So I'll be moving into a new place soon and I'll need to run my Ethernet cable along a short hallway out to the living room. What is a method I can use to keep the cable nicely up against the wall so no one trips on it? Without the use of adhesives of any kind
Update: thank you everyone for your advice, I'm still working out details of my move but thanks to your collective advice I really feel prepared to respectfully enter this space. Seriously, thank you
Command adhesive thingies are great for this.
In practice I find these rip off the paint. I know how to use them. I was a nurse for a good while and the first use for this adhesive was Tegaderm adhesive bandages, 2nd use was Duoderm. Command strips came later.
You stretch them to 3-4 times their natural length and the adhesive releases. Good luck on painted walls though.
> the first use for this adhesive was Tegaderm adhesive bandages, 2nd use was Duoderm.
That's interesting, I didn't know that. Kind of like how krazy glue was originally used for wound sealing.
Cyanoacrylate glue is still used probably almost universally in medical settings for wound closure.
My thumbnail is damaged and is separating. I drenched it with gel Krazy glue to hold it together. My intention was to get by without snagging it on anything until I can get to a nail salon (I'm a guy who works in a remote industrial setting) but I just dressed it smooth and it seems incredibly durable. I'll probably just leave it as-is and let it grow out
Hell yeah brother.
You ever see the liquid skin stuff? It's sold in bandaid aisle usually.
It's pretty much the same, more rubbery though. I use it on hangnails because I've an awful habit of once they start I dig at them until I see bone.
I had a bottle of "New Skin" on hand but it only held up for about a day. Which is pretty good considering how many times the damp gloves go on and off. I cut a nail 2/3 across with a handsaw a few years ago - through the glove - it was a mess. I went to a nail salon and had a clear UV-cured gel applied over what was left and wow is that stuff tough.
I love liquid bandage but it wears off quickly, like once a day at least you have to reapply a layer or two, and when I put it on a hangnail or cuticle I've been scratching, I actually dig at it more because now there's something to scrape off. I usually have to go with a multifaceted approach, liquid band aid under actual band aid, sometimes under nitrile gloves.
Also now marketed as “catheter securement adhesive” for central lines, accessed ports, and PICC lines. I got to play with it when they were first introducing it at my hospital and my first thought was “huh, this feels like super glue when it dries” after I put it on my skin to see if it would burn. Then I read the package and realized it basically was superglue.
I've found they really only rip paint off walls if a) they were left on for years or b) the wall wasn't primed before painting.
Otherwise they've been a godsend for me
You're also supposed to hold your finger against the adhesive as you pull as to reduce the sheer force on the wall. You put one hand on the part to be stretched while the other hand does the stretching. It's a two handed operation. Are you sure you tried this? I have used Command Strips for years and only have had issues when removing them with a one handed method.
I used Tegaderm bandages daily for most of the 15 years I was a nurse. The stakes were higher than ripping off some paint. So yes, I do know how this adhesive works.
Command strips leave a residue which can interfere with the adhesion of the next layer of paint.
My last apartment specifically forbade them, and recommended using nails instead.
That and there seems to be some kind of weakening with their tabs over time. Fresh ones are always easy to remove, but ones that I've had up for a year or two seem to have the pull tab snap off much easier, you really gotta be ginger with those fuckers.
When I used to work in some dorms at a college they forbid them too, because every semester after move out almost every room had five to thirty some leftover command hook attachment plates still on the walls because the tabs snapped when they tried to get them off and hey their parents will just pay the fee for an uncleaned room.
I will say though, a credit/library/whatever card is your friend there. In my experience, squishing the command strip down like an accordion underneath the clear plate seems to work as well as stretching it out in terms of getting it off without taking chunks of the wall out.
...as long as you're not dealing with landlord quality paint.
If they are using command strips, might as well run them above head instead of the floor
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If there's carpet, you can use a plastic putty knife to tuck it under the baseboard
This. They also make quite flat ethernet cables you can run under a carpet and as long as you stick to the edges of the room no one will notice
We call ‘em Flat5
They also make baseboard which are routed on the reverse to run cable though.
