How do you cover speaker wire?

Speaker wires are an essential part of any home theater or audio system setup. They carry the audio signal from your receiver or amplifier to your speakers. Exposed speaker wires can look messy and unsafe, especially if you have pets or small children. Properly covering and organizing your speaker wires improves aesthetics, reduces tripping hazards, and protects the wires from damage. There are several effective options for concealing speaker wires based on your situation.

Should you cover speaker wires?

Covering speaker wire is recommended for both functionality and aesthetics. Here are some of the benefits of concealing your speaker cables:

• Improves appearance – Exposed cables along baseboards or trailing across the floor look cluttered and unprofessional. Hiding wires for a clean look.
• Reduces tripping hazard – Loose cables are a trip risk, especially for kids and seniors. Covered wires are safer.
• Protects wires – Uncovered cables can be damaged by pets, vacuum cleaners and foot traffic. Concealing wires protects your investment.
• Reduces interference – Nearby power cables can induce hum or static in unshielded wires. Covered cables block electromagnetic interference.
• Allows repositioning – Concealed cables can be moved or adjusted as you redecorate without leaving holes or adhesive residue.
• Kid and pet proof – Covered wires prevent curious little fingers or teeth from investigating and damaging unprotected cables.

Properly covering speaker wire improves the functionality and lifespan of your audio system. The right techniques also maintain a clean, professional appearance.

How to cover speaker wire on the floor

Running speaker wire across open floor space between your speakers and AV receiver is often unavoidable. Tripping over cables can cause injury and rip wires out of connections. Here are some ways to safely cover speaker wire running across floors:

Cable wrap

Self-adhesive cable wrap is a quick and easy solution for covering speaker wire on carpets or hard floors. Cable wrap comes in a variety of colors and textures to blend in with your flooring. Simply position your wires and apply the cable wrap over them, pressing down firmly to adhere. Use cable staples to tack the wrap in place if needed. This is a removable option that can be changed when redecorating.

Cable channel

Plastic cable channels are versatile covers that neatly contain multiple speaker wires. Channels have snap-on lids to hold cables securely inside. Look for low-profile options intended for floor installation. With cable channels you can safely run wires unseen across high traffic areas. Paint them the same color as your baseboards for camouflage.

Carpet bridge

A simple DIY option for carpeted floors is cutting a slit in a narrow piece of wood and covering it with carpet remnants to match your existing carpeting. Place the concealed speaker wires inside the carpeted wood bridge. You can walk over this wire cover safely without catching feet on wires or damaging cables crunched underfoot.

Rugs

Area rugs are stylish options for hiding cables that don’t need to run in a straight line. Place a rug over the wires, taking care to avoid creating lumps or tripping hazards. Use flat cables or wire covers to minimize bumps. This is a temporary solution but lets you quickly conceal wires for events or open houses.

How to hide speaker wires on walls

Running speaker wires neatly along walls, around trim and between stands is key for an attractive system setup. Use these techniques to conceal unsightly wall-mounted wires:

Cable raceways

Raceways are hard plastic channels that firmly adhere to walls, baseboards or ceilings to house wires. Snap-on covers hide the cables inside for a streamlined look. Paintable raceways blend in with your walls. Concave style raceways install over curved moldings. With an assortment of fittings, raceways can contain wires around corners and through tricky areas.

Wiremold

Wiremold is a flexible metal channel system designed to follow corners and moldings as it adheres to surfaces with nails or adhesive. Sections interconnect for straight lines or right angles. Various cover options conceal different numbers of wires. Paint wiremold to match your walls for minimally visible wire channels.

Cable concealers

Cable concealers are flat adhesive-backed covers that blend into your wall. These are quick, disposable options to hide a few wires against baseboards or along trim. Concealers stick directly to the wall then you press the cables into the adhesive channel. Paintable concealers match your wall color. This is an inexpensive solution for temporary cable runs.

Conduit

Paintable plastic conduit lets you encase exposed wires for a neater appearance. Flexible corrugated tubing contains multiple cables through curves around moldings. For straight routes, metal EMT conduit can be mounted on wall surfaces with hardware then painted to disappear. You can fish speaker wires through conduit for retrofit installations.

How to hide speaker wires behind furniture

Furniture positioning often dictates speaker placement in a room. Running unsightly wiring around the backsides of cabinets, stands and shelves keeps things tidy. Here are some tips:

Adhesive cable tie mounts

Affix cable tie mounts behind furniture to neatly fasten your wires out of sight. Loop cable ties through the adhesive mounts to attach wires snugly against the backside of the furniture. This prevents cables from shifting around or dangling loose.

Cable sleeves

Slip wires inside adhesive-backed cable sleeves designed to affix neatly to furniture backs. Use the included Velcro straps to tighten the sleeves over your wires for a tailored fit. The sleeve openings allow connecting components while keeping runs out of sight.

Loops and hooks

Self-adhesive cable hooks stick onto furniture backs to support your wires off the floor. Use Velcro loops to neatly contain the excess length. This is a removable fastening option, which is helpful for cleaning behind furniture.

