I want to mount an LCD TV above an 8 foot wide door in my bedroom. I
have to run the wires in the finished exterior insulated wall and had
a few questions.

1) From what I read it is okay to notch load bearing wall provdes the
notch is less than 25% of the depth of the stud. Correct?

2) Is it safe to notch the door header (that way I can run the cables
in the gap between the door and the rough opening)? If so how much?

3) I know runing audio cables in the same notch as the AC cable is not
a good idea. What about coax cable (for cable TV)? I really do not
want to notch and repair two notches per stud.

Thanks.

"noname87" wrote in message
...
I want to mount an LCD TV above an 8 foot wide door in my bedroom. I
have to run the wires in the finished exterior insulated wall and had
a few questions.

1) From what I read it is okay to notch load bearing wall provdes the
notch is less than 25% of the depth of the stud. Correct?

2) Is it safe to notch the door header (that way I can run the cables
in the gap between the door and the rough opening)? If so how much?

3) I know runing audio cables in the same notch as the AC cable is not
a good idea. What about coax cable (for cable TV)? I really do not
want to notch and repair two notches per stud.

Thanks.

If the ceiling height is above 8', you'll probably have cat beams at around
4'. The door header may not be solid to the sheetrock. I would try to snake
up the wall next to the door then try to open the sheetrock and drill the
studs adjacent to the header and see if there is room to snake between the
header and the sheetrock

noname87 wrote:
I want to mount an LCD TV above an 8 foot wide door in my bedroom. I
have to run the wires in the finished exterior insulated wall and had
a few questions.

1) From what I read it is okay to notch load bearing wall provdes the
notch is less than 25% of the depth of the stud. Correct?

2) Is it safe to notch the door header (that way I can run the cables
in the gap between the door and the rough opening)? If so how much?

3) I know runing audio cables in the same notch as the AC cable is not
a good idea. What about coax cable (for cable TV)? I really do not
want to notch and repair two notches per stud.

Thanks.

Bad idea for lots of reasons. It seems like a good idea for while lying
in bed, but it is way too high for sustained viewing. And during the
day, light through the door will make the screen hard to see. You can
center-drill studs to 25%, but notching a whole row of studs that deep
weakens the whole wall. If wall is that high, I assume this is a
cathedral ceiling? Feeding from attic into that stud bay would be a lot
better, but you probably don't have an attic above. Second best would be
to feed up from basement into the stud bay beside the door, remove a
strip of drywall above door, and center-drill the studs to the mounting
point. Do you have drapes on this door wall? You could retrim the
doorway and make the casing a little wider, and create a wooden raceway
around the door to run the cables through, by slotting the drywall under
it. (May have to retrim the other doors in the room to match visually,
if the drapes don't disguise the door trim well enough.)

As much as it pains me to throw business their way, you may wanna pay a
visit to local dealer that sells the brackets and fittings- they may
have better ideas. Or ask over in alt.hometheater, or whatever the
appropriate group is called.

--
aem sends...

RBM wrote:
"noname87" wrote in message
...
I want to mount an LCD TV above an 8 foot wide door in my bedroom. I
have to run the wires in the finished exterior insulated wall and had
a few questions.

1) From what I read it is okay to notch load bearing wall provdes the
notch is less than 25% of the depth of the stud. Correct?

2) Is it safe to notch the door header (that way I can run the cables
in the gap between the door and the rough opening)? If so how much?

3) I know runing audio cables in the same notch as the AC cable is not
a good idea. What about coax cable (for cable TV)? I really do not
want to notch and repair two notches per stud.

Thanks.

If the ceiling height is above 8', you'll probably have cat beams at around
4'. The door header may not be solid to the sheetrock. I would try to snake
up the wall next to the door then try to open the sheetrock and drill the
studs adjacent to the header and see if there is room to snake between the
header and the sheetrock



Dumb question- what is a cat beam?

--
aem sends...

"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
RBM wrote:
"noname87" wrote in message
...
I want to mount an LCD TV above an 8 foot wide door in my bedroom. I
have to run the wires in the finished exterior insulated wall and had
a few questions.

1) From what I read it is okay to notch load bearing wall provdes the
notch is less than 25% of the depth of the stud. Correct?

