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Old 10-11-2013, 09:03 AM
 
258 posts, read 599,926 times
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My wife and I just bought a house built in the 1940's. We are putting the TV in a part of the living room where we will have to drill a new hole to the crawlspace below to fit the cable through. This is my first house with REAL hardwood floors so I want to make sure I do it correctly without causing any extra damage.

The wood panels are 2 1/4 inches wide. There are two other holes that have already been drilled in other parts of the house. One is in the center of the panel, and the other is right in between two panels on the crease. Does it matter which why I choose to do it?

Also, is there anything else I need to know about dirlling the hole and which specific spot I choose? Thanks for any feedback.
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Old 10-11-2013, 09:43 AM
 
3,602 posts, read 7,850,061 times
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There is less chance of splintering if you drill near the center. Drilling at the seam may be less obtrusive.

> is there anything else I need to know about dirlling the hole

Locate electric, water, and heating lines first.
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Old 10-11-2013, 09:49 AM
 
Location: The Triad
34,091 posts, read 82,438,418 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mjedwards409 View Post
house built in the 1940's ... have to drill a new hole ... hardwood floors...
STOP! You're doing it wrong and backwards to boot.

Drill into the wall...
Drill *UP* from the crawlspace and NOT into the floor...
then set a proper COAX plate in the wall.
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Old 10-11-2013, 10:20 AM
 
8,353 posts, read 7,295,821 times
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What the brothers Rational said.

When I added a coaxial connection in my living room with hardwood floors, I located a spot on the desired wall that was between the studs and and that I knew didn't contain water lines or wiring. I used a drywall hand saw to open up a small opening for the co-ax plate and to visually check that the wall cavity was empty. Then I removed the shoe molding below the small wall opening, took a very long and narrow diameter drill bit and drilled a small hole right at the base of the wall and at an angle to the wall, deep enough to reach the basement below.

After sticking a length of unbent coat hanger through the hole, I went down into the basement to look for the end of the coat hanger. I then put an appropriately sized auger bit onto my drill and drilled up from the basement into the wall cavity, triangulating the proper location from the coat hanger indicator. That's the tricky part -- get the triangulation wrong and you're going to leave an ugly hole either in the living room or in the room on the other side of the wall.

Once I had pushed a length of the coaxial cable up through the new hole, I went back upstairs to the living room, reached into the wall, pulled out the cable, attached it to the coaxial cable plate and installed the plate in the wall. Re-installing the shoe molding at the base of the living room wall covered the small pilot hole that I had drilled previously.

Maybe it's not how the pro's do it, but it worked for me.
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Old 10-11-2013, 12:31 PM
 
258 posts, read 599,926 times
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Thanks for the feedback. Dont worry, I don't have this scheduled for today so I'll make sure I have all my cards in a row. Is there any reason besides aesthetics to use the COAX plate in the wall instead of just having the cable come up through the floor directly to the cable box? It doesn't seem like it would be any type of fire hazard, but I guess I could be completely off on that.
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Old 10-11-2013, 12:56 PM
 
Location: Portland, OR
1,454 posts, read 2,479,124 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mjedwards409 View Post
Thanks for the feedback. Dont worry, I don't have this scheduled for today so I'll make sure I have all my cards in a row. Is there any reason besides aesthetics to use the COAX plate in the wall instead of just having the cable come up through the floor directly to the cable box? It doesn't seem like it would be any type of fire hazard, but I guess I could be completely off on that.
Yep, IMHO the difference is "amateur ghetto vs. professional". At some point you will want to put other cables such as Ethernet to that spot. Do the job properly with a retrofit junction box and wall plate. If this is too much for you, have some one do it as opposed to drilling a hole in the floor, which will be there for ever, even when you decide to move the TV! I am always amazed by the DIY bodge jobs I see in other peoples homes and I start to wonder what else, that I is not visible, has been bodged!
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Old 10-11-2013, 01:12 PM
 
Location: Mount Laurel
4,187 posts, read 11,862,480 times
Reputation: 3512
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjedwards409 View Post
Thanks for the feedback. Dont worry, I don't have this scheduled for today so I'll make sure I have all my cards in a row. Is there any reason besides aesthetics to use the COAX plate in the wall instead of just having the cable come up through the floor directly to the cable box? It doesn't seem like it would be any type of fire hazard, but I guess I could be completely off on that.
Going on the floor is what most cable/satellite service provider provided installer do. Why? Quick and dirty and no chance to create other problems. It also require some investigation into what could be behind the walls. If it's your house and you are doing the work, rational1 recommendation is spot on.

If you don't care, then it's just a quick 10s with the drill and you are done.
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Old 10-11-2013, 01:23 PM
 
Location: Johns Creek, GA
17,403 posts, read 65,528,173 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by timfountain View Post
Yep, IMHO the difference is "amateur ghetto vs. professional".

Apparently you have seen work from the so-called "professionals" today! Most of it is done by subcontractors that the cable companies hire- get in, get out, hack a hole anywhere!
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Old 10-11-2013, 04:32 PM
 
28,107 posts, read 63,374,410 times
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When my tenants contract for a new service that requires new cable... I'm there.

Seen far too many butchered jobs where the only thing that can be said is "It works"

Remember one that was going to have cable all around the outside... no crawl space.

I told the company to leave the cable and I will install through the attic with plates in each room.

Installer checked with boss and said OK...

Perfect install only because I was there.
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Old 10-11-2013, 04:38 PM
 
3,430 posts, read 4,222,229 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MrRational View Post
STOP! You're doing it wrong and backwards to boot.

Drill into the wall...
Drill *UP* from the crawlspace and NOT into the floor...
then set a proper COAX plate in the wall.
That is how the cable man did mine. I'd choose it over driller into hardwood floors.
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