Zilker AVFireplace & stone
Fireplace & Stone TV Mounting in Austin
The wall everyone else quotes around. Limestone, stacked stone, cast stone, brick and tile are what we do most.
The honest version
A modest premium, not a punishment
Mounting into stone takes longer than drywall. It needs a hammer drill, masonry bits that wear out, and someone who has done it enough to put every anchor in solid stone (never the mortar) and know where a face will spall.
That's genuinely worth something. It's not worth the several hundred that gets quoted when a company would rather you said no. That's what the "fireplace surcharge" usually is.
With us, fireplace and stone work starts at $179, and you'll have your exact number before we drive out, not after we're standing in your living room.
Know your wall
The surface decides everything
Every one of these hangs a TV a little differently. Hill country houses are mostly the first two.
- Austin limestoneSoft, as masonry goes. Drills clean with a sharp bit, chips easy near an edge. Anchors go deep and stay away from the face edges.
- Stacked & ledgestoneThe tricky one. Irregular faces mean the plate bridges gaps, so it takes spacers and patience, and every anchor has to land in a full-thickness stone.
- Cast stone & concreteDense. Drills slow, eats bits, and holds like iron once you're in. A regular drill on hammer mode will fight you all afternoon here.
- BrickDrill the brick, never the joint. Older Austin brick runs soft, so the anchor goes deeper than you'd think.
- Tile over masonryTwo different drills for one hole. The bit that keeps tile from cracking is not the bit the block behind it wants. Tape, low speed, then switch.
The DIY section
Thinking about doing it yourself?
Fair. Here's the whole job, no gatekeeping. You need an SDS hammer drill, sharp masonry bits, sleeve or wedge anchors rated well past the TV's weight, a level, and a second set of hands. Mark through the mount plate, drill your depth plus a little, blow the dust, set the anchors, torque it down.
Now the part the how-to videos skip. Four ways this goes sideways:
An anchor lands in a mortar joint because that's where the plate holes happened to line up. Mortar crumbles under load. Stone holds, mortar lets go. Move the plate until every hole sits over solid stone, even when that's annoying. Especially when that's annoying.
The face cracks or spalls. Wrong bit, too much speed, or a hole too close to an edge. On a feature wall there's no patching that. A cracked hearth is a mason's bill.
The TV ends up too high because the mantel forced it there, and you spend years watching it with your neck craned. Measure seated eye level first, not last.
Nobody planned the cord. So a power lead dangles down the middle of the nicest wall in the house. Decide where the power comes from before the first hole, not after the last one.
If your wall is flat solid limestone, there's an outlet up there already, and you own the drill: go for it. Genuinely. If it's stacked stone, it's over a firebox you actually use, the cords need to disappear, or you priced the drill and bits and it came to most of our fee anyway, that's what we're for.
Stone starts at $179. Call for an exact quote — a real person (or Beau) answers 24/7.
Height & heat
The two things stone walls get wrong
Height. The center of the screen should sit near seated eye level. Over a mantel you're usually a foot or two above that, which is why so many fireplace TVs feel like a movie theater's front row. Sometimes the answer is mounting lower than the mantel wants. Sometimes the answer is a pull-down mount that brings the screen to you.
Heat. A working firebox pushes heat up the chimney breast, right where the TV lives. A deep mantel throws that heat forward and buys you clearance. No mantel, or a shallow one, and the setup needs more thought: more height, a heat-managed alcove, or a mantel mount that pulls the screen down and away when the fire's going.
We check both before we drill. If your fireplace and your TV want different things, you'll hear it from us in the living room, not discover it in February.
from $179
Limestone, stacked stone, cast stone, brick or tile. The most common job we do.
from $299 installed
A pull-down mantel mount brings it to eye level. Motorized from $449. See mantel mounts.
Cords
The cord is half the job
A beautiful mount with a cable hanging under it is a beautiful mount ruined. Yes, cords go through stone. We do it two ways.
Furred-out stone has a cavity behind it. We pull a stone, drop the cable through the cavity, and exit low on the side where nobody looks. The stone goes back. You'd never know.
Solid masonry has nowhere to hide inside, so we go around: out behind the TV, conduit down the exterior, back in low beside the fireplace. Clean face, invisible run, priced by the access path on one phone call.
The portfolio
Austin stone, our work
Every surface below is a real hill country home. Nothing here came from a catalog.
Reviews
5.0 on Google, and we plan to keep it there
Every review a five-star. Real customers, real installs.
★★★★★“Whenever a customer asks us about AV services, we always send them to Zilker AV. They really know their stuff when it comes to home theaters, smart home setups, and all things audio-visual. We’ve seen their work, and it’s solid.”
— Daryl U., Google review
★★★★★“Highly recommend!! Did an exceptional job hanging some TV’s. They are professional, honest, and provide quality work. They were extremely respectful while completing the job quickly and efficiently. I would 100% recommend them to anyone!”
— Paige, Google review
★★★★★“David and his team were fantastic! He was very quick and prompt in scheduling our appointment, making the process seamless from the start.”
— Michael S., Google review
Service area
Austin, and out through the hill country
We cover the city, but most of our stone work is west and south: Dripping Springs, Driftwood and Wimberley. Long drives are normal for us. Ask and we'll tell you honestly whether we can get to you today.
Questions
Straight answers
Can you drill into limestone or stacked stone?
Yes. It's the single most common job we do. The bit changes with the surface, but the rule never does: we anchor into the stone itself, never the mortar. Mortar crumbles and lets go. Stone holds.
Can I mount a TV on a stone fireplace myself?
If you own a hammer drill, know a sleeve anchor from a drywall anchor, and the wall is flat solid stone, honestly, maybe. Where it goes wrong is mortar joints, cracked faces and a cord with nowhere to go. Read the DIY section on this page, then decide. No hard feelings either way.
Can you mount a TV on stone without drilling?
Not safely, and be careful with anything that claims otherwise. Adhesive and strap systems are not rated for a TV's weight hanging on rough stone. The honest no-drill answer is a floor-standing unit or a mantel shelf, and you give up the clean look. Four anchors in solid stone is the right answer.
Will it crack my stone?
Not if it's done with the right bit at the right speed in the right place. This is exactly why we exist as a specialist rather than a general handyman. A cracked hearth is a mason's bill, not a warranty claim.
What about heat when the fireplace is running?
It matters. A screen over a working firebox wants real clearance, a mantel that kicks heat forward, or a pull-down mount that brings it away from the chimney breast. We check all of it before we drill, and if your setup needs something different, we say so on the spot.
How much is a TV over a stone fireplace?
It starts at $179. The exact price depends on the TV size, the surface and what you want done with the cords. Call and you'll have the number before we drive.
Can you hide the cords inside a stone fireplace?
Yes, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Furred-out stone, we pull a stone and exit low on the side. Solid masonry, we route outside, run conduit down, and come back in low beside the fireplace. It's priced by the access path, and you'll have that number on the phone too.
Is the TV too high over a fireplace?
Often, yes. And we'll say so. If the mantel puts the screen above comfortable eye level, a pull-down mantel mount solves it properly. Those start at $299 installed.
Can I supply my own mount?
Always. Tell us what you bought and we'll tell you on the phone whether it will hold on your surface. If you'd rather we bring one, we stock them at fair prices. No ambush markup at the door.
Send us the fireplace.
Tell us the surface and the TV size on the phone and you'll have a number before we hang up.
A real person answers 24/7. Nights and weekends too.