I got a call from a customer who's wanting to mount a 42" plasma onto limestone above a gas fireplace. Do I:

A: Tell him that it can't be done and run like hell
B. Make him sign a waiver that he won't sue me if it falls.
C. Just go ahead and mount anchors right into the limestone
D. Insist that he has the stone certified by an architect to carry hold that amount of weight.
E. Refer him to my most despised competitor
F. None of the above

At least B. Then talk to a couple of people who sell limestone.

What shape is it? Is it machined (guessing) into nice smooth pieces? Why would this necessarily be stronger or weaker than other types of stone? You see, I don't know, so I would ask someone on the Stonecutters' Forum...

Is it real thick limestone? OR is that 2" thick limestone-looking stuff. I mean the cast cheap concrete with the stone looking veneer. If it is the latter, then break it out to the plywood underneath to secure the mount. There may be a layer of rock backerboard over the plywood.

I haven't seen it yet, but I'm assuming that it's the real 4" or so thick stone.

If its got conventional framing behind it which I'm leaning towards it does, you could easily drill through limestome to the stud, heck I've drilled through granite stone to get to the studs. One thing I did do is use plastic spacers to cusion the mounting areas. The hard part is getting the wires to the location.

Good luck

WE had to mount a 50" Pioneer above a glass tile fireplace. THe tiles wer 280 bucks per 6" square. I had the GC drill the holes. Then had a metal fabrication shop make me 10 gauge metal spacers. Screwed through the spacers and into OSB and the Studs. We also used this glue stuff from the GC to provide a buffer between the spacers and the tiles. After a year, the house shifteed and several tiles broke anyway. The GC, Design Firm, and Home Builder are in one hell of a lawsuit. Apparently it was not the proper grout/glue combination holding the tiels to the OSB. At least it wasn't my fault.

Mike

With a Plasma, your dealing primarily with "shear" strength. If it is REAL limestone (3-4 inches thick) and it"s secured to the backing wall with ties, you should be able to use DEEP lead anchors with lags. (That probably cassifies a s a "D" if you don't know for sure).

The odds of finding a stud are slim. But, there is a "backer" behind the lime stone (at least there should be, if they had a permit when they did it) probably 1/2 to 5/8 plywood. As long as you don't over tighten the lag bolts and use at least 4 of them at the top, 2 at the bottom, secured to the backer, I don't see a problem.You will have to "overdrill" the limestone to keep it from coming loose when you sink the lags into the backer board. If the stone isn't flat, get a 3' piece of 1/2 tube and cut it length for a spacer that will pass through the limestone and but up against the backer.

This kind of installation makes "Fear Factor" look easy, but, its not unachievable.

i'd give it the 'fat boy test' once the mount is on the wall...

If I can hang my 210lb ass off it, it'll hold a plasma. If not... my ass is cheaper to fix than a plasma!

Only a moment to spare but it seems to me the obvious question is how are you going to get wire and power there - in other words, unless it's already in place it sounds like you or someone is going to have to do a lot of work here which should also help you to figure out exactly what you are dealing with as far as the wall etc.

Bottom line, for this type of thing I only use a person with real contruction/carpentry experience. I don't see any reason it can't be done - I've never had a situation like this where it couldn't be (if the will on the part of the client and myself was great enough).

Good luck.

The one we hung on glass, we pre wired. We knew where the studs were and previously ran oour wire to the location.

Mike

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. I'm going to look at it tomorrow.

AHEM

I'll come and mount it for you.

YOU have to run the wires!!!

AHEM, my house has limestone walls. Drill it with a 5/8" bit in a hammer drill, get some lag shields and you can hang a locomotive on the wall if you want.

Depending on your mortar joints, chip some out, and if you like to do a bit of tuckpointing, you can REALLY be a wire-hiding scoundrel. A lot of effort, but worth it.

good luck.

I think I asked this once before, but don't remember that I got a reply.

When mounting a plasma to brick, real brick, do you drill into the brick or into the mortar between the brick for your mounting?

More at the top and a couple at the bottom of the mount, I assume.

Defenitley into the brick and not the mortar. How old are the brick?