I quite literally did this with a regular ethernet cable two days ago. Worked like a charm. I ended up using an automotive trim too which achieved the same as a putty knife.
A roller tool for putting window screens in aluminum windows works well too. It's concave and matches up with the ethernet cable nicely.
Genius
Yes, this was the way to run speaker cables and coax back in the day.
Yes - people might be surprised how much space there is beneath trim boards.
I’ve done this too.
I used flat Ethernet cables. Work well around bends and can have then under doors too if needed and totally unnoticeable when under a carpet.
Flat cords are the best way. If you have hardwood floors, you can even hide these flat cables under the quarter round moldings too. I've done this with speaker wires in the past.
In college I ran speaker wires through the asbestos insulation around the hot water pipes to get to my friends room because he had loaned me all his vinyl. He'd call my room and make requests and I'd turn his speakers on (he could adjust the volume on his end). My last name is Kaup which could be a radio station also so he'd ask seriously as if I was an actual radio station. 1980's so no texting.
So far he's gifted me three cars so it's worked out great for me.
TL;DR Cancer be damned we need some tunes.
Asbestosis will soon be your friend
Not at all likely.
Unfortunately for you, it is extremely likely.
First line, from the first website found on Google.........
What is Asbestos Pipe Insulation and Lagging?
Asbestos pipe insulation and lagging can be one of the most dangerous forms of asbestos.
So whatever gives you such confidence that it is "not at all likely"?
I commend you for spinning vinyl though....
There are few feelings in the world better than perfectly hiding a speaker wire under moldings
I used flat Ethernet cables, lifted the edge of the carpet, and ran them alongside the gripstrips.
You'd never have known they were there and were very easily removed and reused when we moved in to our next place.
Here's a ghetto method: run it tight along the long wall and put a brick on each end to keep it tight.
Or, get a needle and thread, loop it around the ethernet and sew it with a couple threads to the carpet to keep it from moving. Easily removable and no marks are left. (nevermind if there's no carpet)
Ikea sells a clean cable-hide track that has a removable self-adhesive. I used it for a horizontal run to my 3D printer. It tucked right into a curve in the floor trim to the point it disappeared from view
Edit; Found it: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/montera-cable-management-white-30147425/
Home depot or lowes,has the same stuff for half the price...."cordmate"
There is a 3M cable clip that is easily removable and doesn't leave residue. I've use this on walls and around desks to keep cables out of the way.
Do you count a staple gun and a lot of patience adhesives? Because that's how me and my roomies did it. That being said, they actually sell nails with plastic clips on them to pin cables to walls.
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They make something exactly for this and using staples is called a cable tacker. Doesn't pinch the cable at all and is great for temporary or long term use.
Best practice in my opinion, besides using wire mold, staple down a zip tie, then zip the cable. Find a cable the same color as your baseboard, and same color zip ties
yeah, don't ever use staples with ethernet
Push pin hooks, the hole they leave behined is so small you can't see it in the caulk line just above a baseboard.
Amazon has flat ethernet cables, they also come with little clips you can tap into the wall or baseboard or whatever with.
Are electrics on the same circuit? Why not use a power line adapter instead
Most modern power line adapters can communicate across "phases" in a home through a combination of induction and using the ground and neutral wires which a common to all circuits
Powerline adaptor can be a game changer. Having ethernet from the other end of the house + a wifi relay in the adaptor without taking up any space is great
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At that point, why not just Wifi? In most places, it exceeds your Internet connection speed.
Gaff tape, gaff tape, gaff tape. It’s magical. Floors, walls, wet concrete, whatever. Sticks as long as you need, leaves nothing behind.
If there's carpet, you can usually tuck it into the crevice under the baseboard. (If there are baseboards)
This is what I usually do
Can you put in 2 small nails in the baseboard?
This is what gaffers' tape is designed for. As long as you remove it within a few weeks, there will be no residue. Even leaving it for years is fine (it won't damage anything), you might just have to clean the residue a bit.
Whem you first place the cable, it will want to move around a lot. But you can just pin it down in the corners and remove the tape after a few days. The cable will then remember the shape and won't move around mearly as much.
