How to Wire a Coax Cable from an Upstairs Room to the Basement

Run coaxial cable from an upstairs room to the basement.

You've put the finishing touches on your new basement upgrade and realize the one thing you're missing: cable TV. If you already have cable installed in an upstairs room, you can run a coaxial cable from an upstairs room to the basement. The key to this project is careful planning and measuring. You will have to make a hole in your floor, and you will want to do it in an unobtrusive location, so that it doesn't mar your floor covering.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Marker
• Pencil
• Paper
• Power drill
• Spade bit
• Electrical fishing tape
• Barrel connector
• Coaxial cable

Instructions

1. Determine the path your coaxial cable will take from the upstairs room to the basement.

2. Mark the spot on the basement ceiling where you want the coaxial cable to come through. Measure the distance from the adjoining walls and write that down. In the upstairs room, measure the same distance from the walls and make a mark in the floor. Attach a spade bit to your drill. Remove any carpet or other flooring, if present. Drill a hole through the floor with the spade bit.

3. Attach a barrel connector to the end of the coaxial wire in the upstairs room. Connect a length of coaxial cable to the other end of the barrel connector.

4. Insert the free end of the coaxial cable through the hole in the floor.

5. Pull the coaxial cable down through the ceiling from the basement.

6. Run the coaxial cable to the place in the basement where it will be connected.

7. Seal the hole in the basement ceiling and the floor above. Spray foam insulator into the hole, and allow the foam to expand and harden. This foam can be sanded down and covered with floor material, spackle or joint compound.

Tips & Warnings

• Wire fishing tape, the type used in running electrical wire, can help you string the coax through the hole in the floor.

• If you have electrical conduits running through your walls to the basement, it may be easier to string the cable through the conduit.

• Before you drill a hole in the floor, check and make sure that there are no sockets nearby that might have wires running to them strung through the floor.

References

• Dennys Antenna Service: Running Cable
• Corner Hardware: How to Fish Electrical cables
• Fine Homebuilding: Running Cables Through Walls