2) Is it safe to notch the door header (that way I can run the cables
in the gap between the door and the rough opening)? If so how much?

3) I know runing audio cables in the same notch as the AC cable is not
a good idea. What about coax cable (for cable TV)? I really do not
want to notch and repair two notches per stud.

Thanks.

If the ceiling height is above 8', you'll probably have cat beams at
around 4'. The door header may not be solid to the sheetrock. I would try
to snake up the wall next to the door then try to open the sheetrock and
drill the studs adjacent to the header and see if there is room to snake
between the header and the sheetrock

Dumb question- what is a cat beam?

--
aem sends...

pieces of 2x installed horizontally between the studs for stiffeners

RBM wrote:
"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
RBM wrote:
"noname87" wrote in message
...
I want to mount an LCD TV above an 8 foot wide door in my bedroom. I
have to run the wires in the finished exterior insulated wall and had
a few questions.

1) From what I read it is okay to notch load bearing wall provdes the
notch is less than 25% of the depth of the stud. Correct?

2) Is it safe to notch the door header (that way I can run the cables
in the gap between the door and the rough opening)? If so how much?

3) I know runing audio cables in the same notch as the AC cable is not
a good idea. What about coax cable (for cable TV)? I really do not
want to notch and repair two notches per stud.

Thanks.
If the ceiling height is above 8', you'll probably have cat beams at
around 4'. The door header may not be solid to the sheetrock. I would try
to snake up the wall next to the door then try to open the sheetrock and
drill the studs adjacent to the header and see if there is room to snake
between the header and the sheetrock
Dumb question- what is a cat beam?

--
aem sends...

pieces of 2x installed horizontally between the studs for stiffeners



Oh. Back when I swung a hammer for money, we simply called that blocking
or cross-bracing. Perhaps a regional term? Google didn't find it.

--
aem sends...

"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
RBM wrote:
"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
RBM wrote:
"noname87" wrote in message
...
I want to mount an LCD TV above an 8 foot wide door in my bedroom. I
have to run the wires in the finished exterior insulated wall and had
a few questions.

1) From what I read it is okay to notch load bearing wall provdes the
notch is less than 25% of the depth of the stud. Correct?

2) Is it safe to notch the door header (that way I can run the cables
in the gap between the door and the rough opening)? If so how much?

3) I know runing audio cables in the same notch as the AC cable is not
a good idea. What about coax cable (for cable TV)? I really do not
want to notch and repair two notches per stud.

Thanks.
If the ceiling height is above 8', you'll probably have cat beams at
around 4'. The door header may not be solid to the sheetrock. I would
try to snake up the wall next to the door then try to open the
sheetrock and drill the studs adjacent to the header and see if there
is room to snake between the header and the sheetrock
Dumb question- what is a cat beam?

--
aem sends...

pieces of 2x installed horizontally between the studs for stiffeners

Oh. Back when I swung a hammer for money, we simply called that blocking
or cross-bracing. Perhaps a regional term? Google didn't find it.

--
aem sends...

We call it bridging if it's in the ceiling.

I want to mount an LCD TV above an 8 foot wide door in my bedroom. I
have to run the wires in the finished exterior insulated wall and had
a few questions.

1) From what I read it is okay to notch load bearing wall provdes the
notch is less than 25% of the depth of the stud. Correct?

2) Is it safe to notch the door header (that way I can run the cables
in the gap between the door and the rough opening)? If so how much?

3) I know runing audio cables in the same notch as the AC cable is not
a good idea. What about coax cable (for cable TV)? I really do not
want to notch and repair two notches per stud.


*I agree with RBM. It is better to open up the drywall. I am not sure
where you are running the wires from, but if it is a horizontal run I would
cut a length of drywall out about 5" wide and as long as you need to go in
one long piece. That way you can drill holes in the middle of each stud.
If you will be bringing the wires down from the attic you can cut a hole big
enough to get your drill in and drill up through the top plate. Then push a
fish tape up into the attic space and go up and tie your wire onto it.

I would keep the two cables in separate holes.

Cut your drywall at a 45 degree angle to make it easier for patching.
http://www.wd40jobsite.com/secret_de...748&c=1&q=&s=1

On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:13:04 -0700 (PDT), noname87
wrote:

I want to mount an LCD TV above an 8 foot wide door in my bedroom. I
have to run the wires in the finished exterior insulated wall and had
a few questions.

