TV mounting and concealment · Mission Hills.

The structural reality of Mission Hills homes

Mission Hills is defined by its architecture: stone facades, plaster over wood lath, and masonry chimneys. These homes were built in an era before modern stud spacing and standardized drywall. When you want to mount a television, you are not just hanging a weight; you are interacting with a substrate that is brittle, heavy, and often undocumented. A standard drywall anchor will not hold, and a fish tape may not find the stud you expect.

Our approach begins with a physical survey of the wall. We locate the actual framing behind the plaster, checking for fire blocking and the density of the lath. If the wall is masonry, we assess the load-bearing capacity and the method of anchoring. We do not guess. We do not cut into original millwork or plaster without a plan for restoration. The goal is a mount that is structurally sound and invisible in its execution.

This is why a site walk is non-negotiable. We need to see the ceiling height, the distance from the seating area, and the condition of the wall surface. We also check for hidden obstructions like old plumbing chases or electrical boxes that might interfere with a flush mount. In a house this old, the “easy” path is rarely the correct one, and we design around the constraints rather than forcing them.

• Plaster and lath. Needs its own anchoring method. We locate studs and assess lath integrity before drilling.
• Masonry walls. Found in many Mission Hills houses. We use masonry anchors and verify load capacity for the display weight.
• Original finishes. We protect crown molding, baseboards, and plaster surfaces during installation and patching.

Concealment options for finished rooms

A television is often the loudest object in a room. In a Mission Hills home, where the finishes are the value, a black rectangle on a plaster wall can feel like a mistake. We offer several concealment strategies that respect the room’s character. The choice depends on the room’s function, the ceiling height, and how often the display will be used.

Motorized lifts raise the display out of a cabinet or lower it from a ceiling cavity. This requires a custom millwork solution or a ceiling pocket, which we design and build. The display disappears completely when not in use, leaving the wall blank or the ceiling clean. This is ideal for primary bedrooms or formal living rooms where the view behind the TV is part of the room’s design.

Art-panel displays are another option. These are flat displays that show artwork when off and video when on. They are thinner than lifts and do not require a cavity, and they read as a framed picture. We also work with mirror displays, which reflect the room when off. Each option has different implications for heat, viewing angle, and maintenance, which we discuss during the site walk.

• Motorized lifts. Display moves into a cabinet or ceiling. Best for rooms where the wall must remain blank.
• Art panels. Display shows artwork when off. Slimmer profile, no cavity required.
• Mirror displays. Display acts as a mirror when off. Good for bathrooms or entryways.

Power, signal, and control integration

Hiding the TV is only half the job. The power and signal cables must also disappear. In a modern home, you might run a cable through a wall. In a Mission Hills home, we run in-wall rated cable, in conduit where the route allows, so power and signal stay inside the finished wall. We install a recessed power receptacle behind the display, positioned so the plug clears the back of the mount. This eliminates the visible cord and the bulky power strip.

The signal path is equally important. We often move the source equipment—streaming boxes, receivers, soundbars—to a rack in another part of the house. The video signal is then carried to the display over structured cabling, using HDMI extenders or matrices. This keeps the heat-generating equipment out of the living room and allows for easy upgrades without removing the TV from the wall.

Finally, the control. We integrate the display into your home automation system. A single press on a Control4 or Crestron keypad can wake the TV, select the input, dim the Lutron lighting, and lower the shades. This turns a multi-step ritual into a single action, and it ensures the TV is part of the home’s intelligence, not an isolated gadget.

• Recessed power. Electrician-installed outlet behind the display. No visible cords.
• Structured cabling. In-wall rated cable, in conduit where the route allows, so it can be replaced later.
• Home automation. Control4 or Crestron integration for one-press operation.

Control4, Crestron and Lutron in Mission Hills

IntegrateIT is a Control4 Platinum Dealer with a Control4 Certified Showroom, a Crestron Elite Partner and a Lutron Certified Installer, so the platform is chosen for the house rather than for the dealer. Here is what each one does for tv mounting and concealment in Mission Hills.

Choosing between them? Lutron vs Control4 vs Crestron, compared head to head.