> Without the use of adhesives of any kind
Levitation? ;)
You probably need to pass the wire through something rigid (tube, trim...) so it doesn't flip-flop around, then attach both ends of this rigid "thing" to what you have at each end. How you do it without adhesive (and I presume without nails) depends on what you have there. You might twist a coat hanger into a hook if there's a door frame at one end, you might just use a paper weight if it's a corner or recess that doesn't tend to get kicked. You'll have to improvise with the situation.
Gaffer's tape or an actual cable tube. You can buy either from a good hardware store. I k now you said no adhesive, but Gaffer Tape is safe to use on like anything. it's a strong but temporary adhesive meant to tape down cables and such without leaving damage.
Gaffer tape gaffer tape gaffer tape! It's made for securing cables and then being pulled up, it's the perfect tool. The adhesive is strong enough to grip whatever you put it on but weak enough to come up easily, the tape is flexible, and it's incredibly durable. It even comes in a ton of different colors so you can camouflage it against your wall.
I had an Ethernet cable gaffer tapped to the floor, on the wall all the way around a doorframe, and them the floor again for almost five years in one apartment and when I took it off, not only did it not take any paint but it didn't even leave a residue. The stuff is amazing.
I know it said you can’t use adhesive but superglue gel is PERFECT for this application. Apply a thin bead of it along the cable and press it in the place.
When you need to remove apply a little heat with a hairdryer and it will crack the superglue and pull right off. They won’t even notice as long as you use it sparingly.
I’d use a flat blade to tuck it under the carpet and any wall trim. Butter knife, flat head. Just don’t puncture the cable. Pulls out easy when you leave. Out of sight when you’re there.
Command hooks makes cable clips. They'll keep it on the wall and come off cleanly when you move out
The baseboard/carpet solution is best. If that’s not an option, use Command Adhesive clips. That stuff comes off without damaging paint or leaving behind residue. Test it inside a closet or somewhere nobody will notice if you’re not sure.
i have the same set up, aside from the door kinda smashing the ethernet wire flat, its worked real well,
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they have little zip tie looking things you can drill into the wall or you can use a staple gun and ensure that the wire is completely within the two prongs of the staple.
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something like this will work https://www.amazon.com/cable-holders-walls/s?k=cable+holders+for+walls
i just used the staple gun because im only here temporarily
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edit: whoops wrong link
There were lots of great options listed. Most of them very practical.
One way that I didn’t get mentioned that takes more work is custom molding/base boards. I’ve used some with routed custom pockets behind the them made for cable management. Just depends on how far you want to go. Best wishes on your project
If you buy flat cable you might be able to tuck it under the baseboard. Ran cable like that in my house a few months ago.
Remove the floor moulding run it in the gap behind it.
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Flat ethernet line and a low tack adhesive and run it around the baseboard.
You know the type of channelling people with mounted TVs use? I think if you used double sided tape to mount it along the bottom of the wall and ran the cords through it would work and look really nice too
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Small amounts of blue tack?
What I've used in the past when renting to run Ethernet up a flight of stairs and down a hallway was a single cable "wiremold" that ran along the top of the floor trim that made it almost unnoticeable. Another time I also used wiremold, but didn't want to spend a bunch of money so I just cut it into 6" strips and only applied them where the cable started to become not straight (ish). Also, some wiremolds have a weak peel and stick adhesive on them, that shouldn't damage paint when removed.
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The two methods I used for rentals were (1) gently pull the edge of the carpet away from the baseboard and use the small gap between the tack strip and the wall, and (2) use the AC ductwork. For small places, there aren’t a lot of turns and longs runs in the ducts so it was the easiest way to get between front and back rooms, especially if there was a bathroom in between (also depends a lot on if the ducts are high or low).
If you can change the baseboards look up cable raceways, they’re basically Hollow baseboards to run cables through
Go grab a cable tacker. Then just run it wherever you want and it will stay out of the way.
