Running wire in older home with plaster-on-lathe walls? (1 Viewer)

[Terry McCann]

Hey folks, hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season.

I'm posting this question question for a friend at work who owns an older home with plaster-on-lathe interior walls and wants to run coax for cable. I have no experience with this sort of construction, but figured someone on the forum probably has dealt with the problem.

Any ideas will be appreciated.

Terry

 

[Glenn Overholt]

I just used a really long drill bit and ran it through. I expect that he will have a wall plate but you can get them without getting an outlet box. All you have to do is to straighten out the coax and push it through. You could make the opening inside about an inch in diameter to make it easier to find the coax, but still small than an outlet plate.

Glenn

 

[Allan Jayne]

Outlet boxes (work boxes) are also used with plaster and lath construction, they make a style with tabs that you screw onto the lath after you cut a hole big enough for the box to fit through. (You will need to make the hole in the outer layer of plaster a little larger so the box tabs contact the exposed lath, then patch the hole back to be less then the dimensions of the outlet cover after the box is in place.)
Plaster/lath walls have the same studs with cavities in between as today's drywall covered walls. It is just messier to cut holes through the material. If you need to use fishtape, the same techniques apply for plaster/lath as for drywall.
Do not allow antenna coax or video cables to be bent sharply or kinked.
Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm
Been there, done that, helping a friend re-wire an older home.