Hey Grimster74!!!! and anyone who knows!

landry_p2000

I am about to move into a new home, and since I am not renting anymore, I was wondering if you could give me the rundown on what materials used to hide wire into sheetrock. How do you run it?

steveinaz

Are you running the wire inside the walls? If so, a fish tape would helpful, but not necessarily needed. Elaborate more....

dcarlson

http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/showcase/view.php?userid=40818 I think he wants to do what he did.

landry_p2000

I'm open to sugesstions. What would be the more affordable way? Cheaper? Tell me about fish tape.

landry_p2000

Originally posted by dcarlson
http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/showcase/view.php?userid=40818 I think he wants to do what he did.

That looks cool, but it also looks difficult also.

steveinaz

Fish tape is a metal band that you use to "fish" cables thru walls. If you don't have any tight spots to fish cable thru, you probably won't need it. You slide the fish tape thru the route you want the cable to go, then attach your cable to the end of the fish tape, and reel it thru the walls. You'll find them at your local hardware in different lengths.

If you have accessible attic space and no cross-beams in the wall studs, it should be fairly easy if you have some basic carpentry skills. Just drill 1/2" holes in your header board and drop the cable down to where you've mounted your connection box. Drape the remaining cable in the attic over to the wall header where the cable will connect, and do the same.

Of course if you have a basement, you can always go thru floors instead of the attic approach.

Grimster74

Well damn, I almost missed this post. The speaker cable I used to run in and threw the walls was Monster cable. I purchased it with my employee discount when I used to work at BB part-time.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1051384781386&skuId=4223977&productCategoryId=cat08055&type=product

As far as the remaining material. Basic drywall spackle, spackle knife, just a typical junction box and a razor knife to cut the drywall. The hardest part of the whole process was waiting for the spackle to dry.

dkg999

I do some remodeling/trim work as a side business and I have helped some friends with their HT rooms. The easiest method I have found is to space out the baseboard trim with 3/4" or 1" spacers behind it, top and bottom, and run the wires behind the trim. Use trim head screws to fasten the baseboard through the top spacer, and you can pull the spacer out at any time to add or change the wiring. For wall mounted speakers, you can go from the cavity behind the baseboard, into the wall cavity, and come out of the wall cavity behind the speaker. If you move the wall mounted speaker, you only have a small hole in the wall to patch, as the hole in the wall at the bottom is behind the baseboard trim.

landry_p2000

Thanks for the input guys, these are all excellent ideas. I will let you all know when I get it done. That "fish tape" sounds like the easiest route to take.

LittleCar_w/12s

there is also fake plastic baseboard wire-duct that can be painted, same as above, just no caprntry and more money

steveinaz

Originally posted by LittleCar_w/12s
there is also fake plastic baseboard wire-duct that can be painted, same as above, just no caprntry and more money

YES! Another very good idea. I used Panduit to run my sub-woofer cable above my baseboard, you'd never know it.

Tour2ma

Originally posted by LittleCar_w/12s
there is also fake plastic baseboard wire-duct that can be painted, same as above, just no caprntry and more money

Ditto for crown molding now....

landry,
While grimster's solution is very effective, you are still carving out a lot of drywall to make "valleys" for the wires.

dkg999's approach is really no more difficult... and you still get to play with a "fish tape" for the vertical runs from the baseboards up to the speakers...

Easiest by far, if available, is the attic route with drops to each speaker location... and you can "fish" with a coathanger...

Grimster,
Is your setup in a basement with cinderblock behind the drywall?

landry_p2000

Thanks Tour,
I am going to horse around in Home Depot for a while, and see what I can find. Is any one familiar with the adhesive backed tubes used to run computer or phone lines up a wall? These are plastic, paintable, hollow tubes that would be pretty easy to install. My only thing with this option there would be a hump on the wall. It may not be a problem once I dicide what color to paint my HT room in the new house. I got everything wired, and the three wall speakers are my only problem left. They are just hanging on the wall with the wire still showing. I gotta move fast and employ some sort of camouflage for the wires. Thanks for the input fellas. I got a better feel for what I should do now.

Grimster74

Why yes it is....

Tour2ma

Good guess, I guess...

End product looks very, very nice...