Many Mounting task descriptions might end with the request, “Will you hide these cables?” At first glance, this might feel daunting but rest assured, there are several ways to hide them according to Taskers. However, some pre-planning by the client is necessary so make sure you scope hiding cables in advance of the task.
We’ve gathered advice from our expert Mounting Taskers, Issac S. and Nick C. to understand the different ways to hide or bundle cables after a Mounting task. There are 3 routes for hiding cables:
Route 1 (easiest)
Advise the client to get a cable cover in advance of the task, which can be found at hardware stores, on Amazon, or anywhere that sells home appliances. Cable covers are small pieces of plastic that help bundle cables and can be mounted to a surface and then painted over to help polish off a Mounting task.
Route 2 (difficult)
The second route would be to run the cables behind the wall. This can be incredibly difficult—Isaac and Nick recommend having specific tools for cutting through the wall’s surface and doing electrical work (they advise that, to do it properly, you‘ll need to put an electrical outlet behind the wall). This is not recommended unless you have the skills and licensing to complete this task.
- Let your client know what is involved in running cables behind a wall. Electrical Help is not within the skills of the Mounting category, so you can advise your client that if this is the route they want to go, they should hire someone under the Electrical Help category.
You can suggest to the client that the easiest route would be to bunch up their cables behind the TV. Issac recommends using zip ties for a simple job like this, making sure that they are the same color as the cables. In some cases, the TV mounting hardware might even come with a cable management system attached.
According to Issac, for the more difficult “routes” of hiding cables, a large part of the work comes down to managing client expectations. He recommends highlighting the benefits of cable covers being the most common way to hide cables, especially for clients who are renters. But if they’re set on the cables being hidden behind the wall, you can recommend another Tasker (if possible) who has the skills to do the task.