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Adhesive cable clips
Have you considered something weighted with a pass-through? You could put a series of potted plants along the wall and adhere a ring to each of those, or a bookcase to which you affix the cable along the back. If you run the cable through those rectangular plastic cable runners you could fix them in place under or behind furniture and they would keep the cables from bulging out.
in addition to what others have said, Monoprice slimrun cable is very small (1/8" in diameter) which makes it significantly easier to tuck into nooks and crannies. IIRC they make an ultra slimrun that is even smaller.
I assume running it behind the baseboard isn’t an option?
3M makes command strip cord clips. Designed to hold fast, and come off with no damage or residue.
Monoprice sells flat Ethernet cables
Mine is currently holding with blue painters tape. Looks incredibly tacky but it will come off just fine when I do remove it.
Cloth tape.
Use painter tape it won't hurt anything
Cable staples, they are not actually staples. Nail in cable clips, command round cord clips, make sure you find a small piece of paint to paint match before you move
Zip systems flashing tape. You can stick a ethernet cable to the space shuttle and make it into orbit.
Additional option: have you considered an ethernet over power adapter?
Staple it
You could get some surface mount cable raceway, but instead of using the adhesive, just brad nail it to the baseboards. When you move out, a tiny amount of spackle will fill the holes left behind.
Is the hallway carpeted? If so you might be able to lift the edge of the carpet and place the cable between the skirting board and the tacking board that holds the carpet in place.
Use some sticky tack my guy, it will hold the cord in place and won't take off and paint when removed
If there are baseboards, run down to them and push the wire underneath the bottom. Baseboards are made to have a gap with the floor so it can “float” and expand/contract freely.
If not that, we will likely need more info. Is there carpet, is there moulding, what is the end location of the computer?
Cable raceway and Command strips (I like the velcro kind because they can be completely hidden behind whatever theyre attached to)
Honestly? You're fine just snaking it under the carpet
Sticky tack
Carpet, flat cord tuck it under
I don't know if it was mentioned, but here's what did: I takes the cable to the wall using blue painter's tape, then painted over it with a couple coats. I didn't really care that much how it looked, but you really don't see it and had I done a better more careful job, it would be pretty hard to spot
Shove it under the baseboards for the win!
Best situation is that you have carpet, and are able to pull it up an unnoticeable amount along the edge, and staple into the subfloor where no one will step on it. Next best is to staple into the baseboards as close to the carpet as you can get, then fill in the holes (if they're even noticeable) when you move out.
Unless, of course, you're super lucky and there's room to just tuck it under the baseboards - which is what I ended up doing in my office. Nothing to see, nothing to secure, nothing to clean up.
Alternate consideration:
If you have 2 plugs on the same breaker, you can get a set of Ethernet power line adapters for @ $40, and actually run the Ethernet signal through the power lines in the wall. The tech currently supports up to 2gbps transfer speeds.
In my last apt the plugs in the hallway were on the same breaker as the living room, so we were able to keep the router in the living room near the entertainment center, and run the internet from a plug in the front of the living room to the back of the hallway with these, then I just ran an Ethernet cable about a foot and a half into my bedroom, and tucked it under the door, under carpet and around the edge of the room. This kept us from having a cable running down the length of the hallway, and was stable and supported online gaming and everything else. It didn’t seem to introduce any latency to speak of, generally getting 20-30ms ping whether directly attached to the router, or through the power line adapter. I got mine about 5 years ago and they were just 1gbps, but I only had a 25mbps connection so it was plenty fast to support my connection’s full speed and to move the occasional large game between PCs on my network.
Just something to think about that wouldn’t risk damaging anything, depending on the electrical layout of your apartment.
Just to throw this idea at you, you could possible use PowerLine Ethernet without having to run cables.
Using the existing power lines in the apartment, it may work - it also may not work, so if you look into it and are interested, you should buy from a place like Amazon, where it will be easy to return it if you are unhappy.
It really depends on on your lines, what kind of stuff are plugged in, etc. I used it for several years without a problem, but after buying a house I went with MoCA instead (using the existing cable wires in the house).
Cable clips (the little ones with nails) along the top of the skirting boards, the tiny holes are easy to fix when you leave
Hot glue gun. Flat cable. Can remove it easily with a hair dryer.
