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Running cable in a solid wall
It is possible to mount cables on the surface of a wall with clips, or run them through plastic trunking nailed or screwed to the wall - some types are even self-adhesive.
You should route them along skirting boards and around doors and window frames to make them less conspicuous. However, if you are looking for a neat and polished finish you should try to conceal these cables.
In a solid wall you need to cut a channel in the plaster and run the cable through an oval plastic conduit or, for longer lengths, 'top-hat' capping. Below is a list of tools and materials as well as a step by step guide how to do this.
Tools and materials
- Bolster
- Cable detector
- Club hammer
- Hacksaw
- Hammer
- Filling knife
- Pencil
- Safety goggles
- Sanding block
- Screwdriver
- Spirit level or plumb line
- Thick gloves
- Abrasive paper
- Cable
- Conduit clips or galvanised masonry nails
- Filler or skim-coat plaster
- Oval conduit or cable capping
- Always run cable vertically to a fitting in a solid wall so that you will know its approximate position when the work is finished. Use a spirit level to plan the route of the channel mark it in pencil. Check the route with a cable detector to make sure that you won't accidentally damage an existing cable or pipe.
- After putting on thick gloves and safety goggles, cut the channel with a bolster and club hammer, making it 6mm wider that the conduit or capping. Cut away to the depth of the conduit and add on about 3mm.
- Cut the plastic capping or conduit to length with a hacksaw and feed in the cable. Capping is fixed to the wall with masonry nails; conduit snaps into clips nailed to the wall, or can be simply held with masonry driven in each side. Either way, the cable will be held firm by the plaster when you fill the channel.
- Fill the channel with skim-coat plaster or filler to within about 3mm of the wall's surface. When this has set, add another layer flush with the wall surface. When the filler has set, lightly sand it for a perfect finish.
Please note all advice provided by www.ProblemSolved.co.uk Ltd is intended to provide general guidance for the personal use of the reader, who accepts full responsibility of said guidance. If in any doubt about the information provided the reader should consult a qualified professional before proceeding.
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