Scour the internet and you can find a thousand ways to hide wires from plain sight. Dangling cords aren’t the most aesthetically pleasing feature in a room, and they can also be safety hazards to smaller members of your family.

TVs usually have gobs of cables running to and from them to connect to other devices. When they’re mounted to a wall, it becomes all the more obvious. One of the easiest solutions for a cleaner look is to hide the wires behind the wall. Not only is it cheap, it’s pretty darn easy too.

Nils of DIY Nils walks us through a tutorial on how to make those wires disappear from sight. With just a few tools and materials, you can make your mounted flat screen look like it’s floating on the wall.

Take note that in order to be code compliant, you should only run wires like HDMI or auxiliary cables behind the wall. This technique is not appropriate for power cords which are high voltage, but there are other code-friendly solutions you can use to hide those in the wall too.

Materials

Instructions:

  1. Remove the TV

    Move the TV from the wall. Mark the general area where you can tuck the wires behind the back of the TV.

  2. Find Studs

    Use a stud finder to find studs. You want to avoid them and any other blockages when cutting a hole and running your cables through the wall.

  3. Cut a Hole

    Using a utility knife, cut a hole through the drywall, big enough to fit the cable plates.

  4. Plate and Thread

    Insert the cable plate and screw it into the wall. Thread the wires through the plate.

  5. Repeat

    Repeat at the bottom of the wall, but bring the wires out of the wall before screwing the plate in.

For detailed instructions, watch Nils take you on a step-by-step visual demonstration of how this is done. Your biggest challenge will probably be figuring out where to put the holes. The distance between the top and bottom openings should be enough to feed the wires through without being too taut. Cables fed through the bottom hole should be able to reach their connections.

The technique in the video will run you about $10. If you’re looking for a power cord hiding option (high voltage), you can use a kit and still follow Nil’s installation method. Online retailers and home improvement stores carry in-wall cable kits but they are pricier. However, to be on point with local code requirements that would be your best bet.

You don’t have to be afraid to make your TV go cordless or hire an electrician to get the job done for you. If for some reason you’re still on the fence, or just plain procrastinating, there are alternative ways to conceal those cables. What do you think of this solution to wiring eyesores? What have you done so far about your wire clutter?  Tell us in the comments!

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