Speaker cables going into wall - how to tidy up the hole?

[Brogan]

I am going to route all the speakers cables from the amp up the front wall and across the ceiling inside the void to the surround and rear speakers.

I can't go under the carpet as it's a solid concrete floor and just cutting out the underlay is no good as there will be at least 6 or 7 cables including power, etc.
Also, as the speakers are ceiling mounted the wires would have to go up into the ceiling void anyway.

My problem is when I cut the initial hole in the wall behind the amp, how do I make it look neat & tidy?
For example, I don't just want a fairly large hole in the wall with 6 or 7 cables disappearing into it.
Is there some kind of plate/cap/grommet I can use to neaten it up and seal the hole up afterwards?
Ideally it would be something fairly airtight to stop dust, noise, etc.

Anyone got any ideas?

I did consider something like this: http://www.nexxia.co.uk/Wall_plate_Connectors/Dolby_Speaker_wall_plates.htm
But ideally I'd like to avoid any additional connections on the cable run and also, I'd like to avoid having fairly large banana plugs sticking out of the wall due to space issues.

 

[Cool-hand]

Hi Brogan

Im sure we've spoken before sometime. Hope you are well.

How about you cut a single-gang-box size hole out of the wall, metal if its hard plaster/breeze wall or a fastafix box if its a plaster-board wall.
Pass all the cables through this and then use a single-gang blanking plate (its like a single-gang light switch only without the switch). They usally have flex-outlet pionts on the sides which can be broken out or very easily you can saw the bottom edge out to hide the cables!!

So to re-cap. Image your white plastic single-gang light switch in your room, with no switch (blank) with all the cables going into the switch from the very bottom and this is behind your tv/amp/etc..
You can also paint it to suit your decor!

Rgds

Cool-Hand

 

[Brogan]

Hi, yes we have.

I've been pretty quiet on the AV front for the last few years but now that we've settled down (well for the next year or 2 at least ), I now have the opportunity to do a proper install.

I had already considered using a single gang box and blanking plate but it needs to be flush mounted and therefore it will necessitate cutting a hole in the plate and I'll still end up with a fairly poor finish.
Ideally I need a blanking plate with a pre-drilled cut out big enough for 6 or 7 wires and with grommets.
That would give me the finish I need and the grommets would stop the dust, etc.
This is the closest thing I've found but the hole is a little bit too small: http://www.electrika.com/products/m/man-0550/picsprod/730019.jpg

I've had a look on the Maplins and CPC sites but haven't yet found anything suitable.

 

[Cool-hand]

Hey youd be surprised how easy the plastic is to cut and you wouldn't see any holes as the cut would be below the plate right at the very very bottom.

CH

 

[Brogan]

Hey youd be surprised how easy the plastic is to cut and you wouldn't see any holes as the cut would be below the plate right at the very very bottom.

Making the cut at the bottom of the plate as you suggest wouldn't be big enough for all of the cables.
There are 4 speaker cables, a fairly hefty power cable and an HDMI/component cable for the projector.

I have however just had an idea.
All of the wall plates in the apartment are Legrand chrome with white plastic, similar to this one: http://www.electrika.com/products/m/man-0550/picsprod/731050.jpg
If I take a telephone wall plate, I can remove the white plastic phone jack component and that should give me a hole big enough.
All I need then is a grommet of some sort.

 

[Cool-hand]

OK. How about using the metal/fastafix back box and using 3.5mm 50mm screws then use a single-gang patrice (white surface mount backbox) then the blank plate?

CH

 

[Brogan]

I want to keep all wall fixings flush mounted so a surface mounted box is no good.
I think I'll just have a wander around one of the large DIY stores - there's bound to be something suitable I can cobble together.

 

[Miniholic]

How about something like this?

http://www.home-networking-online.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Double_Gang_Brush_Faceplate_977.html

From this thread.

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=287521

 

[Brogan]

Spot on.
That will do just nicely.

Wonder if they do it with white bristles...

 

[Brogan]

Right, my next problem is how to route cables across the ceiling void and up the wall with the minimum of damage.
It's a brand new apartment so I'd like to avoid cutting holes in the wall and ceiling as much as possible.

There are downlights spaced about 1.5m apart in the ceiling which I can utilise to somehow feed the cables across the void.
I need something fairly stiff but felxible though to be able to get it from downlight to downlight attached to which will be a pull-through and once I get it right across the ceiling i can pull the cables through.
Something like an old wire coathanger but longer.

Has anyone encountered and resolved this issue before or is it simply a case of cutting access holes in the ceiling and wall?

 

[Cool-hand]

Hi

That was a good spot, hope it does come in white!! Well done.
Well the chances are when you try to pull thru it may snag on something but the sparkys favourite is a length of YT1/MT1 mini-trunking lid. It works 90% of the time. Hope the beams run the right way for you.

Going up the wall you never said whether its a solid or stud wall. Solid, you have no choice but to chop away. If its a stud then you still got a bit of chopping to do but not so bad. Its a s***ty job but it will look great when your done so just crack on with it!!

Rgds

CH

 

[Brogan]

Well the chances are when you try to pull thru it may snag on something but the sparkys favourite is a length of YT1/MT1 mini-trunking lid. It works 90% of the time. Hope the beams run the right way for you.

