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I am not a carpenter (programmer actually), therefore I need to know if it is possible to conceal wires in a baseboard. Basically I want a combination of this

enter image description here

And this

enter image description here

But I don't want my entire house to look hideous.

If it is possible, are there any off the shelf baseboards, or do I have to get a carpenter to custom make them?

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    What type of wires are you trying to conceal? Line voltage? Low voltage? Audio? Network/Teleco?
    – mac
    Dec 20, 2013 at 19:35
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    Your corner-track could be hidden by larger crown moldings. If you need to move up the wall a bit (or punch larger holes in sheetrock) you could apply wainscoting to the walls. But then, sometimes the 'old english manor' look is more jarring than the cables. ^_^
    – Scivitri
    Dec 20, 2013 at 20:16
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    @mac cat5 cables or thin power cables
    – puk
    Dec 21, 2013 at 6:06
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    @scivitri I had to google a lot of those terms but I think I follow what you are saying
    – puk
    Dec 21, 2013 at 6:09
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    related : diy.stackexchange.com/q/420/86
    – Joe
    Feb 23, 2015 at 15:44

3 Answers 3

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Yes it's definitely possible. If you have carpeting you often can just push the wire under the baseboard in the gap left for the flooring.

Otherwise the most common option is to remove the baseboards, and then cut out a strip of drywall at the bottom of the wall. You hide your wires in this channel, and then replace the baseboards. Make sure that when nailing your baseboards back down that you don't hit any of the wires.

The above advice does not apply to line-voltage wiring but can be used for Telco wiring.

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    There are often Electrical Code requirements that in-wall wiring be buried deeply, or be armored, to prevent accidental damage from nails or screws in the future.
    – DJohnM
    Dec 20, 2013 at 19:15
  • You're right, I was thinking more along the lines of coax/Telco wires.
    – Steven
    Dec 20, 2013 at 19:18
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Yes, you can take the baseboard off, cut a groove in it on a table saw, and install low voltage cabling. This would be suitable for a single Ethernet or coax. Similarly you can groove the drywall behind, but it's messier. You'll want prime paint after grooving to keep everything from falling apart.

Note that the baseboard area can be a source of air leakage into walls, and you can take the time when the baseboards are off to caulk the remaining junction.

As pictured you have hardwood floors, you must maintain a gap at the edges of hardwood to allow for thermal expansion.

High voltage power wires need to be armored, and this technique is only suitable for hiding conduit. But in some cases you can relocate a transformer (for certain types of lighting) and bury the low voltage runs.

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There is channel that you can run along the baseboard in place of the quarter round molding. You paint to to match the baseboard or the quarter round (even cover it with wood-look contact paper) and it isn't noticeable. Here's an example: Qtr Round Baseboard Channel

enter image description here

Lots of variations on the idea: http://www.homedepot.com/s/channel+raceway?NCNI-5

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