1) From what I read it is okay to notch load bearing wall provdes the
notch is less than 25% of the depth of the stud. Correct?

2) Is it safe to notch the door header (that way I can run the cables
in the gap between the door and the rough opening)? If so how much?

3) I know runing audio cables in the same notch as the AC cable is not
a good idea. What about coax cable (for cable TV)? I really do not
want to notch and repair two notches per stud.

You can probably test this by running all the same wires outside of
the wall, on the floor if necesary, as close as they would be with one
notch. Tape them together. I presume AC means air conditioning. Test
them by running the AC, turn it down enough that the compressor goes
on too, and at the same time running the tv on all stations you'll be
watching. Test the audio this way too. Although if you say so, they
say it's not a good idea, the world is a complicated place and I've
seen lots of things that aren't supposed to work, work, (counting
everything, not especially in electronics)

For example, I have the tv in this room connected to the DVDR in
another room and a set top box in this room. I tried using channel 3
for one and channel 4 for the other, but there was interference, so
for most of the time since the digital conversion, I've been using an
A-B coax switch to switch inputs. Just 35 minutes ago, I was getting
the same thing on either A or B, and neither was the set-top box. I
went to another room connected to the DVDR and that wasn't it either.
It was playing a signal that came from neither source, and the same
thing on both A and B. How could that possibly happen?

I had to turn the tv off and on, and then everything was back to
normal.

Thanks.

mm wrote:
On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:13:04 -0700 (PDT), noname87
wrote:

I want to mount an LCD TV above an 8 foot wide door in my bedroom. I
have to run the wires in the finished exterior insulated wall and had
a few questions.

1) From what I read it is okay to notch load bearing wall provdes the
notch is less than 25% of the depth of the stud. Correct?

2) Is it safe to notch the door header (that way I can run the cables
in the gap between the door and the rough opening)? If so how much?

3) I know runing audio cables in the same notch as the AC cable is not
a good idea. What about coax cable (for cable TV)? I really do not
want to notch and repair two notches per stud.

You can probably test this by running all the same wires outside of
the wall, on the floor if necesary, as close as they would be with one
notch. Tape them together. I presume AC means air conditioning.

Uh, no, he means the a.c. power line to power the TV with. Not gonna be
any hvac ducts in an exterior wall, unless the builder was an idiot.

--
aem sends...

Yes I meant A.C. power. The builder was an idiot in some ways but
luckly he was not that bad.

Okay, I guess I should post more details.

The wall is 20' long and 16' high at the highest point. I have no
access from below. I have limited to no access from above. I was
hoping to notch the studs 3/4"X3/4". I would need to notch at least 5
studs. The wall is insulated so center drilling would be a lot of
work. The doors open to an covered porch. The TV is only used at night
so glare is not an issue. Ther are no curtains.

As one poster mentioned, I am concerned that watching an TV that is 4
feet above eye level could be uncomfortable. The TV mount can tilt
down about 10 degrees which could help. My other option is to mount
the TV in the corner. Not sure watching the TV on an angle would be
thta much better.

"RBM" wrote in message
...

"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
RBM wrote:
"noname87" wrote in message
...
I want to mount an LCD TV above an 8 foot wide door in my
bedroom. I
have to run the wires in the finished exterior insulated wall
and had
a few questions.

1) From what I read it is okay to notch load bearing wall
provdes the
notch is less than 25% of the depth of the stud. Correct?

2) Is it safe to notch the door header (that way I can run
the cables
in the gap between the door and the rough opening)? If so how
much?

3) I know runing audio cables in the same notch as the AC
cable is not
a good idea. What about coax cable (for cable TV)? I really
do not
want to notch and repair two notches per stud.

Thanks.

If the ceiling height is above 8', you'll probably have cat
beams at around 4'. The door header may not be solid to the
sheetrock. I would try to snake up the wall next to the door
then try to open the sheetrock and drill the studs adjacent to
the header and see if there is room to snake between the
header and the sheetrock

Dumb question- what is a cat beam?

