I was wondering how easy it is and what I should use to mount a plasma to metal studs in an office building. I need to mount a 32" and 42" plasma.
Thank You

I normally use toggle bolts and try to miss the studs.

What size toggle bolts do you use?

I've used toggles as well, but mounted it to the studs. I forget what size toggles I used but I think they required a 5/8" hole.

[Link: toggler.com]

I have used these and now a couple of mount manufacturers are selling "metal stud mounting kits" which include the appropriate number of "fasteners for the mount in question. Just used them with a pio 50 and I could have done chin ups.

Miss the studs? You need to hit the studs, and like they say, use a toggler. Possibly you could through bolt a wood backer through the metal studs, and then attach the regular plasma mount to the wood backer.

Never attach that heavy and object directly to drywall!

OK, fill me in. I normally work in buildings with wooden studs. How do you drill a hole in a wooden stud to accomodate a toggle bolt? How do you get the bracket holes to land on studs on both sides? If you have metal studs, are you implying that you should drill a hole through the drywall and the stud? I followed the directions that came with bracket that indicated it be held to the drywall with 6 toggles. This worked fine as the weight does not pull out on the wall.

there isn't any need for toggles with wood studs. You just predrill and use lags. For the metal studs, yes, you drill through both the drywall and stud. Most wall brackets already have the holes so they can line up on 16" on center with 99% of houses and buildings studs are set to. Toggles on drywall works fine too.

Personally, I would never hang a plasma to simply the drywall surface. As you say McNasty, most brackets line up with the studs, be it metal or wooden, so why not play it safe...

METAL STUD PLASMA INSTALLATION:

* Measure height/ width and mark center of display on the wall.
* Cut a strip from beam to beam the same width as the plasma wall bracket.
* Replace drywall strip with plywood that is the same thickness as the drywall removed.
* Secure the plywood to the beams with self tapping screws.
* Secure the bracket to the plywood backing with screws and washers.
* Now the plasma display will cover the modification that was done to the wall.
* Now you are totally confident that the plasma is mounted to the bracket, the bracket is mounted to the plywood, and the plywood is secured to the metal studs.
* He who hangs a $15,000 plasma on a metal studded wall with toggle bolts should really consider the liability involved. I can look a client in the eye and tell them with confidence, "that plasma is not going ANYWHERE"

drill 1/2 inch hole through plaster and metal stud -use heavy toggle -4 should do it --make sure your on center of stud.
hardly ever has a bracket lined up with the beams-if necessary drill bracket so that you at least hit one stud--use toggle just through the palster for the other two, if you only catch one stud.

NYhifi,
how would you modify this approach, or would you just say NO, to a customer who wants a plasma mounted on a wall made with metal studs...
on a bracket that allows the plasma to be pulled away from the wall and rotated more than 90 degrees to the left and 90 degrees to the right...
where the panel that goes onto the wall is indeed 18 inches with holes that can line up with the studs...
but the correct mounting location does not happen to place the mount on the studs?

Im not trying to be a jerk here but, Have any of you actually seen a metal stud?
I have put 7/16 self tapping bolts right into holes I pre drilled, I swear they would hold up a truck engine. Look close at any toggle bolt, the bolt is only held in place by a flimsy little nut, which isn’t any thicker or stronger, than what a steel stud is made out of. Further, I make it a habit of hanging on to any bracket I install with my full weight as a safety test before I install the electronics, I can assure you, that if you get your self tapping bolts into the steel stud good and tight, they are not going to come out.

NYhifi, not for nuthin, but toggles on metal studs are 110% more reliable than mounting to a piece of plywood the way you said. We had a client that was weary about it until we a co-worker and I hung off each side of a bracket in his house (a total weight of about 400lbs)and it didn't move at all. Toggle bolts are rated WAY higher in both sheer strength and tensile strength than any screws you'll find.

Don't know if you guys like sheetrock work but here's what we do. I've seen toggles work pretty well with metal but it still scares me and I feel a lot better if I can do this. We open up the whole wall and install wood studs. Above drop ceilings we use wood support members and make sure they go to something that can give permanent support.

I'm sure most of you will find this method EXTREME but I have won jobs from people by taking this approach... it makes the customer feel that you are looking out for him/her and allows you to perfectly center Plasmas for those mounts that leave no other option but 16" on-center. We get a lot of extra money to patch, tape, texture and paint.

We had a 6.9 earthquake up here in Washington a few years ago and one that rocked the old Kingdome a few years before that. Having had a few plasmas up during that one I can safely say that no one called to tell me that one fell.