Wiring Finished Rooms Wiring a finished room isn’t as difficult as you might think. In fact, there are several ways to complete this type of project without damaging your walls. The next four steps show you four different ways to wire finished rooms in your home safely and efficiently.

Before you begin:
Use an electronic stud finder to locate joists and studs. Also, wherever possible, try to run cable parallel to studs or joists.

Follow These Steps

Steps 1 - 6 of 6Print Project SheetEmail a Friend

  • Step One

    RUNNING CABLE BEHIND A BASEBOARD
    Use a flat pry bar to remove your baseboard molding. With a drywall saw, cut a channel in the drywall at least 1 inch shorter than the baseboard. Then drill holes through the centers of the studs and run cable through the holes. Be sure to protect all of the holes with nail plates.

  • Step Two

    RUNNING CABLE AROUND A DOOR
    If you don't have access above or below the door, running a cable around a door may be your only option. But be sure to see if this is okay with local codes. Remove the casing from around the door and snake the cable around. You may even be able to slip the cable between the jamb and the stud. Or, drill a hole and run the cable into the cavity on the other side of the stud.

  • Step Three

    RUNNING CABLE THROUGH A WALL
    If the new box will be more or less directly behind the existing box that you’ll be grabbing power from, you can avoid wall patching. Cut the hole for the remodel box and remove the existing receptacle. Punch out a knockout in the back or bottom of its box, then run one fish tape through the existing box and one through the new hole. Hook them together and pull the tape back through the hole. Now you’re ready to pull cable from the hole to the box.

  • Step Four

    TO RUN A CABLE THROUGH A BASEMENT
    Drill a locator hole directly below the box that you want to grab power from. Remove the base shoe and drill a 1/4-inch hole through the floor and poke a wire down through the hole.

  • Step Five

    Using the wire as a reference point, drill a 1-inch hole through the middle of the wall’s bottom plate (a 2×4 lying flat on top of the flooring above).

  • Step Six

    Open a knockout hole in the bottom of the box. Strip sheathing from the cable and attach a cable clamp (remove the locknut). Form the wires into a hook and poke fish tape or an unbent coat hanger down through the knockout hole while a helper pushes the cable up.

Skill Scale
Varies
Time Required
Experienced: 6 hours
Handy: 10 hours
Novice: 14 hours