Mike Campagna, 38
President, Peerless Industries Inc.
Melrose Park
In Mike Campagna’s kitchen, the TV is usually on.
It’s a 15-inch Zenith flat-panel television, mounted to a wall under a kitchen cupboard. The mount–an articulating arm–moves the television out from under the cabinet, turns it left or right, tilts it up or down and tucks it away neatly under the cabinet when it’s turned off.
“This way, if my wife is cooking, she can turn it one direction, and the kids angle it towards them during meals,” said Campagna, who knows a thing or two about mounting televisions.
He’s the president of Melrose Park-based Peerless Industries Inc., the largest TV-mount manufacturer in the country, Campagna said. Flat-panel mounts account for between 30 percent and 40 percent of the privately held company’s sales.
But Peerless, which employs 325 people, still sells more mounts for tube televisions–the kind that attach to a wall and hold the TV up on a platform–than for flat panels.
But probably not for long.
“Only about 5 percent of all [tube] TVs get mounted,” Campagna said. “But flat panels have a 25 [percent] to 50 percent mount rate. The larger the screen, the more likely it is to be mounted.”
There are four kinds of mounts for flat-panel TVs: a fixed wall mount; a tilt mount that can move the TV up or down; a pivot mount that moves up and down as well as side to side; and a fully articulating, adjustable arm like the one in Campagna’s kitchen.
Prices for the Peerless mounts range from about $30 to $260, depending on style and size.
Campagna said it’s easy to mount a flat-screen TV, although you would need help if the TV is too heavy to lift by yourself.
Here are the steps involved:
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1. Know where your TV is going to be and how many viewing angles you want. “Will it be in your family room, kitchen or bathroom? From how many rooms will you be watching?” Campagna asked. This will help determine the type of mount you purchase.
2. Drill holes in the wall for the mounting bracket. “Depending on the size of the screen, you’re looking at between two and six holes.” It is critical that the holes go into wood studs in the wall.
3. Mount the bracket onto the wall and the adapter plate onto the back of the TV. Most adapter plates fit the built-in mounting holes on the backs of most televisions.
4. Hook the screen into the mount.
That’s it.
“Mounting the flat panel is actually very easy,” said Campagna.
What about hiding all the cords that run into the TV?
He said the best bet is to run the cables through the wall before putting the TV up.
“Drill a nice clean hole behind where the TV will go,” he said. “Run the cords in and down the wall, where your components will be, then pop another hole behind whatever is holding your equipment.”
There are cover plates sold at hardware stores that will make the job look professional.
But you’ll need a real professional to install an electrical outlet behind the TV if you don’t have one.
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