DIY Adding Electric Wall Outlets Behind Baseboards
Also see:New electrical wiring can be run behind baseboards to service a new wall receptacle or to a switch and new ceiling light fixture. To pass the cable through wall studs, a notch is chiseled in the wood and a metal shield is fastened over the notch to protect the new wiring from nail and screw punctures.
First, plan the path for the new wiring and remove the baseboard where necessary. Use a sharp drywall knife to cut the caulk and paint sealing the top of the baseboard to the wall. Start at one end and cut all along the top of the molding. Use a straight edge held flat against the top of the base cap to keep your line straight and pull the knife through the caulk several times until it's cut cleanly through.
Pry the molding off the wall working at each stud. Drive a broad chisel–type joint knife between the baseboard and drywall and pull out on the handle to loosen the molding enough to wedge in a crowbar.
Hold a thin piece of plywood against the drywall at each stud and push the crowbar behind the molding to pry it off the wall. If you have two–piece baseboards, remove the basecap first and then the 1by material if it doesn't come away intact.
Scrape any caulk off the wall using a putty knife. Also scrape the old caulk off the molding and remove any nails. Sand the wood lightly with 120 sandpaper and put it aside to reinstall later.
Mark a straight pencil line along the wall, about an inch below the top of the baseboard and cut along this line. Use a drywall saw to cut between the studs and a drywall knife to score the drywall over the studs. Remove the drywall cleanly so it can be used again. Mark a 1 inch notch on each stud and score about half inch at each line with a handsaw. Use a sharp chisel to chip the wood out between the two cuts on each stud.
Run the new cable through the notches and pull it into the outlet boxes. Nail a metal shield over each notch to protect he new wiring from nail punctures.
Reinstall the drywall strip. Cut along the edges first with a sharp drywall knife to remove any torn paper and then caulk it to the metal shield on each stud. Reinstall the baseboard carefully nailing it just above the metal shield at each stud. Use more nails at the sole plate if necessary to hold the molding tightly to the wall. Caulk and touch up the wall and molding paint.
