How To Install Flat Speaker Cable

Okay, so now to do the install. The trickiest part is the start and the finish. Here was my starting point:

The copper colored wire is for my main right speaker. The two white cables are for the surrounds. I needed to run the surround wires from left-to-right in this photo. But how to start?

I cut a slit just above the baseboard and planned to have the connection between the flat wire and the normal wire stay hidden inside the wall. Note- these wires are not rated for in-wall installations. Install at your own risk! (UPDATE November 2009- I replaced the white & copper-colored speaker cable with in-wall rated wires.)

Needed to make sure I inserted it with the white-side up. You’ll see why in a minute.

Once it was in there, I needed to fish it up and out of the green box so I could make the connections. I started with this grabber thing, but ended up using a bent coat hanger.

Here you can see the wire going in the slit in the drywall, then back out the junction box. I’ll make the connection to the white wires in a minute.

Next I want to get the wire down onto the baseboard and start running it to the back of my room.

The orange colored part you see is the back to the adhesive. For the part going into the wall cavity, I wanted the sticky part covered up, but now I want to expose it. I took a razor and carefully cut the adhesive backing and peeled some back.

Here I’ve pulled the adhesive backing away.

And here I’ve pulled the wire back into the wall a bit (I pulled on the end I’d fished back out the green box) so the only part coming out of the wall has the exposed adhesive. I’m ready to start sticking it to the wall & baseboard.

I used a plastic putty knife to help me with the angles & turns. Here I’m sticking the wire to the drywall for just a 1/4″ or so before the baseboard starts.

Now I’ve got it down the baseboard and am ready for the turn. The simplest thing to do is one 90 degree turn. But then the adhesive-side is facing out into the room. I could have put the adhesive side out for the first little run (would have required me to insert it into the wall pink side up), but I’m just going to double-up the fold to keep the white side out.

So I fold it as if I’m turning to the left, but then fold it back on itself so we can turn to the right. It makes this turn triple thickness, but I thought it was worth the tradeoff for not having to paint.

Here is my first corner– I just use the plastic putty knife to help make a nice crease.

Here it is so far. The color isn’t a perfect match, but it looks pretty good.