--
aem sends...

pieces of 2x installed horizontally between the studs for
stiffeners


aka Firestops

--
Nonny

The time to repay our Congress and
White House for their socialist legislation
will be when they run for reelection. Think
Of it as flushing a very soiled toilet.

noname87 wrote:
Okay, I guess I should post more details.

The wall is 20' long and 16' high at the highest point. I have no
access from below. I have limited to no access from above. I was
hoping to notch the studs 3/4"X3/4". I would need to notch at least 5
studs. The wall is insulated so center drilling would be a lot of
work. The doors open to an covered porch. The TV is only used at night
so glare is not an issue. Ther are no curtains.

As one poster mentioned, I am concerned that watching an TV that is 4
feet above eye level could be uncomfortable. The TV mount can tilt
down about 10 degrees which could help. My other option is to mount
the TV in the corner. Not sure watching the TV on an angle would be
thta much better.

What is the wall on the outside, in the covered porch, sheathed with?
Wood siding, stone, or what? Any way to painlessly open the wall from
that side, like popping off a sheet of siding? Or is there trim out
there, where another band of trim at the line of the top of the door
would not look out of place? Or does the porch ceiling not extend high
enough above the top of the door opening to do you any good? Wiring
through the wall may be a viable solution, if you have a way to get the
coax and power to the porch ceiling area. Will you have any other
devices in the room, like a DVD player, or is this TV slaved off a DVR
downstairs?

At this point, pictures would help. A wide angle shot of the door from
inside and outside, and close-up of the area above the door, from inside
and outside. Can you upload somewhere and post links back here? If we
can see it, some other ideas make occur to us.

--
aem sends...

On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:35:00 -0400, aemeijers
wrote:

mm wrote:
On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:13:04 -0700 (PDT), noname87
wrote:

I want to mount an LCD TV above an 8 foot wide door in my bedroom. I
have to run the wires in the finished exterior insulated wall and had
a few questions.

1) From what I read it is okay to notch load bearing wall provdes the
notch is less than 25% of the depth of the stud. Correct?

2) Is it safe to notch the door header (that way I can run the cables
in the gap between the door and the rough opening)? If so how much?

3) I know runing audio cables in the same notch as the AC cable is not
a good idea. What about coax cable (for cable TV)? I really do not
want to notch and repair two notches per stud.

You can probably test this by running all the same wires outside of
the wall, on the floor if necesary, as close as they would be with one
notch. Tape them together. I presume AC means air conditioning.

Uh, no, he means the a.c. power line to power the TV with. Not gonna be
any hvac ducts in an exterior wall, unless the builder was an idiot.

I didn't assume there were AC ducts, only an AC somewhere where this
route to the tv was also on the way to the AC.

AC cable confused me. I would have called it the electric cable.

Anyhow, with lower current, it's all the more likely he can run them
together.

Cut your drywall at a 45 degree angle to make it easier for patching.
http://www.wd40jobsite.com/secret_de...748&c=1&q=&s=1
First time I saw that tip, it was a true forehead-smacker. (why didn't I
think of that before....)

"noname87" wrote in message
...
I want to mount an LCD TV above an 8 foot wide door in my bedroom. I
have to run the wires in the finished exterior insulated wall and had
a few questions.

1) From what I read it is okay to notch load bearing wall provdes the
notch is less than 25% of the depth of the stud. Correct?

2) Is it safe to notch the door header (that way I can run the cables
in the gap between the door and the rough opening)? If so how much?

3) I know runing audio cables in the same notch as the AC cable is not
a good idea. What about coax cable (for cable TV)? I really do not
want to notch and repair two notches per stud.

Thanks.

LCD and co-ax.

My first thought is that whatever solution you decide on (and there's some
good ones here), it should be easily repeatable for when you decide that
coax needs to replaced by an hdmi cable.

maybe consider a pvc run once you get the wall opened up? It would make it
easier to push the next cable through.

"Joe" wrote in message
.. .


Cut your drywall at a 45 degree angle to make it easier for patching.
http://www.wd40jobsite.com/secret_de...748&c=1&q=&s=1
First time I saw that tip, it was a true forehead-smacker. (why didn't I
think of that before....)
Me too. Good idea. WW

"Joe" wrote in message
.. .


