JohnB wrote:
Can someone please advise me of the best practice for chasing ( and
finishing) a slot in a plaster + brick/ breezblock wall to take power
and video cables from about 2ft off the floor to behind the screen (
6ft high). I have purchased a wall mount for the screen, and some
conduit to house the cables and a stone cutter attachement for a
drill.


I'm not really sure about best practice but some observations...

1) Embedding a power cable in the wall will be covered by electrical
regulations. Read up on what your'e doing in some IEEE literature, but
as a starter the most relevant regulation is that you can hide a cable
in a wall in a horizontal or vertical line from a visible electrical
fitting (usually a socket or light switch) or within 15cm of the sides
and top of the wall. Anywhere outside of this area must be covered by
armoured or buried more than 50mm deep. Please note - I THINK this is
corretc. I have no doubt someone will correct me if I've made a
mistake. I have no idea whether a permanently fixed plasma screen
counts as an electrical fixing?

2) Chasing into plaster makes an unholy god awful mess. The last time
I did it I sealed the room with blankets and gaffa tape and it still
got out. Just chasing out three columns from ceiling to light switch
made me think I'd gone blind. I could not see a thing. Doing this
work with furniture in the room is completely unfeasible in my opinion.
I suppose you could manage it with a dedicated chasing tool and some
SERIOUS extraction power vented outside. A dyson is not going to cut
it.

3) Patch it up with plaster when you've finished. The appearance will
be down to your plastering skills. You could make it look perfect or a
complete dogs arse. When you cut into the wall cut at an angle so that
that the hole is a wedge shape this will help the plaster stay in the
hole.

I'm afraid that's all the help I can be.

--
Steve