Three Ways to Hide TV Wires (and What Each Costs in Halifax)
Nine out of ten ugly TV installs are not the bracket. They are the cables. Here are the three honest ways to deal with them, what each costs, and the one thing we will not do.
From $49 before HST, pay after the job.
Option 1: paintable on-wall channel, $49
A slim raceway, about 1.5 inches wide, stuck and screwed to the wall from the TV down to the outlet, with corner pieces where it turns. It comes primed white; you paint it the wall colour, or hand us a sample and we do. Fifteen minutes.
When it is the right answer: concrete and brick walls, rentals where you cannot cut drywall, walls with fire blocking, and any time the outlet is directly below the TV.
Option 2: inside the wall, $119
Two low-profile plates, one behind the TV and one down by the outlet, and the cables fished through the wall cavity between them. HDMI, optical, ethernet and speaker wire only. The Canadian Electrical Code does not allow a TV's power cord inside a wall, so the power still needs an outlet near the TV, or Option 3.
Where it does not work: concrete, horizontal fire blocking in the stud bay (we can sometimes drill through it), and walls packed with insulation that a fish rod cannot pass.
Option 3: inside the wall with a recessed power kit, $219
A listed kit with a recessed outlet behind the TV and an inlet plate down by your existing outlet, joined by an in-wall rated cable inside the kit. It plugs into the wall outlet you already have, so nothing is hardwired and no electrician is needed. Everything disappears: power, HDMI, the lot.
How it differs from just pushing the power cord into the wall: a power cord's insulation is not rated to sit inside a wall, it fails a home inspection, and it is a fire risk. The kit is built and tested for exactly this.
Soundbar, console, Apple TV
A soundbar mounts under the TV for $49 and its cable goes in the same run. Consoles and boxes live in a cabinet below, with an IR repeater if the doors are solid. A streaming stick hides behind the TV on its own.
Which option for which wall
- Drywall on wood or metal studs: any of the three. In-wall is the clean choice; add the power kit if there is no outlet near the TV.
- Plaster and lath: in-wall works but is slower; in a room with a picture rail the channel often looks better.
- Concrete, brick, stone, tile: channel only. There is no cavity to run anything through.
- Rentals: channel. It comes off with a putty knife and leaves a few screw holes we can fill for $39.
Everything we do is reversible. Plates come out, holes get patched, channels peel off, and you leave the place the way you found it.
Price
| Setup | Price |
|---|---|
| Paintable on-wall channel | $49 |
| Cables inside the wall (low-voltage) | $119 |
| Inside the wall with recessed power kit | $219 |
| Soundbar mounted under the TV | +$49 |
| 55 inch mount + channel | $129 + $49 = $178 |
| 65 inch mount + in-wall | $129 + $119 = $248 |
| 65 inch mount + in-wall with power kit | $129 + $219 = $348 |
Prices before HST. Add $39 if the TV is already on the wall and has to come down and go back up.
Or text a photo of the wall to 782-446-6322 for an exact price in minutes. No deposit, you pay after the job.
Questions we get about this
Can you run the power cord inside the wall?
No. The cord is not rated for it, the Canadian Electrical Code does not allow it, and it fails inspection. We hide power with a recessed power kit for $219, which is a listed assembly that plugs into your existing outlet.
Does in-wall work in a condo?
On drywall over metal studs, yes, it is a normal hollow wall. On concrete, no, there is no inside. Then it is the channel for $49, painted to match.
Can you hide the wires on a TV that is already mounted?
Yes. We take the TV down, fish the cables, and rehang it. Add $39 for the take-down and rehang.
Will it pass a home inspection?
The channel and the listed power kit, yes. A power cord buried in the wall, no, and an inspector will write it up.
Ready?
Or text a photo of the wall to 782-446-6322 for an exact price in minutes. No deposit, you pay after the job.