Intro To TV Wires
Television is a staple of the modern household, with many homes featuring them in bedrooms, living rooms, and exercise spaces, among other parts of the house. Larger flat-screen and wall-mounted TVs have become an attainable amenity for most homes, regardless of income level. But what’s the point in having such a nice TV if the unsightly TV cords themselves create masses of clutter?
The Rise of the Wall-Mounted TV
The act of wall-mounting TVs has become more and more popular over the years, but this practice also leads to more crowded living spaces, with power cables, tv cords, and wires dangling from the TV and leading to outlets and power sockets. If your home entertainment system features games consoles, video recorders, or some sort of TiVo box, the mess from the wall mount will only be worsened. Not only can this affect the look and feel of the room, but TV cords and wires can also be a hazard, especially with animals or young children in the house.
That’s why we put together this guide on how to hide cords and wires from your wall-mounted TV or TVs on stands in various ways, with some simpler and some more complex.
How to Hide TV Cords Without Cutting Wall
If your home is made from solid concrete walls or you live in a leasehold property, cutting into drywall to feed wires around isn’t really an option. Luckily there are a number of ways that you can hide TV wires without having to do anything too drastic to your home.
Hide TV Wires with Clips and Zip Ties – TV Stands Only:
This method is only viable for TVs on stands or tables, but it is a cheap and elegant way to improve the aesthetic of the area. Using cord clips you can strap your wires to behind the TV stand or table, effectively hiding them from plain sight. The zip tie method differs, in that it requires an opaque TV stand, but it can similarly benefit the look and safety. With this method, you simply tie the wires leading to the wall outlet together with zip ties, so they don’t hang out the bottom of the stand.
Hide TV Wires with Panel Board Framing:
This is a process that requires a little DIY talent but works perfectly with a wall-mounted TV unit. With this method you create a wood panel board frame with a gap for your wall mount, meaning that you can set the TV up and feed the tv wires down the back of the frame, keeping them out of sight. It’s essentially like making another layer of the wall that you can hide the tv cords behind. When completing this project it’s important to cover the frame with some sort of paint or fabric, to ensure that it matches the aesthetic of the room. Don’t waste your efforts by creating a wood-grained eyesore.
Hide TV Cords with Raceway / Power Strip Installation:
This is an easy and effective way to hide TV wires, that requires only very basic DIY skills and competencies. Raceways are a cord cover, basically being pieces of plastic tubing with slits or gaps in them where tv wires can be slotted in, providing a sort of power strip to cover the TV cords as they follow it to the wall outlet. Many power strip raceways have self-adhesive backings, making them easy to install even for less experienced homemakers. Again, remember to paint these cord cover raceways accordingly prior to installation, otherwise, they’ll stick out just as much as the sight of an exposed power cable.
Hide TV Wires in the Wall
While the former methods are all effective and handy if cutting into drywall isn’t an option, we believe the best way to hide TV wires is still by feeding them through walls towards outlets. The methods generally involve cutting gaps into the plasterboard and feeding through the necessary tv wires, and perhaps power extensions to provide a totally hidden source of power for the wall-mounted TV and its accompaniments.
Hide TV Wires in the Wall: Method 1
You can hide your TV wires in a totally DIY fashion, such as by using this method by home lifestyle blogger Jasmine Gurney.
She uses these tools that you can find at your local hardware store:
● Stud/wire detector
● Multi-tool with flat saw attachment
● Power drill and screw bits
● Spirit level
● String
● Tape Measure
● Rawl plugs
● Brush Wall Plates
Her method creates a pathway behind the wall to the power socket, hiding the tv wires discreetly and effectively and without the use of any special kits.
Hide TV Wires in Wall: Method 2
Alternatively, you can hide your tv wires using a prepackaged kit, much like in this method by Diane Henkler. The kit she uses utilizes plastic tubing and extension outlets, making the feeding of wires through carefully considered holes made in the wall simple and easy.
Following either of these methods, you should be able to hide those unsightly wires with ease, but if you don’t feel up to it there’s no shame in hiring a trained electrician to do it for you.
Stay Safe
One thing that many seem to bypass when completing DIY tasks such as these is the use of proper PPE, but we believe that staying safe should always be your number one priority. In the case of hiding the wires on your standing or wall-mounted TV, you should consider the use of good knee pads to protect your joints and reduce the risk of stress injuries. Good knee pads for work and DIY projects can make a huge difference in the long run.
NOCRY Knee Pads
At NOCRY we have a range of knee pads that are perfect for all manner of projects, ranging from gardening to home cleaning, each with their own unique levels of flexibility, protection, and grip. To hide TV cords and wires as described in this article, we recommend our Roofing and Flooring Knee Pads, an affordable but effective set that stay firmly gripped on most floor surfaces.
The Rest of the Range
Feel free to check out the rest of the range, because you never know what might suit you, your needs, and sensitivities best when trying to hide TV cords. To have a look at our whole range of Knee Pads Make your living room shine in safety and style with NOCRY.
