How to Run Wire Through Walls Horizontally
Running wire through walls can be a daunting task, but it can be relatively straightforward with the right tools and techniques. In this blog post, we will show you how to run wire through walls horizontally so that you can install your electrical wiring quickly and easily.
Follow these simple steps, and you’ll be ready to go in no time! If you need to run wire through walls but don’t want to go up and down, here’s a guide on how to do it horizontally. Of course, you’ll need a few tools and some patience, but it’s a simple process that anyone can do. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks on running wire through walls!
10 Ways on How to Run Wire Through Walls Horizontally
1. The Curtain Rod Hack
Hang curtain rods on either side of the area to be wired. Run the wire behind the curtain rod. Nail both ends of the curtain rod into place, and then swing one rod at a time out of the way for access to the wire below.
2. The Door Trick
Remove the molding around the door. Drill a hole through the wall, starting in the bottom left corner and ending in the top right corner of your space. Use a jigsaw to cut along this line. Run wire along this gap in your wall, but before securing it in place, slide one end of your wire behind the molding on the right side of the door. If necessary, cut a notch in the top of this piece to accommodate your wire. Reattach the molding and close and latch your door. As you open and close it, the tension created by pushing and pulling will ensure that your wire stays out of sight and out of mind.
3. The Shoe Box Hack
Remove the front of a shoebox, but don’t throw it away! Attach the front of the shoebox where its former lid used to be, and make sure that your wire is on top of this piece of cardboard. Push your new makeshift cable tray flush against the ceiling where you want the wire to run. Push the bottom of the cable tray flush against your wall, and attach with screws or nails. When you need access to the wire, push the front of the shoebox out of its hiding place.
4. The Nail Trick
Pre-drill a hole at the base of each corner of an “L” shaped piece of molding. Screw two pieces together, one leg along the wall and one perpendicular to it flush with the ceiling. Use wire nuts to join your wires to this piece of molding, then run your joined wires through your pre-drilled holes at the base. Place your molding on top of the ceiling joists, and screw it into place.
5. The Knob Trick
Cut a hole in the ceiling or wall, mirroring the knob on your closet door. Run the wire through this hole and secure it to the back of your doorknob. When you open your door, your wires will step out along with it.
6. The Shower Curtain Hack
Mount a shower curtain rod flush against the ceiling or where you want your wire to run. Leave it loose enough to swing out of the way when needed. Run wire along the bar and secure it in place with cable clamps. When you need access to your wires, swing the rod over to one side for easy access.
7. The Light Switch Hack
Mount a light switch on your wall where you want the wire to run. Flip the switch so that it stays in the “up” position. Run wire along this line, and secure it with cable staples and cable ties. When done, flip the switch down and tie your wires to one of its exposed screws.
8. The Counter Hack
Attach one end of a piece of wire along the top edge of the counter, where it meets the bottom edge of your cabinets. If necessary, use cable clamps to secure this wire in place. Pull steadily on the other end until the wire runs through your walls without kinks or snags. Thread it through an open hole of your choice, and secure it to the underside of your cabinets.
9. The Baseboard Hack
Drill a hole at the top of each corner of your baseboard molding. Thread one end of your wire through this hole and nail it down into place, leaving just enough slack for you to push flush against the wall without pulling out more wire. When you need access to your wire, pull it out through the back of these holes and push flush against the wall again.
10. The Drapery Rod Hack
Mount a drapery rod above where you want your wire to run. Slide a drapery lining behind the first one, but in front of the second, leaving enough slack for you to push both out of your way at once. Push both rods flush against the wall and secure them with screws or nails. When done, slide the two back into place one by one.
Some Tips and Suggestions
Here we have given some tips and suggestions on how to run wire through walls horizontally.
1. First, mark all your measurements on the wall to place your wire.
2. Take your wire and go behind your couch to make sure that this is how you want it. If it’s not, then you will know for future reference.
3. After doing that, measure where your box will start above the floor/cabinet so the cable guy can come in and install everything.
4. Measure down from your box the same distance you measured up before, but this time cut a small hole in the wall for the wire to go into. Now push all of the wire you are pulling through that hole into it, then pull out all of the slack, so there is nothing extra sticking out.
5. For the wire to go all of the way through, you need to remove more drywall, so there is enough room for it.
6. Push the wire towards the box and keep pushing until you are sure that all of it is through, then cut off any extra that would stick out above or below your floor/cabinet.
7. Now, push the wire towards the box and make sure that you can pull it up when needed by pulling on it; if all goes well, you are ready to install everything.
8. After everything is in and in place, you can put the drywall back up and paint over it, so no one is the wiser.
What’s a Good Way to Pull Wire Vertically Through a Wall?
It’s a difficult task to pull wire vertically through a wall. You can get everything set up and then get stuck when it comes time to run the cable from point A to point B (the outlet location). There are two potential solutions: fish tape or compression connectors.
Fish Tape:
To use fish tape, you’d attach a small hook to the end of your wire, feed it through a hole in the wall using the fish tape and pull a string or a weight attached to the other end. When you feel resistance, stop pulling and mark where you’ve gone up to on the fish tape’s handle. You should notice that this is also about an inch from the end of the wall.
Mark this spot on your string as well. Now take the fish tape out of the wall (and pull out your wire in case you put it through) and measure from this mark to the next closest mark on the handle. Subtract an inch because you have already counted one inch, and cut another piece of string or fishing line to that length. With wire attached to both ends, you can feed one end into the wall from hole A and pull it up through to hole B.
Compression Connectors:
Compression Connectors are a great way to get the wire through a wall because they have two pieces of plastic that act as “pliers” on either side of the hole you’re pulling it through. So you stick your wire into one end, squeeze it together with some pliers, and then pull them apart to snag the wire inside.
Either way, you’ll need a drill and bits for drilling your holes. You can use a paddle bit, or a hole saw to drill through the wall. Measure and mark where you want the wire to come out on each side before drilling, so it’s easy to tell which one is which once everything is apart. Keep in mind the location of other wires inside the wall when deciding where to drill holes. You don’t want to drill through any additional wires or studs. Once the hole is drilled, insert your wire and go about running it using one of the methods above.
Conclusion
To run wire through walls horizontally, you need a hole saw drill bit. You will also want to measure the distance between where the wires should go and then cut that length of PVC pipe for each section. The next step is to use zip ties or duct tape to attach one end of the cord to the pipe and cover it with electrical tape, so it does not fray as you push it down into the wall cavity.
When you reach your destination point in the wall, make sure both ends are secured tightly before drilling a small hole at either side of this location for connecting them again with more zip ties or duct tapes. We hope this blog post on how to run wire through walls horizontally has been helpful. If you have any questions or want to know more, then feel free to comment below!
