Project details
Skill
3 out of 5ModerateSnaking wires can become frustrating if wall cavity is full of obstructions
Cost
About $40 to $60
Estimated Time
2 to 4 hours
In this video, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva shows how to snake wires through walls for a pair of outdoor speakers.
Steps:
- Inspect the house wall, inside and out, to determine where to drill speaker-wire hole without hitting a header, stud or other structural framing member.
- Drill 1-inch-diameter speaker-wire hole through exterior of wall using a spade bit.
- Feed snake into hole and push it down through the inside of the wall.
- From inside the house, drill a ¾-inch-diameter hole at base of wall directly below the exterior hole.
- Insert short length of snake into interior hole and hook snake inside of wall. (Could also use a length of wire hanger with hook on end.) Pull long snake into room.
- Attach two speaker wires to snake and secure with electrical tape.
- From outside, pull the snake and speaker wires up the wall and out the exterior hole.
- Extend one wire to each speaker location.
- Install peel-and-stick plastic electrical conduit to the wall to protect the speaker wire. Run one conduit for each speaker wire.
- Remove the wood baseboard and rout a ⅜-inch-deep x ½-inch-wide groove along the back of the baseboard.
- Lay the speaker wires into the groove and secure with duct tape.
- Nail baseboard back to wall, making sure not to nail through the wires.
- Connect speaker wires to the stereo system inside the house, and to the speakers mounted outdoors.
Tools:
Tools & Materials
- Ladder
- Drill/driver
- spade bit – 1-inch
- spade bit – 3/4-inch
- Fish tape
- Pliers (optional)
- Router with 1/2-inch-diameter straight bit
- Flat pry bar
- Hammer
- Wire stripper