Cable Management & Concealment
The waterfall of cables behind your wall-mounted TV is ruining your life. Here's how to make them disappear -- in-wall or surface raceway, with full instructions for both.
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The cable waterfall behind your TV is fine. It's fine. It's really not fine.
Before you start -- these are not optional:
- •NEVER run power cables (TV power cord) inside a wall -- it violates electrical code and is a fire hazard
- •Use a non-contact voltage tester before cutting ANY drywall -- wires and pipes run vertically and horizontally inside walls
- •Stud find the ENTIRE path of your planned in-wall route -- you cannot cut through a stud
- •In-wall cable kits use low-voltage plates (open-backed) not electrical boxes -- do not use electrical boxes for HDMI/AV cables
- •Check local code -- some municipalities require permits for in-wall work even for low-voltage cables
- •HDMI cables over 15 feet may have signal degradation -- use active HDMI or fiber HDMI for long in-wall runs
What you'll need
The steps
Decide: in-wall vs. surface raceway
In-wall cable management: cables run completely inside the wall -- invisible when done. Requires cutting two holes in drywall, fishing cables through, and installing low-voltage plates. Professional appearance. Takes 2--4 hours. Risky if done wrong. Cannot run power cables this way -- use an in-wall power kit (recessed outlet) for the TV's power. Surface raceway: adhesive-backed plastic cable channel runs along the wall surface from TV to floor. Paintable to match wall color. Takes 30--60 minutes. Visible but much tidier than loose cables. No drywall cutting. Power cables can go in raceways (they're surface-mounted, not inside the wall). If you're renting: use raceway. You can remove it without damage. If your TV is over a fireplace: in-wall through an exterior wall may be blocked by fire blocking -- consider raceway. If the wall is exterior (has insulation): in-wall is much harder -- use raceway.
Map your cable route and check for obstructions
Before cutting anything: run your stud finder vertically from the planned upper hole (behind the TV) straight down to the planned lower hole (near the floor outlet). You need a clear vertical path with no studs in the way. Mark any stud locations along the route. Standard stud spacing is 16" on-center -- your path needs to run between two studs, not through one. Use a non-contact voltage tester along the path. Any area that beeps indicates electrical wiring is present. Reroute around it. In fireplace walls: there is often a horizontal fire-blocking board at mid-wall height -- a 2×4 running horizontally between studs. If your fish rod can't get past it going straight down, you'll need to drill through it at an angle (requires a long flex drill bit) or reroute. Mark both hole locations with pencil before cutting anything.
Cut the holes
Trace around your low-voltage mounting plate on the wall at both locations. The top hole goes behind the TV (centered, just above where cables exit the TV). The bottom hole goes near the baseboard, ideally positioned to reach your equipment or outlet. Cut along the traced line with a drywall saw. Cut slowly and controlled. The hole only needs to be deep enough to clear the drywall (typically 1/2" or 5/8"). After cutting: shine a flashlight into each hole and look for obstructions, wiring, or insulation. If you see wiring you didn't detect, stop and call an electrician. Test fit the low-voltage mounting plates in both holes before proceeding.
Fish the cables through the wall
Attach your fish rod or fish tape segments together and push from the top hole downward. Feed it slowly -- if it stops, wiggle it to get past insulation or loose drywall material. You're aiming to have the rod exit from the bottom hole. If the rod doesn't emerge from the bottom hole after 3+ feet: you likely hit fire blocking. You can try angling the rod, or drill through the blocking with a long flexible drill bit. Once the rod reaches the bottom hole, attach your cables to the hook at the end. Use electrical tape to securely attach the cable ends to the fish rod -- if they come off mid-wall, you're fishing again. Pull from the top while someone feeds cable into the bottom hole (or secure the bottom opening with tape). Pull the full cable length through until the ends are accessible at both holes.
Install the low-voltage plates and dress the cables
Route your cables through the low-voltage mounting plate openings before securing the plates. These plates are open-backed -- no electrical box required, they're designed specifically for AV cables. Secure the plates by tightening the included screws, which clamp the plate against the inside of the drywall. They should sit flush with the wall surface. Dress the cable ends: leave 12" of slack behind the TV (so you can tilt/swivel the TV without pulling cables tight). Leave 18" of slack at the bottom for connecting to your equipment. Label both ends of every cable before connecting anything. If running power: use an in-wall power kit (search "PowerBridge in-wall power kit") -- this is code-compliant because it uses an actual recessed outlet that connects to the existing wall outlet circuit rather than running power cable loose inside the wall.
Surface raceway installation (alternative to in-wall)
For raceway: measure the distance from below your TV to the baseboard outlet area. Buy enough raceway to cover it. Clean the wall surface where the raceway will adhere. Most raceways have adhesive backing -- peel and press. For heavier cable loads, also use the included screws. Route the raceway from behind/below the TV straight down the wall to baseboard height, then horizontally along the baseboard to your equipment. Raceway comes with corner pieces, end caps, and joiners for a clean finish. Route cables inside the raceway before snapping the cover on. Don't overstuff -- running 8 cables through a 1-cable raceway defeats the purpose. Paint the raceway after installation to match your wall color for near-invisible results.
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