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Project Difficulty:
Moderate
Estimated
Project Time: 2 hours
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Wire
Pencil
Safety goggles
Dust mask
Paint scraper or small pry bar
Straightedge
Electrician's hammer
Nail set
Metal nail protectors, as needed
Utility knife
Wood chisel
Wood shim
Handsaw
Finish nails
Drywall remnants, as needed
Wall or wood finishing supplies, as needed
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Running wires or cables across existing walls is a lot more complicated than running them during new construction. Many times it means that you have to cut holes in the finished drywall in order to pull the wires or cables behind the walls. If your baseboards can be taken off, however, you can then remove the drywall behind the trim, thereby gaining good access to the framing. When done, simply reinstall the drywall and baseboards. While doing the work, wear safety goggles and a dust mask to protect yourself from the dust and debris.
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1.
Mark the Wall
Before running the cable, first decide where your new switch, outlet, or junction box will be located. If your baseboard can be removed without damaging it, trace a light pencil mark on the wall along the top edge of the board. This reference line will indicate how much wallboard you can safely cut away. (Fig. 1)
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2.
Cut the Paint Seal
Using a utility knife, cut between the top edge of the baseboard and the wall to break the paint seal (Fig. 2). This will prevent paint from being pulled away from the wall when you remove the baseboard.
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3.
Remove the Baseboard
Using a trim removal tool (small pry bar or a paint scraper), gain access behind the trim at a point where it is nailed to a stud, and gently start prying it away. Move to studs on either side of your starting point and carefully ease the baseboard away from them as well, moving back and forth as needed, until the entire board eventually is loose. If too much force is applied at once, the baseboard may break. A thin wood shim between the bar and the wall will help protect the wall, as you go along (Fig. 3). If the nails want to pull through the molding, let them; this is part of the reason why the nails have small heads. (Remove the nails from the studs before reinstalling the trim.) If at all possible, try not to cut the baseboard, even if it means having to remove an extremely long piece. Doing this will make for a much neater finish job and save you from having to install a nailer behind where the splice is to be made.
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4.
Mark a Cut Line
Pencil a secondary reference line about 1/2 inch below your primary reference line (Fig. 4). Use this as a guideline to cut and remove the wallboard.
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5.
Cut and Remove the Drywall
Make your cut along the secondary reference line, using a straightedge and a utility knife, and then remove the cutout section of wallboard. (Fig. 5)
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6.
Notch the Studs
Either saw a notch in the face of each exposed stud at the bottom of the wall, using a combination of handsaw, hammer, and chisel, or drill holes through the studs to make a raceway channel for your cable. Then run the cable or wire from the existing box to the location for the new one, passing it through the notches or holes in the studs. If you made notches, or the holes are within 1-3/8 inch of the edge of the stud, shield the wires with metal nail protectors as you run the cable. (Fig. 6)
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7.
Replace the Drywall
Measure and cut a new section of wallboard (of the same thickness) to replace the one that you removed. Then carefully nail it in place. (Fig. 7)
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8.
Replace the Baseboard
Reinstall the baseboard trim, using a hammer and finishing nails. Set the nails, putty the holes, and restore the damaged wall and baseboard finishes to match the existing adjacent surfaces. (Fig. 8)
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