how to hide wires

[vbman1]

hey guys... my initial idea of doing the wires behind the wall. is no good.. i just learned after hanging the TV that.... in between the beams is.... Concrete.. the wall has concreate in between the beams.. anyone know if a clean way to do the wires so it not just hanging all over the place?

[Kezza]

A easy solution is to run all the wires to the middle of the TV and then cable tie them together or use some conduit wire wrap etc to run them all down the middle behind the unit.

Seen this on a lot of installs where hiding inside the wall is not an option.

[l3mce]

For speakers and the whatnot, they make a pretty cheap wire tape that you can paint over.

http://www.google.com/products?q=taperwire&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=ucrUS_y8A4Wdlgfa4PzsDA&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CCsQrQQwAg

[golgoj4]

Concrete? Ouch...

I recommend what most are saying here. centralize the wiring, and enclose it in something a little more attractive. That really about the best you can do. Ive seen everything from plastic to cloth so if you look around im sure you can find the right material.

on a side note..
Depending on
(a) the thickness of the wallboard
(b) your patching / painting skills

you could notch the wallboard and bury the speaker wire in it, then patch, sand and paint. This wont really work for anything outside of the speaker wire as its normally fairly thin.

Keep in mind if your renting, this probably isn't the best option as you will need to repair it when you leave (unless your donating electronics, in which case my address is...).

golgoj4

But be warned, it required patience

[purps]

If DIY is your strong point, then I would chase it out. No need to spend hundreds on a dedicated wall chaser powertools, one of these used with an ordinary power drill works quite well http://www.screwfix.com/prods/11900/Hand-Tools/Builders-Tools/Builders-Basics/Wall-Chaser

For concrete, you'll want a mains powered drill of course, and preferably one with a bit more power.

[Kooma]

Purps, thanks for the tip! Just ordered one. No immediate need, but it'll be handy when needed.
/Kooma

[purps]

They're alright, obviously not as good as a proper wall-chaser, but certainly good enough for the odd job here and there.

If one is going to be chasing out concrete, I would recommend starting with a shallower depth and then going over it again a bit deeper, and carrying on like that until you reach the depth you need. Don't try and take it all out in one go! The bit will get extremely hot and you put an awful lot of stress on the drill.

[Thingie]

I think a wall chaser is the best solution for your problem. I've used it on many occasions and it works really well to put wires or cables in the wall.  If you're using a wall chaser I would recommend to place a conduit in the cut-out space so you can access your cables on a later time. If you place the cables straight in the wall and put some concrete over them you'll get in trouble sooner or later when a cable breaks. Also using a tube can cause problems because you have to guide the cables through the tube. Cables with large connectors can cause great difficulties. When you use a conduit you can remove the lid put the cables in place and close the conduit. You can paint the conduit the same colour as the wall so it won't stand out. If you want the conduit to completely disappear you can use wallpaper to cover the wall and paint this so there won't be any trace of the conduit.

This is how I would tackle the problem:

- find the right conduit that can hold all the cables (not to big but certainly not to small and watch out for the the depth of the conduit. Wider is easier to cut out then deep.)
- take the measurements of the conduit and cut this out with the wall chaser. Try to get the depth as precise ass possible so the conduit gets even with the wall.
- put the conduit in and screw it in place
- finish the sides with some concrete so everything is nice and smooth. Keep the lid on doing this.
- when everything is dry remove the lid and put the cables in place.
- now paint the conduit or put wall paper on the wall and paint this

Have fun

Thingie
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