A homeowner told me my wire runs were too obvious and it stuck with me

I did a job in a nice old house in Portland last month, and the owner pointed out how my white wire stood out against the dark wood trim. He said, 'It's like you're telling a thief exactly where to cut.' I used to just run the line the fastest way, but now I take an extra ten minutes to match paint or tuck it behind molding. It's a small thing, but it makes the whole install look cleaner and less of a target. How do you guys handle hiding wires in tricky spots with older homes?

3 comments

3 Comments

allen.amy2mo agoMost Upvoted

Honestly I get where you're coming from but I kind of disagree with the homeowner's worry. I mean most thieves are looking for a fast grab, they aren't studying your trim for wire colors. Spending extra time to hide them perfectly is nice for looks sure, but calling it a security thing feels like overkill to me. Maybe it's just me but I'd rather finish the job well and on time than stress over making a wire invisible.

faiths122mo ago

Ever try just using a paintable wire cover? It's cheap and hides things fast.

noah_palmer4226d ago

Wait, have you actually tried painting those wire covers? Because the paint always chips off weird or doesn't match right and then you're left with a spotty plastic tube that looks worse than the wire. Plus they still stick out from the wall a little bit and catch dust like crazy. I get that it's a faster fix but for me "done quick" usually just means I'm redoing it next year when the paint cracks or the adhesive gives out. And calling it a security thing is fine, most break-ins are smash and grab but I'd still rather not advertise where my router or alarm wires run if I can help it. Different strokes I guess but cheap wire covers just don't hold up long term in my experience.