That should do it.
There are no beams as it's a suspended ceiling so there is only a metal carcass and the plasterboard.
It should be fairly easy to do once I have the pull through in place.

Going up the wall you never said whether its a solid or stud wall. Solid, you have no choice but to chop away. If its a stud then you still got a bit of chopping to do but not so bad.

It's a stud wall so no chasing required but I will try and feed the cable with only making 2 or 3 holes at the most.
Famous last words...

 

[Brogan]

What's the best way of dealing with studs?

I'm in the process of running the RF cables from the wall plates (Sky, TV, FM) horizontally inside the wall cavity to the AV unit and I've encountered my first stud.

Options are:
1. Cut hole adjacent to stud and drill hole in stud to allow cables to pass through - this is quite tricky as getting the drill bit in is a strugggle.

2. Remove plasterboard on top of stud and cut part of stud away - this could be tricky to repair as it won't be possible to batten behind when replacing the plasterboard.

How have others dealt with vertical/horizontal studs?

 

[clockworks]

Run the cables at skirting level.
Remove the skirting board. Cut the plasterboard away, behind the skirting, and notch the studs if necessary. Refit the skirting to hide the damage.

If you want to do what you suggest in your option 2, use some expanding foam to fill the hole. This creates a firm base for re-plastering, avoiding the need for battening and a plasterboard patch.

 

[Brogan]

Removing the skirting board sounds like the best option but could be difficult in practice as getting identical skirting will be tricky.

I'll do a small test hole today and see how option 2 looks.

Update: I used a hole cutter to remove the plasterboard from the stud location. It worked really well but the main problem is the studs are metal, not wood. Notching them is going to be very difficult.

 

[Brogan]

I think I may have found a solution which could be fairly simple to do.

As there are 2 sheets of plasterboard, I can remove a rectangular section about 15cm wide x 5cm high - this will easily clear the metal studs which are about 7.5cm wide.

Then I can lay the cables against the stud, secure with some expanding foam or such like and replace only the surface layer of plasterboard.
In effect, the cables will be utilising the space that is currently taken up by the back sheet of plasterboard.

That way I don't need to notch any studs, there is minimum damage and it will simply be a matter of filling and painting 4 small rectangular patches.

 

[Brogan]

Almost done.
Started yesterday evening and now ready for paint.
That will be done tomorrow morning as it's too hot in the lounge to paint now.

Some before, during and after shots.
The surround speaker cables are hanging down from the downlight holes at the minute - as soon as I finalise where the surround speakers are going I'll move them.

 

[stafs]

Forget the TV, I'm jealous of the view out of your window.

 

[rodster]

Hi Brogan,
For future info, generally metal stud or MF framing has a series of holes running through it at socket level, which would have allowed you to run the cables without any patching.

To be fair we do this for a living and also have fibreoptic inspection scopes, which does make it easier.

Good job though.

 

[rodster]

I think I may have found a solution which could be fairly simple to do.

As there are 2 sheets of plasterboard, I can remove a rectangular section about 15cm wide x 5cm high - this will easily clear the metal studs which are about 7.5cm wide.

A word of warning, if you are in a flat and you have a neighbor on the other side of your wall and it is doublesheeted it may be a firewall, and taking the sheeting away will reduce the burn time and is a serious no no.

 

[Brogan]

Hi Brogan,
For future info, generally metal stud or MF framing has a series of holes running through it at socket level, which would have allowed you to run the cables without any patching.

Doh! Now you tell me.
Where were you about 10 posts ago?
Depending on the size of the holes though, they may not have been large enough as I had to run 5 lengths of satellite RF coax.

I got there in the end though and once it's painted (tomorrow morning), hopefully none of the patches will be visible.

Just finished terminating all the cables and they all work so that's a relief.

I'll post a final image once everything's in its final place.

 

[Brogan]

A word of warning, if you are in a flat and you have a neighbor on the other side of your wall and it is doublesheeted it may be a firewall, and taking the sheeting away will reduce the burn time and is a serious no no.

I confirmed with the site manager before I went ahead with the work that it was OK to do so.
Besides, it's no different to what they do when they install sockets, etc. as both sheets of plasterboard are removed to get the drywall box in.

 

[rodster]

Good man for speaking to the site manager.

As a note though, if it was a firewall and they did fit backboxes you get small insumescient pads that adhere to the box and in the event of a fire the material expands and fills the gap to stop smoke and fire.

As I said before though, for a self install very well finished job and good to see you fitted the screen at a sensible height.

 

[Brogan]

As a note though, if it was a firewall and they did fit backboxes you get small insumescient pads that adhere to the box and in the event of a fire the material expands and fills the gap to stop smoke and fire.

Good to know, thanks.
No pads here so obviously not a firewall

As I said before though, for a self install very well finished job

Thanks.
Here's a quick update on progress:

Unfortunately can't do any more tonight as apparently it's the wifes birthday and I have to take her out or something

and good to see you fitted the screen at a sensible height.

I have always installed my plasmas so the centre of the screen is 100cm from the floor.

Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to post pics of the finished install.

 

[Brogan]

Almost there.
Just a few bits & pieces left to do like tidying cables, etc. and the install is finished.