New Cable Outlet

[padroo]

I am installing new cable outlet in the wall of my second bedroom. The floor has wall to wall carpeting in it and I have to drill a hole to run a wire from the basement into the wall of the bedroom. Locating where to drill the hole used to
be a problem until I found this trick. Locate where you want the new box, use a stud finder to find the wall studs, then cut yourself a piece of stiff wire with a sharp end on the end 10 to 12 inches long. Put the wire in a drill and right next to the baseboard under the location of your new box. Use the wire like a drill and drill through the carpeting and the floor and run it several inches into the basement. When you go into the basement you can see exactly where to drill your new hole for the cable wire or whatever wire you need to run.

 

[Todd.Brock]

Smart using the wire. I used a long screw and it pulled the **** out of the carpet. Fort. It wasn't too noticeable.

 

[CJ7VFR]

The guys who installed the central air conditioning in my house used a similar trick to locate and install the air registers in the ceiling. They used a stiff wire that appeared to be a 12 inch long piece of a coat hanger. They chucked it up in a drill and drilled tiny holes in the ceiling in the approximate area where the air registers should go.

Then one of the guys who was up in the attic would tell them if they were good, or if they had to move over a bit and drill again to get the wire to show up in the attic in the correct spot near a floor joist. Once they had their locations correct, and the large holes cut into the ceiling for the air registers, they went back and just put a small amount of spackle on any tiny holes that were left over that were in the wrong spots.

Zip, zip, and the holes were gone! And because my ceilings are white, no painting or touch ups were required, and you can't even tell there was a hole there.

Nice tip/trick!

Jim

 

[klassenl]

If I have to drill up a wall and there's carpet in the room I usually pound a nail through. You don't have to worry about anything catching.

 

[padroo]

The wire will not grab the carpeting like a screw or a drill would. It is more noninvasive.

I was chasing squeaks in my floor when I found this trick on YouTube. I didn't get my squeaks fixed but I learned a nice trick. lol

I believe my floor squeaks are coming from the lauan underlayment squeaking on the nails. I air nailed the underlayment down with screw nails thinking that would be good but when the house dried out there was movement between the nail and the lauan underlayment. I tried fixing the squeaks in the bedroom with one of these

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Squeeeee...G2WjI0eqhY3ujmYu1j-zIaAhX98P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds


but it didn't work.

My floor system is made out of 22 inch tall floor trusses freespan 36 foot long on one foot centers with tongue and groove OSB glued and nailed to the trusses and I don't believe there is any movement between the OSB and truss to cause a squeak. There is no center beam in the house.

 

[CJ7VFR]

.....I tried fixing the squeaks in the bedroom with one of these

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Squeeeee...G2WjI0eqhY3ujmYu1j-zIaAhX98P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds


but it didn't work.....

When you tried this, did the screws break off even with the floor so you could not feel them thru the carpet?

I have never used one of those things, but I always wondered if they did actually break off at the right spot.

Jim

 

[Thumper68]

Easiest way to put a new outlet in a wall over an unfinished basement is to cut out your box, then take a bell hangers bit and just drill down through the plate and subfloor at a slight angle. Or do the same with a flex bit.

 

[Todd.Brock]

When you tried this, did the screws break off even with the floor so you could not feel them thru the carpet?



I have never used one of those things, but I always wondered if they did actually break off at the right spot.



Jim

I have this ridiculous squeak upstairs. I bought one of these too. The joist finder is a scam- just a 4" screw. I guess if it works , it's worth the 20 bucks. It's close to the corner and I'm thinking about just pulling back the carpet and put some deck mates in the joist

 

[pentavolvo]

Cost hanger works great

 

[jrsulo]

I keep a box of insulation hangers on the truck for this reason,,,,the ones that span between the beams in a crawl space !

 

[padroo]

When you tried this, did the screws break off even with the floor so you could not feel them thru the carpet?

I have never used one of those things, but I always wondered if they did actually break off at the right spot.

Jim

Yes the screws do break off just like they are suppose to. There is a relief cut in each screw so when you get done with the installation you just **** it to the side and it snaps off.
I must have put 100 of those in my bedroom floor and it still squeaks. It seemed like a good idea. The squeaking is bad especially in the winter when everything is dried out.

I used a wire to drill through the carpet right next to the baseboard and when I went to the basement it was right next to a floor truss. Luckily there was a closet on the other side of the wall so I went through the wall from inside of the closet.

 

[Dirtydan69]

Easiest way to put a new outlet in a wall over an unfinished basement is to cut out your box, then take a bell hangers bit and just drill down through the plate and subfloor at a slight angle. Or do the same with a flex bit.

Bingo! That's what I do. Much less screwing around. Also the correct bit has a hole in the tip so you can use it as a fish to pull your wire back.

 

[James-W]

Easiest way to put a new outlet in a wall over an unfinished basement is to cut out your box, then take a bell hangers bit and just drill down through the plate and subfloor at a slight angle. Or do the same with a flex bit.

That's what I do too. I have a really long 1/8 inch bit (about 18 inches long) that works really well. I don't do this type of thing very often, but every once in awhile I help out someone I know.

 

[Thumper68]

That's what I do too. I have a really long 1/8 inch bit (about 18 inches long) that works really well. I don't do this type of thing very often, but every once in awhile I help out someone I know.

I have bell hanger bits from 1/8" up to 3/4" in 24" length, 3/8" and 1/2" up to 36, 1/2" flex in 48", 60" and 72" plus a extension for the flex bits that is 36"

Masonry bits up to 36" in 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2"

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Interesting.

I wouldve thought that the wire wouldnt be sharp enough to bore through wood.

i have a long 1/8" drill bit that i use for this scenario.

Holes are so small that theyre very easy to hide if u drill in the wrong place.

 

[Thumper68]

Interesting.

I wouldve thought that the wire wouldnt be sharp enough to bore through wood.

i have a long 1/8" drill bit that i use for this scenario.

Holes are so small that theyre very easy to hide if u drill in the wrong place.

The trick is to cut the wire (coat hanger) at a 45* angle with dykes, that gives you a point and a burr to bore through drywall and wood, I can attest that it does not work well on plaster.