What you Need to Know about Hanging an Outdoor TV

Have you always wanted on outdoor TV? We show you how to install an affordable regular TV in a waterproof outdoor enclosure.

How Can I Put a TV on My Deck?

A few weeks ago I was hanging outside on our back deck and I was like “where the heck is Chris” (if you’re new here…that’s my husband).

So of course I texted him.

Tell me I’m not the only one who texts their family when you’re both home!

He texted back that he was inside watching golf.

Live sports had just come back on TV during this pandemic and he was excited to watch! Can’t blame the guy!

But I thought there had to be a way we could be together enjoying both the outdoors and watching sports!

Where Can I Hang an Outdoor TV?

What if we hung a TV on the back of our house?

I wasn’t sure if it was even possible because there would be no protection since it wouldn’t have a roof over it.

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So I checked Amazon for a waterproof cover and found this outdoor TV enclosure. It wasn’t pretty but it would protect a TV.

Hmm maybe this could actually work!

I texted Chris and asked him to come out on the deck because I had an idea. He was so excited at the thought of being able to watch sports outside. And that I would consider actually hanging a TV on the outside of our home!  

But would it even fit?

We don’t have a lot of “wall” space because our deck is behind the kitchen and there is a wall of windows on one side and the window over the sink on the other side. There was only one small area that could possibly fit a TV.

A quick measurement and we determined that it would work!

YAY!

Can a Regular TV Be Used Outdoors?

We bought a regular smart TV and just stream any shows we want to watch outside. Regular TVs are way more budget-friendly than outdoor TVs.

We also didn’t want to deal with cable or DirectTV. So the smart TV was definitely the way to go for us!

The 43″ Insigna Smart Fire TV was the perfect size for the Storm Shell Outdoor TV enclosure that holds a 32-44″ TV.

And we lucked out because there was already an outdoor outlet right below where we hung the TV.

No electrical work needed!

Geez, I wish I had moved that bench and dog bowl when I was taking photos of this project! But you can see the outlet cover to the left of the bench.

How Do You Install a Regular TV Outside?

The TV and enclosure were delivered and the next weekend we got to work installing the cover to the house.

And by “we” I mean Chris!

I was there to take photos of the process and hand him stuff.

Because our house is Hardiplank siding with plywood behind we were able to screw right into the house to attach the cover.

However, after finding the studs the cover wasn’t laying flat against the house because of the siding.

Chris was able to easily fix that by screwing a piece of scrap wood into the siding behind the cover.

Once the back of the cover was in place we started installing the wall mount.

The directions that came with the outdoor TV enclosure were super easy to follow.

Chris had it up and ready for the new TV in no time! And we were super excited to get that TV attached to the wall mount!

But when we took the TV out of the box…

Uh oh!

It was cracked. It must have happened in shipping. Luckily although we ordered the TV through Amazon it was from Best Buy so we were able to go to our local store and exchange it that day.

Phew crisis averted!

LOL!

Once we got the new tv installed we were done!

The wall mount comes out quite far and swivels which is great for our deck since we have 2 seating areas now.

We can watch TV from our new sectional in the living room area.

Or turn it to see the TV while sitting at our outdoor table in the dining room area of the deck.

Whenever we use the TV we just take the front of the enclosure off and hang it on the hooks.

Then just plug in the TV and we can stream anything we want to watch.

When we’re done we just unplug the TV and wrap the cord inside and cover it back up.

We’re really enjoying our new outdoor TV!

I only wish we had done this sooner!

If you have any questions or suggestions, contact me or leave a comment! We’d love for you to follow us over on Instagram and Facebook so you don’t miss any of our tips, tricks, or stories!

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