How to Hide Plasma TV Wires

While plasma TVs look great on your wall, having wires hanging down below can really detract from the aesthetics of the room. There are a number of ways to hide the wires, but the most simple is to use plastic conduit. Installing conduit is a simple procedure.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tape measure
• Plastic conduit, also called cable raceway, sized for your cable run.
• Paint and supplies (optional)

1. Measure the length of the cable run that you need covered on the wall. Write down this measurement, because you'll want to purchase a cable raceway that is long enough to cover the whole length in one piece.

2. Purchase the conduit. Conduit comes in various shapes and sizes, including tubular and flat. Make sure the conduit is long enough and large enough to hold all the wires and cables coming from your television. Cable conduit can be cut, so opt for a longer size if necessary.

3. Consider painting the conduit. If you really want a clean look, paint the conduit to blend into your room. Many raceways are designed to be painted. Simply rough up the conduit with fine sandpaper and then paint it the color of the wall.

4. Clean off the wall where the raceway will be mounted using soap and water. Wipe it down with a damp rag, then dry it. A clean surface will allow the raceway to properly adhere.

5. Put all the cables into the raceway. Ensure that you have enough slack to reach the television and the outlet on the other end. Alternately, if your raceway is the type with a removable cover, you can install it first and run the cable afterward.

6. Pull off the paper on the adhesive backing of your raceway. With the cables in place, press the adhesive back against the wall.

7. Apply pressure to the top and bottom of the raceway for several minutes. Then press up and down to ensure the raceway is securely bonded.

Tips & Warnings

• Other methods for hiding cables include cutting into drywall and running the wires inside the wall, and using objects such as bookshelves to block the wires from view. Additional conduit pieces, including right-angle elbows, are available to help with your run.

Resources

• Source for Cable Raceway Supplies

[ianbee]

on 9/28/2009 Great article!although there are allot of different cable runs to choose from!! I guess it depends on waht look you want to acheive. Cable runs you can pait are ok but you can always still see them and they look like you have tried to hide the cables but not quite acheived it. There are some however that are made to be seen and when fitted look like they are actually supporting the TV. So they don't look like they are there to hide the cables, they look like they are part of the whole set up. Check out www.boscom.com www.vogels.com and www.iconceal.tv I chose the iconceal system for mine as it has some unique featurs for the DIY challenged (i.e. it dosn't need to be cut to length as it is adjustable ,so no measuring , marking up and cutting with a hacksaw !! And it just sticks to the wall so no making up hole drilling and putting in wall fixings either!!!