Cut your drywall at a 45 degree angle to make it easier for
patching.
http://www.wd40jobsite.com/secret_de...748&c=1&q=&s=1
First time I saw that tip, it was a true forehead-smacker. (why
didn't I think of that before....)

When you replace the plug, it'll be a bit recessed due to the
width of the kerf. I prefer a square cut and to hot melt a couple
of wood strips across the opening. Then, set them firm with
drywall screws. This makes it easy to screw the removed plug back
in place.


--
Nonny
Suppose you were an idiot.
And suppose you were a member
of Congress.... But then I repeat myself.'

-Mark Twain
..

Cut your drywall at a 45 degree angle to make it easier for patching.
http://www.wd40jobsite.com/secret_de...748&c=1&q=&s=1
First time I saw that tip, it was a true forehead-smacker. (why didn't I
think of that before....)

When you replace the plug, it'll be a bit recessed due to the width of the
kerf. I prefer a square cut and to hot melt a couple of wood strips
across the opening. Then, set them firm with drywall screws. This makes
it easy to screw the removed plug back in place.


*To prevent the piece from being too recessed I normally butter both wall
and piece edges heavily with joint compound. A finish coat a day or two
later with a wide knife makes it perfect and no taping is required thanks to
the angle cuts.

On Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:11:31 -0700, "Nonny" wrote:


"Joe" wrote in message
. ..


Cut your drywall at a 45 degree angle to make it easier for
patching.
http://www.wd40jobsite.com/secret_de...748&c=1&q=&s=1
First time I saw that tip, it was a true forehead-smacker. (why
didn't I think of that before....)

When you replace the plug, it'll be a bit recessed due to the
width of the kerf. I prefer a square cut and to hot melt a couple
of wood strips across the opening. Then, set them firm with
drywall screws. This makes it easy to screw the removed plug back
in place.

They make metal clips to facilitate puttig in patch pieces. Do they
work?

On Mar 23, 4:11*pm, "Nonny" wrote:
"Joe" wrote in message

.. .



Cut your drywall at a 45 degree angle to make it easier for
patching.
http://www.wd40jobsite.com/secret_de...748&c=1&q=&s=1
First time I saw that tip, it was a true forehead-smacker. (why
didn't I think of that before....)

When you replace the plug, it'll be a bit recessed due to the
width of the kerf. *I prefer a square cut and to hot melt a couple
of wood strips across the opening. *Then, set them firm with
drywall screws. *This makes it easy to screw the removed plug back
in place.

I just screw the wood strips to the drywall and plug.

Cut your drywall at a 45 degree angle to make it easier for
patching.
http://www.wd40jobsite.com/secret_de...748&c=1&q=&s=1
First time I saw that tip, it was a true forehead-smacker. (why
didn't I think of that before....)

When you replace the plug, it'll be a bit recessed due to the
width of the kerf. I prefer a square cut and to hot melt a couple
of wood strips across the opening. Then, set them firm with
drywall screws. This makes it easy to screw the removed plug back
in place.

They make metal clips to facilitate puttig in patch pieces. Do they
work?


*I don't think I have ever seen them.

On Wed, 24 Mar 2010 11:39:38 -0400, "John Grabowski"
wrote:

Cut your drywall at a 45 degree angle to make it easier for
patching.
http://www.wd40jobsite.com/secret_de...748&c=1&q=&s=1
First time I saw that tip, it was a true forehead-smacker. (why
didn't I think of that before....)

When you replace the plug, it'll be a bit recessed due to the
width of the kerf. I prefer a square cut and to hot melt a couple
of wood strips across the opening. Then, set them firm with
drywall screws. This makes it easy to screw the removed plug back
in place.

They make metal clips to facilitate puttig in patch pieces. Do they
work?


*I don't think I have ever seen them.

I bought a set, to have on hand, in that great hardware store in
Dallas, and I think also I saw them in an Ace hardware.

They're black, from flat metal, but bent with teeth, prongs, at one
end, a set of four, bent in a way to go both behind and a litte before
the sheetrock that's still there, and behind the patch, iirc, and then
after everythign dries to snap off the rest of it by bending back and
forth, iirc. I guess the part before, that you could see, either
breaks off or it has to covered by compound.