On 2 Jan 2007 08:42:41 -0800, "AlexJDB" wrote:

Hi,

I just purchased a home theater speaker set and would like to wire it
through my walls, even though they are all closed. Is there a cheap way
to do this without destructing everything ?

Yes. A lot depends on whether one is doing this on the top floor of
one's house, or the floor above an unfinished basement. And to a
small extent on whether the speakers go on the floor or closer to the
ceiling.

In houses like mine, it's easier to go from the attic down, because
the walls below are totally obvious from the attic. One sees the wood
2x4 that is the top plate of the wall framing. The rest is the back
side of the ceiling sheetrock.

From the basement, one only sees the plywood floor above, and the
walls are on top of that. But like someone said, you can determine
where the walls are by looking for electric cables that go up into the
wall. Or you can make a hole in the wall above, and use a long
flexible drill bit to drill down into the basement (being careful not
to drill through anything (which might mean wrapping the drill shaft
with tape so that when the taped part reaches the wall, you know the
tip of the drill is just coming out the bottom of the wall.

But from the attic you can just drill a hole and drop the wire down,
then use your fingers or a bent coat hanger to fish it out where the
speakers are.

I'm not sure how many interior walls have fire stops in them.
(horizontal pieces of 2x4 half way up the wall or so.) My upstairs
interior walls don't. But my speakers are near the ceiling so it
didn't matter.

With a partly finished basement, one can use two snakes, one vertical
and then hooking it with a horizontal one. I did my rear door switch
for the burglar alarm myself this way, and I was lucky, but it will
likely be a lot quicker with a helper.

Thanks