How to Hang Speakers From Rafters in the Basement

Use the rafters in your basement to mount your speakers.

An unfinished basement can still be used for many purposes, like a utility room, mud room or workshop. If you're planning on adding speakers to the basement, hanging them from the rafters is a logical place. Since most speakers have threaded inserts on the back which lets you use ceiling-mount speaker brackets, hanging them from the rafters is a straightforward process.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• 1-by-6-inch board
• Saw
• Ceiling mount speaker bracket
• Pencil
• Drill
• Wood screws
• Screwdriver
• 10d nails
• Hammer
• Finishing nail

Instructions

Speaker Brackets to Hang Speakers

1. Measure the distance between two of the rafters in your basement, at the location where you want to mount your speaker. Be sure to measure from the outside edges of the parallel boards.

2. Cut a length of 1-by-6-inch board to match the distance measured in the previous step.

3. Place the mounting base of a ceiling-mount speaker bracket onto the center of the board. Mark the screw hole locations on the base onto the board with a pencil.

4. Drill 1/8-inch deep holes in the marked locations with a 1/16-inch drill bit.

5. Place the bracket base back on the board and line up the bracket's mounting holes with the holes you drilled. Insert wood screws through the mounting holes and screw them into the board with a screwdriver.

6. Screw the speaker mount portion of the bracket into the threaded insert on the back of the speaker. Attach the speaker to the speaker mount base using the bracket's hardware -- typically a bolt and wing nut.

7. Hold the board up to the ceiling rafters and nail the ends of the board into the rafters with 10d nails.

Without Brackets

1. Inspect your speakers for a keyhole-style slot on the back. If the speakers are small and light, they will likely have these slots.

2. Find a screw with a head that fits into the keyhole slot. Tap a small finishing nail into the rafter at the location where you want to mount the speaker. Pull the nail out.

3. Insert the screw into the hole and tighten it into the wood with a screwdriver.

4. Slide the speaker onto the keyhole slot and let it hang from the screw.

References

• "Complete Basements (Stanley Complete)"; Stanley; 2006