Have you always wanted an 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.
You may know how expensive outdoor TVs are if you’re reading this post and have priced them.
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…
What to Do if TV is Damaged
It was cracked!
The damage 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.
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 at 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!
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