Easiest wat to chase speaker cables

[Sandman]

I have decided it is time to wall mount my front speakers (kef eggs). The wall they are to go on is plaster straight on top of a brick/block wall. Mounting the speakers is no problem but what is the easiest way of chasing the speaker cable into the wall? What tool should I use to do the chasing and what should I cover up with? I am going to b&q tonight to buy what I need so any hints or tips are welcome.

[Andy98765]

If you get a SDS+ drill with "rotory stop" (THAT IS THE IMPORTANT BIT) use one of these Armeg SDS Plus Channelling Chisel 30mm - Screwfix.com, Where the Trade Buys
You now have a all purpose drill that can act as a electric chisel.
It does the job in minutes rather than hours and you end up with far less dust than using other methods.

[Sanders79]

Originally Posted by Sandman

I have decided it is time to wall mount my front speakers (kef eggs). The wall they are to go on is plaster straight on top of a brick/block wall. Mounting the speakers is no problem but what is the easiest way of chasing the speaker cable into the wall? What tool should I use to do the chasing and what should I cover up with? I am going to b&q tonight to buy what I need so any hints or tips are welcome.

Hi Sandman,

What's your budget? Are there any time constraints (i.e. can you take as long as you like over it)? And do you think you'll want to be able to swap the cables easily at some point in the future?

Cheers!

EDIT: Should also ask, what are your DIY skills like?

[Spiderkid]

Hi Sandman, did you see my reply in your other thread? I'm really not convinced that you need to do any serious chasing with that set up, especially as you can run the speaker cable up the wall behind the cabinets.

Also, if you want to be really neat you could always simply cut or chisel a groove into the plaster deep enough to bury your speaker cable then plaster directly over it, given the relatively short distance you need to cover.

So, the easiest way is not to do it at all! But if you're determined then look for the shortest possible stretches of wall and keep it cheap and cheerful. If you're careful you could do the whole thing with a stanley knife and a tub of no sanding polyfiller... good luck, whatever you do...

(Also watch out for that 'random number generator button' they seem to have installed on all B&Q tills, which when pressed gives you a total nothing like the amount you thought you'd bought.. '£38.95 for a pack of screws and a screwdriver!' )

[velvitjester]

Originally Posted by Sandman

I have decided it is time to wall mount my front speakers (kef eggs). The wall they are to go on is plaster straight on top of a brick/block wall. Mounting the speakers is no problem but what is the easiest way of chasing the speaker cable into the wall? What tool should I use to do the chasing and what should I cover up with? I am going to b&q tonight to buy what I need so any hints or tips are welcome.

I would get the thickest angle grinder disc you can and use that.

It would do the neatest job.

[Sanders79]

Originally Posted by velvitjester

I would get the thickest angle grinder disc you can and use that.

It would do the neatest job.

Very, very dusty though...

[27neth]

Hammer, bolster and a box of polyfiller (not the pre-mixed stuff)

John..

[Sandman]

Thanks for all the tips guys, I dont want to spend much cash as this would be a one off job and any specialist tools would likely never be used again. My options are:

1) Hammer and chissel
2) Stanley knive
3) Angle grinder

Although I like the idea of using my angle grinder I am not sure about the mess it would create. I will try just using a stanley knive and move up to a chissel if needed. I will then just plaster staight over the cable as they (hopefully) will never need replacing.

Thanks guys.

[LeeG]

Sandman,

I chased speaker wire into the walls in my house last year. It is also plaster on brick. I just marked 2 lines about 10mm apart. I then chain drilled down to around 8-10mm deep using the depth gauge on the drill, finished of with a chisel and hammer. Didn't take too long at all. Finished with PolyFilla and then painted.

Do not use an angle grinder, you'll be cleaning the whole house for months afterwards!

Lee.

[Spiderkid]

I agree about the angle grinder.. you will have to move everything out of the room and you'll be tasting dust for weeks!

Plaster should be easy to cut a suitable chanel into using simple hand tools over the sort of short distances you're talking about. Much less mess! All depends on how thick your speaker cable is though? How about some QED silver micro.. QED Silver Micro Speaker Cable - Speaker Cable - Audiovisual Online - High Quality Audio Video Cables and Accessories

[Greg]

When I did mine I just used a chisel and hammer. Not the prettiest channel you have ever seen, but after a bit of filler and a repaint, you can not tell it was there.

[EriX]

Hi

I set about learning by doing last night

I've read all i can find on this forum with regards chasing.

I found I have about 16mm of plaster on my brick wall.

I used a wide bladed ( ~100mm ) masonary chisel to define the edges and then a smaller 22mm chisel to take out any bits between the edges. I also found that the claw on my hammer (tesco value ) was very good for tidying the inside edges of the channel as it scraped out the plaster easily.

I was quite pleased with the result. The messy edges are more due to the old paint peeling off the existing plaster than anything else.

Eric

[Sandman]

Well I did it tonight, I started with hammer and chissel and the plaster on the wall was so easy to dig into I replaced the hammer with a sharp screwdriver. Worked a treat! I have placed the cables into the groove and plastered over the top of them. Here is the finished article (will paint tomorrow).

[Spiderkid]

Good job mate! I would have spent at least another week faffing over this project. Looks like you managed to do it without too much mess either...

Also, you've left yourself the option of repositioning your left and right speakers on the same level as the centre once it finally bugs you enough that they're not in line...

[mxs]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Well I did it tonight, I started with hammer and chissel and the plaster on the wall was so easy to dig into I replaced the hammer with a sharp screwdriver. Worked a treat! I have placed the cables into the groove and plastered over the top of them. Here is the finished article (will paint tomorrow).

Sorry mate! I would have opted for a sheet of MDF.

All that faffing around chasing walls when you could have hid the wiring behind a piece of board