How To Run Electrical Wires Through Existing Walls

The primary challenge when installing new wiring in existing walls is routing the wiring through the intervening framing.

How to run electrical wires through existing walls.

Start by taking some time to consider the best location for the new wire. Running wires in an existing home. However tying the wiring into the service panel circuit breaker box and thus electrifying the wire can be an uncomfortable task for many amateur electricians. The wiring panel makes the case for terminating all wires to a central location instead of running wires room to room.

You may also want to read some of our other guides for more information. Running electrical wire through the walls and hooking the wire to end point devices is an easy and safe task for a skilled do it yourselfer. When adding or replacing wiring in finished walls most electricians will attempt to make the horizontal portion of the cable run in the unfinished attic or basement crawlspace areas looping the cable down or up through the wall cavity across the floor or ceiling joists then vertically through another stud cavity to the next wall box opening. This guide explains how to fish wires through walls on an existing home after the drywall is installed.

Whenever possible run your wiring through interior walls since exterior walls contain bracing and insulation. Electrical wiring in the home is usually located in ceilings and attics under floors and through interior walls.