# Running speaker wire through the ceiling



## justinmiller621

I'm about to run speaker wire through my ceiling. I'm in a condo and I have it on good authority that I have independent ceiling joists such that there is enough space above them that I can run the wire over them, rather than cutting holes at each joist, between the speakers and the wall (my joists run parallel to the wall where the tv is). 

Anyhoo, my question really is, I was marking out the joist locations using a stud finder and it appears that my joists are 3" or so in thickness. I was a little surprised by that as I would have thought the joists would be 2 x something's. Is it possible that they would be 3"? Could they be double joists? Is that a thing?

Thanks!
Justin


----------



## gregzoll

Wireless speakers have come a long way. Need to post pictures of what you are seeing.


----------



## justinmiller621

I haven't actually cut into the ceiling yet so there are no pics to post of that. The only ones I could post would be where I marked off the location with the stud finder, but would that be helpful?

Also, my room is setup such that the back of my couch is in the middle of the room and there would be no power outlet nearby to power the speakers. 

Justin


----------



## gregzoll

Draw up the room in Google Sketch-up and post back here. How high is the ceiling from the floor? And do you have any lighting by the couch? There is actually safe electrical that you can use on floors under rugs, such as used in office buildings. This is what I was talking about. http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/wired-wo...in-flatwire-disappears-under-paint-256691.php


----------



## justinmiller621

I'll do that soon. Thanks. 

In the meantime though, one question I have is, is it possible that I have 3" thick joists? Is that common? Or is it possible that there are double joists?

Justin


----------



## gregzoll

You do not have 3" joists. How was this structure built, and how old is it? Is it a multi-level structure (ie more than 2 floors), and where is it located (ie what city)?


----------



## justinmiller621

It's a 4-story condo building in Baltimore built in 2008 I believe.


----------



## gregzoll

What kind of material is the structure built out of?


----------



## justinmiller621

Sheetrock and wood studs (I know that for a fact since I've cut other holes). Was that the answer you're looking for?


----------



## diyorpay

I think you should describe more fully what you are wanting to do. If you are looking to do surround sound, give more detail.

For example, inexpensive cove molding can be run at floor level (bare floors). The 90 degree back can be sanded/cut off so speaker wire is run right where wall meets floor. Then you only need 2 (or more) vertical runs up the wall between studs. Your condo won't come after you if you do a neat job and leave wiring in place for next owner.


----------



## gregzoll

Your studs should be 2x4, possibly 2x6, joists could be 2x8 or 2x10. What you may be seeing, especially on the walls, is the members, where they did a offset, to try to keep noise from migrating between units. Also can be done on ceilings.


----------