Cable clamps

Fasten wires to furniture backs and shelving using simple screw-on cable clamps. Position the clamps wherever needed to redirect wires along corners and tight to surfaces. Clamps screwed into furniture are more durable solutions than adhesive options.

How to hide speaker wires behind drywall

For new construction or whole-room remodels, you can conceal speaker wiring entirely behind walls and ceilings. Here are some tips:

Plan wiring locations

Consider how furniture, TV mounts and equipment racks will be positioned. Optimally place plastic outlet boxes to feed wire to speakers inconspicuously. Box placement should avoid air ducts, wiring and plumbing inside framing.

Pre-wire before drywall

Running speaker wire through walls is much easier prior to drywall installation. Use staples to secure wire to exposed studs and drill holes through top plates for runs between floors. Leave plenty of excess wire in boxes temporarily.

Use conduit

For easier fishing inside finished walls, first install conduit tubing in the desired cable paths through framing before drywall. Multi-outlet conduit boxes placed strategically in closets or behind TVs cleanly contain connections.

Fish wires after drywall

Using specialty long tools, you can fish speaker wire through walls via strategically placed outlet boxes. Feeding wire down from above avoids cutting long channels through drywall. Take care not to kink cables or over-stress connections when pulling slack.

Install plates

Wall plates designed for speaker wire terminals can feeding to room connections inconspicuously. Multi-port wall plates mounted behind TVs neatly conceal the nest of AV component wiring. Blank plates hide passive wire runs passing through walls to other endpoints.

What is the best way to hide speaker wire outside?

Running speaker wire between your indoor AV system and outdoor speaker locations presents some unique challenges. Here are tips for neatly managing exterior speaker wires:

Under eaves

Tucking wire runs up under roof eaves conceals cables in the shadows. Use exterior-rated cable staples to fasten wires a few inches below eaves around the structure. Paint staples to match surfaces.

Behind beams

Threading wire behind drainage beams is an effective way to hide exterior speaker cables. Use hangers to keep wires tight to the backside of beams. Place beams strategically when building the structure.

Bury underground

For a truly hidden setup, bury exterior speaker wire underground in conduit. Use 14-gauge or thicker direct burial speaker wire. Dig trenches at least 18 inches deep between speaker posts. This protects cables from damage.

Along landscaping

Strategically placed rock walls, shrubs and trellises can obscure speaker wires strung between posts. Blend wires into dados cut along the top edge of wooden structures and paint to match. Use UV-resistant cable.

Under materials

Where possible, run wiring underneath decking, patios, or stone paths linking speakers. This sandwiches cables safely out of sight. Take care to avoid damaging wire insulation on nails or staples.

Can you hide speaker wire in carpet?

Laying speaker wire under carpet lets you conceal cables easily when positioning speakers in rooms with carpet flooring. Here are some tips:

Cut wire channel

Use a sharp utility knife to cut a slit in the carpet padding then sneak wires into the channel. Take care not to cut too deeply through the padding and damage flooring underneath.

Secure with tape

Apply flooring tape along the wire channel to close the slit over your speaker cables. The adhesive holds padding down for an invisible wire installation.

Use flat wire

Flat speaker wire avoids lumps from round cables. Choose flatwire specifically made for under carpet installation. You can install directly underpadding without cutting carpet.

Reposition furniture

Slide furniture to expose the carpet then roll back the outer edges to sneak wire underneath toward your speaker location. Reposition furniture over the hidden wires. Use flatwire so furniture legs don’t pin down lumps.

Perimeter wiring

Run wiring around the perimeter under edge trim to avoid cables crossing traffic areas. Use neat wire turns instead of diagonals across open floor. Keep perimeter runs far from heat and air ducts to prevent interference.

How do you hide speaker wires on ceiling?

Mounting speakers overhead optimizes certain immersive audio configurations. There are creative options for installing overhead speakers while keeping ceiling wires out of view:

Recessed wiring

Fish speaker wire through ceiling cavities between joists or through conduit. Recessed connections via outlet boxes near speakers let cables exit neatly.

Wire channel

Adhere white-painted cable channels to ceiling seams between panels or joists. The channels blend in for unobtrusive wire runs overhead.

Adhesive cable guides

Stick thin adhesive wire guides to ceiling perimeters and junctions between fixtures. Use guides to redirect wires along seams and dome lights for camouflage.

Behind beams

Weave wiring crossovers behind ceiling beams rather than across open ceiling spans. Beam mounts are useful for securing wires.

Cable hooks

Use 3M-style removable cable hooks stuck to the ceiling to lift wires off plaster and guide them discreetly across to speakers. Point hooks to sweep wires behind fixtures.

Conclusion

Skillfully hiding speaker wires keeps sound systems looking as good as they sound. Tucking wires behind furniture, inside walls, under flooring or along architectural details using the right techniques results in a professional flawless finish. Properly concealed cables are safer, more durable, upgradeable and attractive. Just be sure to leave yourself enough wire slack, avoid kinks and use gentle turns for optimal audio signal transmission from your equipment to speakers. Now you can install speakers anywhere you want them without compromise from messy exposed wires.