes. The result is visibly superior — clean, precise openings rather than rough, jagged holes that scream “amateur job.”

Custom Mounting Solutions

Sometimes standard mounting solutions just won’t work for unique situations. Professional installers carry components to create custom mounting configurations that address challenging scenarios.

These might include ceiling mounts for sloped walls, articulating arms for unusual viewing angles, or reinforcement plates for insufficient wall support. Pros often fabricate custom brackets on-site to solve specific mounting challenges that pre-made solutions can’t address.

I once watched an installer create a custom solution for mounting a TV above a fireplace where there were no studs available in the right position. Using a combination of specialised anchors & a custom-cut mounting plate, he created a secure installation where I would have simply given up!

The Bottom Line

Could you mount a TV yourself? Absolutely. Many homeowners do it successfully every day. But professional installers bring specialist tools and expertise that make their installations safer, cleaner, & more reliable. Their investment in proper equipment — often thousands of pounds worth — is what enables them to create those seamless, professional results that look deceptively simple.

If you’re determined to DIY your TV installation, consider investing in at least some of these specialist tools. But for most of us, hiring a pro with the right equipment might be the wiser choice — especially for larger, more expensive televisions or complex installations. After all, the cost of professional installation is usually far less than replacing a TV that’s crashed to the floor because of inadequate mounting!