How to Hide Cables and Wires Under Carpet

Although a necessary evil as part of our everyday electronic usage, cables are unsightly tripping hazards. Some wires, like those coming from your TV, can be hidden behind walls, or you can run other wires under your carpet. While wires such as Coax can leave a ridge that is noticeable when steeped on, others like category-5 cables and speaker wires lay perfectly flat and can be easily hidden. To do so, follow these few steps.

Warning: Only hide low-voltage, small, flat, and non-thermally conductive wires under carpeting. Hiding larger, hotter wires under the carpet can not only be a tripping hazard but also could cause a fire.

Step 1 — Lift the Carpet

To lift the carpet up, use your pliers to grip the carpet edge and gently pull it up from the tack strip. Try to minimize the amount of carpet you pull up as much as possible. For speaker wires, you only need to pull up about 1 inch, while category-5 wires need about 2 inches.

Step 2 — Fish the Wire

Next, tape your wire to the fish stick or fishing tape. Fish sticks can be purchased at your local home improvement store and usually come in sets of around five in a pack. They can be screwed together according to the size of the room, with each stick usually measuring around 4 feet in length.

The fish tape comes in a spool and can be unwound as is carries the wire. This is better for larger runs. Feed the stick or tape along with the wire under the carpet until it hits the opposite wall.

Step 3 — Pull up the Carpet and Retrieve the Wire

Finally, pull up the carpet on the other wall in the same fashion and gently pull the stick out along with the wire. Take the wire off the fish tape and pull through the amount of wire you need to reach your components. Pull out the fish tape from the side you put it in.