How to Run a Cable for a TV

by Brenda Priddy, Demand Media

Running TV cable is not difficult, and you can do it yourself with a few supplies.

Dynamic Graphics Group/Dynamic Graphics Group/Getty Images

Occasionally, you may want to run television cable through your home into another room without calling the cable company to add a line to the television. You can split the signal with a cable splitter and run the line yourself. Purchase ready-made coaxial cable designed for use with televisions for best results. Running the cable yourself is not difficult and will have minimal impact on the appearance of a room if done properly.

Step 1

Determine the route for the cable before starting. Use a stud finder to locate any studs along the way. Avoid them, if possible, to prevent having to drill through such thick wood or having sharp angles in the cable lines. Determine if you will have to go through the ceiling or floor in any room. Purchase about five more feet of cable than you think you will need per room.

Step 2

Pry the baseboard away from the wall using a crow bar. Drill through the initial point in the wall between two studs. Drill through the area where you want the cable to come out, or through the exit point from the room, which could be the ceiling, floor or wall. Avoid feeding the cable within eight inches of doors and windows. Do not drill through existing cables or electrical lines.

Step 3

Attach a line of fish tape to the end of the cable and run it behind the wall. Pull the cable out through the next hole in the sequence. Repeat the process until you have the cable in the desired area. Replace any baseboards or other objects that you removed from the wall.

Step 4

Staple around any exposed cable along walls or flooring every two to four feet.

Step 5

Screw a cable face plate to the wall to cover the hole behind the exposed cable.

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References

  • Family Education: How to Run TV Cable Through Walls
  • Wire It Yourself: Do it Yourself - Cable TV

About the Author

Brenda Priddy has more than 10 years of crafting and design experience, as well as more than six years of professional writing experience. Her work appears in online publications such as Donna Rae at Home, Five Minutes for Going Green and Daily Mayo. Priddy also writes for Archstone Business Solutions and holds an Associate of Arts in English from McLennan Community College.

Photo Credits

  • Dynamic Graphics Group/Dynamic Graphics Group/Getty Images