Have you always wanted on outdoor TV? Learn how to install an affordable “regular” TV in a waterproof outdoor enclosure.
A few weeks ago I was hanging outside on our back deck and I thought to myself…” where the heck is Chris” (if you’re new here…that’s my husband).
So, I pulled out my phone and texted him.
Please tell me I’m not the only one who texts their family when you’re both home!
He texted right back and let me know that he was inside watching golf.
What?!?
On a beautiful summer day, my husband was inside watching tv.
Can’t blame the guy…don’t we all do things we enjoy as a way to relax on the weekend?
But there had to be a way we could be together enjoying both the outdoors and watching sports!
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How Can I Put a TV on My Deck?
I’ve seen outdoor televisions hung at other people’s homes.
But it is usually in a covered area.
My dad has a tv in his cabana that is near his pool.
Anne has an outdoor tv that her husband, Kevin built an entire surround for it.
He’s pretty handy and loves to do woodworking projects.
Chris & I…well, not so much super handy or good at building something like that from scratch.
I’ve seen TVs hung from the side of a covered pergola or gazebo.
But our pergola doesn’t have very wide support posts and it’s metal…so, that wouldn’t work.
Where Can I Hang an Outdoor TV?
But then I thought…”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.
So, I did what any good wife would do and I checked Amazon for a waterproof cover.
And guess what?
I 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.
After I showed him the link on Amazon, he practically jumped up and down like a little kid.
He was so excited at the thought of being able to watch sports outside.
And even more importantly…that I would consider actually hanging a TV on the outside of our home!
We weren’t sure if it would even fit on the house.
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 to hang outside on the back of our house.
We didn’t worry about running wires since we planned to only stream shows we want to watch outside.
Regular TVs are way more budget-friendly than outdoor TVs.
Which you may know if you’re reading this post and have priced outdoor televisions.
A 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 planned to hang it.
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 just to the left of the bench.
How Do You Install a Regular TV Outside?
The TV and enclosure were delivered quickly 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 as he needed it.
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 different depths of the siding.
The top of the cover laid flush to the siding but the bottom did not.
Chris was able to easily fix that by screwing pieces of scrap wood (shims) into the siding where the bottom of the cover was attached to the house.
Then, he attached the cover, which was now laying perfectly flush against the siding, with the shims in place behind it.
Once the back of the cover was in place, he started installing the wall mount.
The directions that came with the outdoor TV enclosure were super easy to follow…so just follow them step by step.
Chris had it up and ready for the new TV in no time at all!
And we were super excited to get that TV attached to the wall mount so we could start enjoying our new outdoor television.
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 home, Chris was able to easily attach it to the wall mount in the outdoor enclosure.
The wall mount comes out of the box pretty far and also swivels which is great for our deck since we have two 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.
When we want to watch TV outside, we just take the front of the enclosure off and hang it on the hooks provided on the bottom of the unit.
Then, just plug in the TV and we can stream anything we want to watch.
And after we finish, we simply unplug the TV and wrap the cord inside and cover it back up.
So, easy!
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!
Pin it to Remember it:
William
Sunday 2nd of October 2022
Awesome idea. My wife and I have just added a deck to the back of our house, added a hot tub etc. It would be awesome to add a TV. I just so happen to have a smart TV in my mancave that would be perfect for this project. Thanks for sharing.
AnnMarie
Monday 3rd of October 2022
Yay! Sounds like a perfect spot to watch tv from your hot tub. We love our storm shell and have had it hanging outside through every season for 2 years. If you purchase one it would be so awesome if you buy it through our affiliate link. https://rstyle.me/+6EqzF2QUOtggT-rIGSRTaQ It doesn't cost you anything more but it really helps us! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment on our blog post. We love hearing from our readers. We'd also love to see a picture if you'd like to send us one after you install your outdoor tv. Have a great day!
Joseph
Sunday 7th of August 2022
Outdoor TVs are the best way to go. They are expensive, but the newer models are becoming affordable. I just purchased a 55 inch Furrion Full Sun outdoor Smart TV for $2500. You can get a 55 inch partial sun $2200 and full shade for $1700. The 43" models are even cheaper! The enclosure on a regular TV is a good idea, but those indoor TVs are not designed to take the heat or cold. Also, indoor TVs have a lower NIT rating and are usually not bright enough for the picture to be seen during a sunny day, even if in a partially shaded area. You are limited in placement,weather, and times of day you can watch your TV. I researched alot and Furrion is the best deal for purpose built outdoor TVs. Miragevision converts indoor TVs for outdoor use and have inexpensive prices as well. I choose a Furrion TV because it was made rugged for the outdoors and is going to get beat on because where I installed it. (On a shed wall next to my pool)
AnnMarie
Sunday 7th of August 2022
Hi Joseph - The outdoor TV you purchased sounds amazing! Thanks so much for sharing the other options for our readers who want to invest in an outdoor TV. It sounds like you did lots of research to come to your final decision. Unfortunately, even the price point for the smaller outdoor TVs may be out of budget for many people. It was out of our budget when we installed this TV by our deck. It's been 2 years hanging in the storm shell all year round in North Carolina (very hot summers and not so frigid winters) and still have no issues. We did install an anti-glare film that helped with the picture on really sunny days. We have no problem watching the tv when it's bright out. The regular tv, anti-glare film and storm shell cover cost around $500 which was a more affordable option. Thanks again for taking the time to share what you've experienced & reading our blog post!
Tim
Friday 1st of July 2022
Hi! I'm looking at installing a tv on our covered deck. We also have hardieplank siding. Wondering if your TV mount was directly into a stud? I'm not sure if the plywood behind the siding is enough to hold the TV or if I need to find a stud.
AnnMarie
Monday 4th of July 2022
Hey there! We didn't hit a stud when installing our tv but we've had no issues at all and it's been almost 2 years. We used the long screws that came with the tv shell cover and it worked just fine directly into the hardiplank. You could always use anchors if you don't it a stud when you install yours.
Javi
Tuesday 31st of May 2022
Hello!
Love the idea! Wondering if you can only watch tv during certain times of the day due to sun glare? My deck has direct sun light until about 4-5pm.
Thanks!
Anne
Tuesday 31st of May 2022
Hey Javi, We applied a protective anti-glare film to our TV and it works great! Anne has the same kind on her TV that gets direct sun throughout the afternoon and has no glare issues either. Here's where we found it: https://www.glarestopper.com/
Derrick T
Saturday 28th of May 2022
I am installing the same casing onto my siding, but with a 55'. The other side is our garage wall and successfully found studs and ran into the unequal or unevenness when the casing is placed on the siding.
Do you know the size of the scrape wood that was used?
Did he use 4 or 2 pieces?
What kind of screws were used?
Do you have a YouTube video of the installation? If so, that would be awesome.
Derrick T
Thursday 2nd of June 2022
@Anne, Yes! Thank you so much!
Anne
Tuesday 31st of May 2022
Hey Derrick, Thanks so much for checking out our post! We've loved having the TV outside and the enclosure has worked great for almost two years now. We used some shims as the scrap wood to level the casing. He actually needed to stack two shims to get the right thickness for our siding. He only needed to use the shims for the top two spots where it was screwed in. The holes for the bottom of our casing were at the thicker part of our siding so he didn't need to use a shim there. He used 2-1/2 inch wood screws with a black oxide finish. I hope that helps!