Channeling Cables Into a Wall

Hiding tangled electric and cable wires is an excellent way to create a clean, uncluttered look in a room. There are several ways to do this, including using molded plastic cord channels or cutting holes in the wall.

Before you cut any holes in the wall, make sure that the studs are properly located. This is a safety requirement and can prevent the cables from coming into contact with electrical wiring or the floor below.

Use a stud finder

A stud finder is a handheld device that can sense when a beam of wood, metal, or wiring is running through drywall. When this happens, it emits a beeping noise or an LED light.

Using a stud finder can help you locate the studs in your wall to channel cables into. However, stud finders aren’t always reliable and can give false positive readings.

One way to determine if there is a stud is to tap on the wall in certain spots until you hear a hollow sound. This is a great method for older homes with lathe and plaster walls that don’t have electrical outlets or switches fastened to studs.

Another option is to use a strong magnet. Run it across the wall and when it sticks, it’s likely that there is a screw or nail in the stud. This is an excellent technique for finding a stud in a wall that hasn’t been painted yet, but you have to be careful.

Cut away a vertical section of drywall

If you want to channel wires into a wall, cutting away a vertical section of drywall will provide more space for the wire. This is a much more efficient and less time-consuming method than cutting away an entire sheet of drywall.

The main advantage of this is that you’ll have fewer cuts and you won’t have to stagger the panels. This also helps increase the strength of the walls.

You can cut a vertical section of drywall in half, but you should avoid cutting into the studs. This could damage the electrical wiring behind it, so it’s best to leave the drywall intact and simply run the wire through the opening.

Apply paper tape over the seam after filling it with a thin layer of drywall compound (mud). Mix your initial coat of joint compound to the consistency of sour cream, which will make it easier for the tape to bond. It also won’t dry out and cause the tape to fall off.

Drill a hole

If you’re channeling cables into a wall, you may need to drill a hole. This allows you to pull a cable through and connect it to an outlet.

The diameter of the hole should be twice as large as the total diameter of all the wires you plan to pull through it. This will give you enough room to neatly coil and temporarily secure the excess wire as it’s pulled through.

You might also use a flex bit, which is available in long lengths and can be used to drill holes through multiple joists or studs. These come with an eyelet on the tip, which lets you hook it into the wires and pull them through.

You can also hide wiring in an unfinished basement ceiling by cutting a channel (or ‘chase’) into the plaster and running it through plastic capping or conduit. This can be fixed to the wall with masonry nails or clips nailed to the wall, depending on how you want the cables to look.

Cut a channel

If you’ve been trying to hide cables behind plasterboard but aren’t able to, you may need to cut a channel. This can be done with a multi-tool, just remember to use enough filler to make up the gap as well as to ensure that you are not damaging any of the plasterboard.

When running electrical cable through a wall, you will need to create a channel or ‘chase’ in the drywall to run wires. The length of this channel will depend on the distance that you need to run the wires, but it should be no deeper than one third of the wall thickness (i.e., 33mm) if you are using a standard 100mm brick and block wall.

Next, cut a plastic capping or conduit to fit into the channel. These can be clipped onto the wall or fastened with masonry nails driven through each side of them. Or you can simply screw the conduit to a stud or drywall anchors.

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