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You should also look into a powerline adapter. Netgear makes some that I use and they work great. It will run the internet thru your electric and prevents you from having to run an Ethernet all the way across the house. Technology is wild!
As many people said I would use a flat cable. You can use 3mm wide double sided tape for it.
Remove baseboard. Drywall is supposed to be for the most part one half inch off the subfloor. Depending on flooring material you may have enough room for the cable as is. If not cut some drywall away from the bottom plate. Tuck cable in. Reinstall baseboard. Make a small hole with a drill bit to poke it back out.
Tuck it underneath the wall trim it’s usually not flush and has gaps
Or buy a small wifi router and hook it up to their modem via Ethernet and access to it without wires.
When I’m doubt, go up. I have mine run along the top of the floor boards and either up a corner of the room or the trim for the entrance into the hall. Very incognito
I had to run one through the Living room hallway and into another room, if you have carpets putting it under them is the way to go
mine are run along the ceiling with painters tape and thumb tacks....
You can get flat ones rather than round. I got a 100ft flat one and was easily able to tuck it between the carpet and molding at one of my apartments before.
I second the track, or channel. They sell “over the wall” clam shell like tracks that would keep it straight and rigid, and can be painted to match the surrounding area. Something like this, there a lot of choices:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Legrand-Wiremold-CordMate-Cord-Cover-5-ft-Channel-White-C10/202059078
Also consider going through the walls if coax is already run through them. I've never had a leasing agent or landlord turn me down about drilling through the walls and capping the holes with inexpensive plastics sleeves to run Ethernet. For me it was just much easier and safer to go through the walls with a long drill bit than to run Ethernet down the hallway.
The real answer is they make zip ties with small screw holes for exactly this. You just have to put a tiny bit of putt in the holes when you move out. Quite easy.
No one should be told they can’t put things on the walls. You have to live there. You can’t be expected not to hang things on the walls. That’s why it’s easy to patch holes with putty. If your landlord tells you that you can’t use adhesives or nails/racks to hang things then they’re lazy and don’t care about you. Run away
Super late to the party but "Ethernet over Power" is a really easy alternative to 100' Ethernet cables. And it is legit. I did a job at a customers house who had it and he was getting 650 down with good latency. Definitely worth a look
You can buy a cable staple gun. It looks just like a T-50 staple gun but it uses rounded staples that dont pinch the wires.
I know your question is about running an Ethernet cable but an alternative is powerline networking. Effectively uses your electrical lines to transmit the signal. I’ve had great experience with it in the past but there may be some security concerns if you share the home with multiple tenants.
Staples in the dry wall, tiny holes you can easily fill when you move out. Just don’t put a staple thru the cable.
I staple mine to the top of baseboards, it blends in.
If u got the budget u can also get skirting boards with channels to run cables through them. Hallway will look nice and cables hidden. They cost around £10-£12 per 4metre board where i live.
Is there a crawl space or basement directly below? It’s remarkably easy to run cable like that into the wall, through the basement and up the other wall, with a small investment in tools ($10-20 for a saw and drill bit) and some plates (another $10–20 or so) you can make a very clean install.
Use a track.
wifi isn’t an option?
Wired>wireless every day of the year.
yes, but it also depend in the application. down vote me all you want. but its a valid option.
And in this day and age we all know wireless exists and that wired is ALWAYS a better option than wireless for speed and stability. There is no point in mentioning it.
that’s your opinion. and its always worth mentioning as with proper hardware, it could provide a better option in many circumstances. competition gaming was never mentioned by the op, and anything else could easily be supported by wifi where unnoticeable milliseconds of respond time are unneeded.
but the point is… your opinion is just as relevant as mine and is worth mentioning.
Guy clearly doesn't competitive multiplayer.
nope. but i have zero issues gaming on my xbox x or pc in multiplayer. but i’m just a casual player with decent stats with a few decades of it/networking under my belt.
Griffin880 t1_it9bzje wrote
First apartment? I know they say you can't use adhesives, but you can. What they don't want people doing is ripping chunks of paint off the wall with way too strong of adhesive. They aren't gonna notice if you use a little adhesive on the baseboards.