putting speaker wires in wall (1 Viewer)

[Sheldon-m]

I was wondering if anyone has put there wires them self. I want to do it my self but don't know where to start. i really don't want to pay somebody if i caould do it. how hard is the task? one other thing, how can i run my wire under my carpet? how can this been done. THX

 

[Mitch G]

FWIW, I recently did this and found it to be a challenging but satisfying task. It took me a solid 8 hours to run wire for surrounds and mount my speakers on the wall.

If you have a basement or crawlspace below the room you are working in, it's not too hard.
I used a furnace return for one wire run to one speaker, and followed the lead of a phone jack for another wire run. Then for the wires to the receiver, I followed the lead offered by my cable TV jack.

So, decide where you want to put your speakers and then stare at the wall and look for things like phone jacks, returns, etc. that may help you run the wire.

Hope this helps,


Mitch

 

[Sheldon-m]

Thanks! It sound like a big task but I would like to do it my self. What a great challeng. the only thing is i don't have a basement or crawl space. Here in Houston there are no basements due to flooding. so it might be a bigger task that i thought.

 

[Lee Carbray]

I find the easiest thing to do if you can is to run the wire behind/under the base boards. If you have carpet you can usually push it between the carpet and the base board. If you do have to remove the baseboard make sure you don't nail into the wire when you put it back on.

Getting past entranceways can be difficult. I was lucky and was able to run it under the transition strip.

 

[BrianWoerndle]

You can also run them through the attic. Interior walls are not too bad, but exterior walls are almost impossibe do to insulation. Also, I would recommend using a speaker wire UL listed for in-wall use.

 

[Chris Quinn]

Are you in a one or two story?


If in a one story about the only tools you need are a drill, a wire fish, drywall saw, and maybe a Dremel and stud finder.


I'm in Pearland and recently helped a friend run his wire thru the attic. We used a 1/2" spade bit for the holes in the top plate. A dremel to cut the drywall holes.

 

[Eric_Bender]

I was fortunate, when we built our house last summer I asked the builder if he would let me run Speaker and Cat5 prior to drywall going up. He said yes. I was able to wire our family room for surround sound with the rears being high wall mount and the fronts at the floor for floor standing speakers.

As for the Cat5 I was able to wire 7 different locations without too much trouble.

If you have to wire the best time is prior to drywall going in. Other than that, study the layout of the room you are in, look at where electrical outlets, phone jacks, etc are. They will be fairly good indicators of wher the electrician ran thheir wires. If you have a basement, you could trace their wires. Do NOT run your speaker cables along with electrical or phone lines. It is against the National Electric Code (NEC). You can run parallel to the lines and near the lines, just do not run it on top of or through the same access holes that they are in.

Eric

 

[Sheldon-m]

Chris i live in a two story. i have slab under in the carpet. so fish tape would be the best way to get it under the carpet. what gage of cable should be used? see i'm dealing with my ball and chain so it has to be perfecto.
has anybody used that flat cable with the adhesive on the back. i heard it could be painted? i wonder how it would look. thanks for advice

 

[Michael__M]

Is the room on the top or bottom floor? Is it under an attic space or is it under another room? Let us know and we can point you in the right direction.