You just bought a new set of speakers and a soundbar, and you can’t wait to hear their crystal-clear audio throughout your living room. You want to mount the speakers to the wall for a surround-sound experience, but can you install your speakers without drilling holes into the wall?
To mount speakers to an interior wall without drilling, you can use Alien Tape, or Command Hooks. These products are recommended for lighter-weight to mid-weight speakers. For heavier speakers, consider using picture hooks that can handle the weight.
If you’re new to these mounting methods, then keep reading. Ahead, we’ll discuss in further detail your options for drill-less speaker mounting, and special options for soundbars. We’ll even provide some tips for ensuring your speakers are as secure as they can be, some warnings for common speaker mounting pitfalls, and great alternatives to wall mounted speakers.
Mounting Your Speakers to a Wall Without Drilling – 3 Ways
There are plenty of instances in which you can’t drill speaker mounts into a wall. Perhaps your wall is a rigid material, such as a brick wall behind a fireplace. Much more commonly, if you live in an apartment, your landlord probably doesn’t want you to drill holes in the wall. It’s easy enough to patch up missing chunks of paint at the end of your lease, but to replace holes? It takes more time and effort.
Luckily, you’re not totally out of options when it comes to mounting your new speakers. Here are some drill-free methods to try for light to medium weight speakers.
Command Hooks (great for renters!)
Your first option is to rely on Command Hooks. The good thing about these hooks is that they’re available in all sorts of places, from your home improvement store to most department stores and even some grocery stores. You can also get them online here.
Command Hooks are a favorite option for mounting things like pictures, holiday decorations, and practically everything in between. You get six strips to a pack. One of the 3M Command Hooks’ best features is that they can be removed from the wall without leaving any residue. I have used the Command Hooks many times on wall, metal, and window sills, and they do come off clean. Make sure you follow the right procedure for peeling them off.
SecureHomeHero Tip: Do keep in mind that each Command Hook can support 7.5 pounds, so you should only try this method if your speakers aren’t all that heavy. I recommend using them to hang speakers that weigh 5 pounds or less.
Alien Tape (great for soundbars and on smooth surfaces)
The second option we recommend for interior speaker mounting without a drill is to use Alien Tape. This strong adhesive is ideal for these purposes, and they hold on strong! One of Alien Tape’s best advantages is that you can cut a piece that fits your speaker (long, wide…etc.). This is ideal for soundbars as the Alien Tape can span the entire length of the speaker. The other benefit is –just like the 3M command strips- you can cleanly remove Alien Tape without damaging your wall.
Alien Tape adhesive will best stick to smooth surfaces such as ceramic, wood, glass, and most plastics. It does not stick as strong to porous or corrugated surfaces such as bare brick.
Get your walls nice and clean by wiping them down with rubbing alcohol, then stick the Alien Tape to your wall and speakers. Here is a handy video that reviews the many uses of Alien Tape.
SecureHomeHero Tip: Do keep in mind that the manufacturer claims that Alien Tape can support up to 17.5 pounds. I recommend using them to hang speakers that weigh 10-12 pounds or less.
Picture Hooks (more secure for heavier speakers)
As an alternative to adhesives, you can use what’s known as a picture hook. As the name implies, this type of hook is intended for mounting framed photos so you can display them on your wall. Not every kind of picture hook is necessarily the same though, make sure you buy one that is rated to far exceed your speakers’ weight.
Picture hooks are super simple! They do not require a drill, a stud finder, or a wall anchor. All you need is a hammer. For example, this 120 Piece Professional Picture Hanger Kit has a wide range of hooks that can hold from 10-100 lbs.! Picture hooks will leave a hole in the wall, but it is tiny compared to drilling one. Here is a video that will show you how easily you can install a picture hook.
The cost of the picture hook kit ($16 for 120 hooks!) is very reasonable for mounting heavier speakers. The back of these picture hangers goes smoothly onto your wall. For best results, you do want a wall that’s as flat and level as possible.
SecureHomeHero Tip: I highly recommend using a picture hook rated for at least twice the weight of your speakers. For example, if your speaker weighs 20lbs, use a 40lbs or 60lbs rated hook.
When You Shouldn’t Mount Speakers Without a Drill?
Mounting your speakers to your wall using adhesives rather than a drill is possible, as we illustrated above. However, there are some scenarios in which you will want to drill or screw the mounts into your wall for a very secure fit. Below, I will also give you alternatives to replace your speakers altogether.
- Your Speakers Are Heavy
Once your speakers exceed 15 pounds, wall-stick adhesives probably can’t withstand the weight (and the vibrations from that heavy Bass!) Even if you can get the speakers mounted to the wall with adhesives right now, over the days and weeks to come, your speakers could slip and fall. You’ll need to come up with another way.
- Your Walls Are Plaster, Textured, or Ridged
As we’ve discussed in the last section, ridged and textured walls and some wall materials such as plaster don’t play nicely with Command Hooks, Alien Tape, or nails. You could clean your walls until they’re spotless, but the texture will prevent the adhesive from creating a seal.
- You Spent a Lot of Money on Your Speakers
If you have very high-end speakers that cost several hundred dollars or even close to a thousand dollars, forego the drill-less wall mounting. You don’t want anything to happen to your speakers if the adhesive fails. It is better to risk a hole in the wall or a small portion of your rent deposit that break a thousand dollar speaker.
- Your Speakers Have a Swivel Arm
Be careful when mounting speakers that have swivel arms. The laws of physics say that even a light weight creates a lot of force and torque when mounted at the end of an extension arm or lever.
Put simply, a 2-pound speaker at the end of a swivel arm will act more like a 10-pound speaker. Be careful and consider using stud mounted screws for this one!
Alternatives to Wall-Mounted Speakers
You floated the idea of drilling your walls to your landlord, but they said no. If your speakers are heavy and you don’t want to use adhesives, what else can you do? Here are a few things you can try.
Speaker Stand
What if you already bought speakers and they can’t stand on their own? A speaker stand prevents you from having to wall-mount your speakers. You don’t necessarily need to spend a lot of money or get a fancy stand for the speakers, either. This set of two desktop speaker stands on Amazon is made of durable aluminum and can hold smaller to medium speakers. They are angled at a perfect incline to project sound up to the center of the room.
If you’d rather buy something a little bigger, some steel pedestal stands, also on Amazon, are two to a pack. Intended for bookshelf speakers, you can adjust the mounting angle up to 45 degrees, so your living room surround sound is more customizable.
Ditch the Set and Get One Elegant Speaker!
This is what I did in my home. Are you ready for new speakers? While you’re still shopping around for speakers, don’t buy the type that mounts into the wall or floor speakers that take too much room. The only speaker that I have in my living room is the Klipsch The Three II Table Top Stereo Speaker. It looks great and sounds even better. This beautiful piece houses two speakers and a subwoofer rated at a room-filling 120 watts (for reference, most modern TVs have 10 to 20-watt speakers).
The great thing about the Klipsch The Three II Table Top Stereo Speaker is that it requires no mounting. It looks classy enough to put on a coffee table or a shelf. I cannot say enough good things about this all-in-one speaker. But the Amazon reviews speak for themselves.
Conclusion
If your landlord doesn’t let you drill holes into the wall, you can still mount your speakers. Adhesive solutions such as Command Hooks or Alien Tape are practical and easy to remove. You can also use picture hooks for medium-sized speakers. For bigger speakers, a speaker stand is a drill-free solution that looks great in any room! Or you can ditch your current speakers on Craigslist and replace them with an elegant tabletop all in one speaker.