5 Tips for Wiring a Speaker Wire Wall Plate

Routing speaker wires through the walls in a finished home may involve a speaker wire wall plate. The difficulty of your wiring project will depend upon where you install the speaker wires. Although a speaker wire wall plate can complicate your project, it will hide the wires and provide a more professional appearance. Read the following tips to learn about wiring a speaker wire wall plate inside your rooms.

Before you jump into the work, think what kind of installation you will need. Will it be complicated or simple? What are your possible obstacles at home? These are some questions you will tackle as you read, and they will give you better ideas about setting up your speaker wire wall plate.

Get Rid of Any Obstructions

Once you form your final plan for setting up your speakers and wires, you must get rid of any obstructions. You may use a stud locator to find studs within the perimeter of your speaker and cables. Check the attic and basement; search for pipes or electrical wires that may hinder the path of your speaker wires. If the obstruction is difficult to get rid of, you may opt to use an alternative location.

Choose the Appropriate Speaker Wire

Follow the recommended wire gauge of the National Electrical Code and the American Wire Gauge. Using a tape measure, calculate the cable length from the input to the output. Use this measurement as a basis for choosing the gauge of wire. Use 16-gauge wire for less than 80 feet of cable, 14-gauge for 80 to 200 feet of cable, and 12-gauge for over 200 feet cable.

Run the Speaker Wire Throughout

You can conveniently install the speaker wire wall plate by marking its location with a pencil and cutting along the marks with a drywall saw. Make sure to cut all the holes for your speaker wire wall plate according to its size. When you finish sawing, you may pass the speaker wires through these cut openings.

Use a fish tape to aid you in running the speaker wires through the wall from the input opening to its output. Fasten the wire onto the looped end of the fish tape and pull it carefully from the wall up to the attic. Continue until you have completely passed the speaker wires through all input and output openings.

Install the Electrical Boxes First

Once the boxes for the speaker wire wall plates are properly installed, push all the speaker wires into the openings on the back or top of the boxes and pull them through the front opening. Move the boxes into their designated wall openings and fasten them to a nearby stud. Tighten the screws of the wall plate to secure it in place.

Attach the Wall Plates Over the Box

If you have jacks, wire them on the wall plates by stripping a quarter inch off the ends and connecting the bare wires to the back of the wall plate’s terminal. Affix the speaker wire wall plate into the secured electrical box with screws. (You should place the plate on top of the box and align it with the screw holes.) Tighten the screws to secure the wall plate. Plug in the speakers’ inputs and outputs for testing.