Do It Yourself Dropping Lines Behind Drywall

Look at an unfinished section of the ceiling in your basement to find locations of "empty" wall space, or the areas between wall studs where they connect to the joists or horizontal boards on the ceiling that do not have pipes or wiring installed in them. Find a wall with empty wall space in the location in which you wish to install your line. Determine the path of the line you are going to drop into your wall, from start to finish.

Make a rough sketch of the walls of your home on paper with a pencil; the sketch should feature the location of all studs and adjoining wooden blocks. This will give you a map to work with and will help you plan where you need to cut in the wall to run the line through. Measure the distances between the studs and blocks, from the floor to the ceiling, and the beginning and end points for your line. Write these down on your map, and add up the total length needed at this time.

Turn off the power at the circuit breaker to the room that you are going to drop the line behind the drywall. Drill a small hole in the drywall, between the studs. Use a stud detector if you are not sure of the exact location of the studs in the wall to find them, then drill the hole. Bend the end of a wire hanger at a 90-degree angle and insert it up into the hole. Spin the wire hanger end around in a circle to double check that there is nothing between the two studs and the wall is empty. If you encounter a horizontal wooden block or other obstacle that you did not expect to be in the wall between the studs, remove a small patch of drywall and drill a hole in it.

Use a drywall saw to cut a small rectangular patch out of the wall to expose the studs where you are going to feed the line through the wall, and any wooden blocks that are in the planned way of your line installation. Cut a rectangular hole at the top of the wall stud, where it meets with a ceiling joist. Cut a hole out of the drywall in the ceiling to expose the joist that adjoins the stud.

Drill 2-inch holes in the wood; make the holes in the center of the studs and wooden blocks. Drill a hole up through a wooden ceiling joist in the room to make a starting point for your line.

Cut a length of wire, or line, that is roughly 16 percent longer than the planned drop length for your line. Insert the looped end of the fish tape or snake tool down through the hole in the ceiling and slowly start feeding it through the wall and any and all holes you have drilled, and pull it out of the last hole or end point for the line.

Strip off 2 inches of the cable or line jacket with wire strippers. Bend the interior wires of the line into a hook. Insert the hooked wires into the looped end of the fish tape or cable snake tool. Affix the wires to the fish tape with electrical tape to ensure they do not accidentally come loose while you are dropping your line behind the drywall.

Retract the fish tape or snake tool and pull the line up through the wall. Attach the line to the proper electrical box according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Patch the holes in the drywall. Apply a mesh patch, then place an even layer of drywall patch or plaster over the mesh with a plaster knife. Once the patch has dried, sand it smooth and paint it to match your wall and ceiling.