House with concrete floors

[Chrishands]

Hi, where on earth do you run cables in houses with solid concrete floors and solid brick walls with no cavities at all?

 

[Guest125]

Hi, where on earth do you run cables in houses with solid concrete floors and solid brick walls with no cavities at all?

Surface.

 

[Chrishands]

surface mounting is horrible domestically!

 

[davesparks]

Concrete ceilings would normally be battened and plasterboards these days, older buildings will have steel conduit in the concrete.

Walls would usually be chased in to as per usual, or may be battened out if cast concrete.

 

[Darkwood]

What do you mean solid brick walls with no cavities? .... you don't run cables down the brick cavities anyway?

In answer their are several methods from surface to false floors and battened out ceilings... it is was it is and you need to discuss with your customer.

 

[Leesparkykent]

Suspended/battened ceilings and chase the wall or surface in trunking

 

[shanky887614]

chase cables into the wall i doubt they will leave it as bare brick inside.

put in a false ceiling if they don't want surface (its upto the client)

i know how i could do it and hide the cables but what do you think op.

you can p-clip cables to the wall if you like or trunking/conduit, personally i might chase it or might not depending on finish on walls

 

[Chrishands]

The house doesnt have battened ceelings, the floors and ceeling are solid concrete. no floorboards to lift, i can see how chasing the walls is easy, but how do you deal with running cables in a ceeling. Good strong house, but a nightmare to run cables

 

[shanky887614]

The house doesnt have battened ceelings, the floors and ceeling are solid concrete. no floorboards to lift, i can see how chasing the walls is easy, but how do you deal with running cables in a ceeling. Good strong house, but a nightmare to run cables

read again, drill ceiling and put in your own battens and then plasterboard.

drilling through concrete floors is not a problem

 

[davesparks]

The house doesnt have battened ceelings, the floors and ceeling are solid concrete. no floorboards to lift, i can see how chasing the walls is easy, but how do you deal with running cables in a ceeling. Good strong house, but a nightmare to run cables

Then the owners will have to look at having the ceilings battened down and boarded then plastered, decorated etc if they want new cabling hidden.

 

[Darkwood]

You need to read the advice given several times... get other trades to price up the batten and boarding, plastering etc .present them with a quote and await confirmation... this is how it is done, its the trade you chose to do so stop fretting that its nightmare .... it is only so because you haven't done it before...once you done it then it second nature and you get a tick on your experience ladder.

 

[Chrishands]

You need to read the advice given several times... get other trades to price up the batten and boarding, plastering etc .present them with a quote and await confirmation... this is how it is done, its the trade you chose to do so stop fretting that its nightmare .... it is only so because you haven't done it before...once you done it then it second nature and you get a tick on your experience ladder.

Yes that's true, I've just posted another post about gaining more experience.

 

[shanky887614]

You need to read the advice given several times... get other trades to price up the batten and boarding, plastering etc .present them with a quote and await confirmation... this is how it is done, its the trade you chose to do so stop fretting that its nightmare .... it is only so because you haven't done it before...once you done it then it second nature and you get a tick on your experience ladder.

like darkwood says, its easy enough to do.

core drill/sds drillbit from upstairs down tight against the wall (so its covered by plasterboard and then skirting)

then its just the same as any job, (use a grinder/wall chaser or you will be cursing trying to chase the conctete)

 

[ruston]

Another point is that you just can't go wily nilly hacking into structural concrete walls and ceilings.

 

[Knobhead]

The house doesnt have battened ceelings, the floors and ceeling are solid concrete. no floorboards to lift, i can see how chasing the walls is easy, but how do you deal with running cables in a ceeling. Good strong house, but a nightmare to run cables

read again, drill celing and put in your own battens and then plasterboard.

drilling through concrete floors is not a problem

Then the owners will have to look at having the ceilings battened down and boarded then plastered, decorated etc if they want new cabling hidden.

The house may not have battened ceilings or floors but it’s the only way you’ll do this without surface trunking. It’s the customer’s choice, do they want the house to look good after the work or not?
Concrete ceilings are a structural nightmare so don’t even think of chasing in to them. There was a good thread on this subject a while ago, I can’t remember the outcome. I do remember the guy wanted to cut in to the ceiling with a Stihl saw.

 

[Leesparkykent]

The house may not have battened ceilings or floors but it’s the only way you’ll do this without surface trunking. It’s the customer’s choice, do they want the house to look good after the work or not?
Concrete ceilings are a structural nightmare so don’t even think of chasing in to them. There was a good thread on this subject a while ago, I can’t remember the outcome. I do remember the guy wanted to cut in to the ceiling with a Stihl saw.

Really, what a plonker lol

 

[Leesparkykent]

Look at MF ceilings, hilti concrete nail gun to put the track, etc up. The rest is put together with tek screws all cut with tin snips/gilbows. Really quick and cheap

 

[Darkwood]

like darkwood says, its easy enough to do.

core drill/sds drillbit from upstairs down tight against the wall (so its covered by plasterboard and then skirting)

then its just the same as any job, (use a grinder/wall chaser or you will be cursing trying to chase the conctete)

I miss the days of smashed knuckles and a rawl-drill when the site had no power, everything by hand and yes you built your arm muscles up pretty quick in them days

 

[shanky887614]

I miss the days of smashed knuckles and a rawl-drill when the site had no power, everything by hand and yes you built your arm muscles up pretty quick in them days

i have never seen a rawl-drill, all battery nowadays or genny if power goes off.

to be fair in conservatories i stick to hammer and chisel on the dwarf walls and might get the grinder out if they have supplied one of those $hit lounge plates

 

[ruston]

The house may not have battened ceilings or floors but it’s the only way you’ll do this without surface trunking. It’s the customer’s choice, do they want the house to look good after the work or not?
Concrete ceilings are a structural nightmare so don’t even think of chasing in to them. There was a good thread on this subject a while ago, I can’t remember the outcome. I do remember the guy wanted to cut in to the ceiling with a Stihl saw.

Stihl lol , Doesn't bear thinking about does it.

Boarding it out will probably work out economically if they insulate the building at the same time. As you and others have said it is the only sensible way to do it