An outdoor television mounted in the covered patio adjacent to a Broken Arrow outdoor kitchen extends the outdoor living space’s entertainment function to include game-day viewing, sports broadcasting, and evening movie screenings — and is one of the most frequently requested feature additions by homeowners who are planning or expanding a covered patio outdoor kitchen project. The installation requirements for an outdoor television differ significantly from a standard interior wall mount: the TV must be rated for outdoor installation, the wiring must be installed in weatherproof conduit, the mounting location must allow viewing angles that work with both the kitchen bar seating and the lounge seating areas, and the HDMI and power wiring must be planned during the covered patio’s framing stage to avoid surface-mounted conduit runs after construction. VistaScapes & Design addresses outdoor TV mounting locations during the covered patio framing design stage and provides the electrical and wiring rough-in for outdoor TV installations as part of the covered patio project scope.
Outdoor TV Selection and Ratings
Outdoor television selection for Broken Arrow covered patio kitchens: outdoor TVs are categorized by their weather resistance rating — full-sun rated TVs (also called bright outdoor TVs), partial-sun rated TVs, and shade-rated TVs. Full-sun rated outdoor TVs (SunBrite Pro Series, Samsung The Terrace, LG OLED Objet Collection): designed for direct sun exposure; anti-glare screens with 1,000 to 4,000 nits of brightness (versus 300 to 500 nits for indoor TVs); weatherproof to IP55 rating or higher; operating temperature range from 14°F to 122°F — the upper end covers Broken Arrow’s hottest outdoor ambient temperatures; price range $1,500 to $6,000+ for a 55-inch to 75-inch full-sun TV. Shade-rated outdoor TVs (SunBrite Veranda, Séura Storm, Samsung The Terrace for covered installations): designed for installation in covered outdoor spaces where direct sun exposure is minimal; 700 to 1,000 nits brightness (adequate for covered patio shade conditions); weather-resistant to IP55 or higher; lower cost than full-sun TVs ($1,000 to $3,500 for 55-inch to 75-inch); appropriate for Broken Arrow covered patio outdoor kitchen installations where the TV will always be under the covered roof. Standard indoor TVs should never be installed outdoors — the display electronics, backlight, and control boards are not designed for Oklahoma’s outdoor temperature range, humidity, and UV exposure and will fail within one to two outdoor seasons; indoor TV warranties are void if the TV is installed outdoors. TV size selection for covered patio viewing distance: the optimal TV size is determined by the viewing distance — the distance from the TV screen to the primary seating area; a general guideline for 4K UHD resolution TVs is screen diagonal (in inches) equal to approximately 1.5 times the viewing distance (in feet); for a Broken Arrow covered patio where the bar seating is 8 feet from the TV wall, a 55-inch to 65-inch TV is appropriate; for a lounge seating area 14 feet from the TV wall, a 75-inch to 85-inch TV provides adequate image size.
Mounting and Wiring Requirements
Outdoor TV mounting and wiring for Broken Arrow covered patio outdoor kitchens: mounting location — the TV mounting location in the covered patio should be at the end of the outdoor kitchen or on the covered patio’s back wall facing the primary seating area; mounting height should place the screen center at 50 to 60 inches above the patio slab level (seated eye height for lounge seating); if the TV is viewed from bar-height seating (seated 30 inches above the slab), a slightly lower mounting height (screen center at 48 to 54 inches) reduces neck strain during extended viewing. Mounting structure: outdoor TV mounts must be secured to the covered patio’s structural framing or masonry — not to thin wood siding, soffit panels, or decorative surfaces; for a TV mounted to the covered patio’s gable end wall, the mount’s lag bolts must penetrate into the wall’s structural framing members; for a TV mounted to the outdoor kitchen’s masonry back wall or the covered patio’s masonry column, stainless steel expansion anchors or masonry anchor bolts provide secure attachment. Conduit wiring: the TV’s power supply cord and HDMI or streaming device cables must be run through weatherproof electrical conduit from the outlet and AV source location to the TV mounting location; in a covered patio, the conduit is typically 3/4-inch rigid PVC or liquid-tight flexible conduit run from the TV mounting bracket back into the wall cavity and down to a weatherproof outlet box; the conduit must be installed during the covered patio’s framing stage before the soffit and ceiling materials are installed — surface-mounted conduit run after the ceiling is finished is the telltale sign of an after-construction TV installation that was not planned during construction. HDMI in conduit: for a streaming device (Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV) mounted behind the outdoor TV, a single HDMI cable run through the conduit from the source to the TV is all the signal cabling required; the streaming device is powered by the same outlet as the TV; if a cable or satellite set-top box is part of the system, an additional coaxial cable run in a separate conduit or in the same conduit (with adequate fill capacity) is required. VistaScapes & Design includes the outdoor TV conduit and outlet rough-in as part of the covered patio electrical plan for every project where the homeowner wants an outdoor TV installation.
Call VistaScapes & Design at (918) 779-1317 for a free outdoor kitchen and covered patio consultation in Broken Arrow. We’ll plan the outdoor TV mounting location and wiring rough-in as part of the covered patio construction.
