Looking for advice on doing wood paneling as regards outlets, cables, etc.

[Kurt Triebe]

Wife and I have decided to do an "accent wall" of walnut paneling in our family room. The woodworking part of it is fairly straightforward- I'm going to do a simple shiplap style installation, with roughly 6" wide boards that are somewhere between 3/8" and 1/2" thick, maybe with a tiny chamfer on each visible edge of every board- so each shiplap joint will have a tiny V, basically. I've got a ton of 4/4 rough sawn walnut that I'm hoping I'll be able to resaw, so that each board makes two pieces of finished paneling.

I'd initially planned on taking a bunch of 2x4s, ripping them into 1" thick strips, and fastening them up and down the wall to match where the studs are- then I'd just take a finish nailer to attach each walnut board to the pine strips. Effectively, this would mean that there is a gap of 1" in between the drywall and the walnut.

Currently, we have our TV mounted on the wall, a sound bar mounted right below that, and a media console on the floor in front of it that hides plugs, cables, etc. In my dream scenario, the media console completely goes away and the only thing on that wall is the paneling, the TV, and the sound bar. Below the sound bar, I would prefer to not see anything except POSSIBLY a power outlet, but if I can hide that somehow, I'd love to do that, too.

We run the TV off of an HTPC, and my plan was to locate the HTPC somewhere to the right of the wooden wall- there's a little area between the couch and the next wall where something could hide low to the ground. The only thing that has to connect between the HTPC and the TV is a single HDMI cable. I've thought about coming up with a way to essentially hide a piece of PVC pipe behind the paneling- in that 1" gap- where I could snake my HDMI cable through, up to the TV, and have it exit the lower right side of the wooden wall.

I guess I have a few main questions:

1. Is doing that 1" gap a smart move? Is there a good reason to avoid attaching the wood paneling directly thru the drywall and into the studs, or am I better off just laying the walnut directly on the drywall and using nails that are long enough to go through 1/2" of walnut, 1/2" of drywall, and then get secured to the studs behind that?

2. Is there some other clever way of hiding outlets/cabling when doing a wooden wall like this? I've already got one of those "hide the cables behind the wall" things that allows me to plug the TV into the outlet that's 2' below the TV, without seeing the cable draped there, once that media console is gone- that box/outlet will be exposed.

I attached a few pics to give an idea of what things sort of look like. They're old, and the TV in this picture isn't wall mounted yet, but it gives you an idea. In the rendering, ignore the floating shelves- old idea that won't happen- and pretend that the wall behind the TV is what will get the walnut paneling. We are planning on refinishing the fireplace white and I'll be building a new mantle to replace the ugly one that's currently there. The little dark brown thing under the window will disappear- that was a chest to hold diaper changing supplies, and the kids are done with diapers so I get that space back. That's where I want the HTPC to live.

[Coop]

I definitely wouldn't put a 1" gap behind the paneling, even though it's 3/8" to 1/2' thick as it will always sound hollow if tapped on, jmo. I would nail into the studs where available and use constructive adhesive to attach the panel boards to the rock between the studs supplemented with pin nails shot at an angle into the rock. If you attach it directly to the wall, you can cut strips of sheetrock away to allow access for the wiring, as the paneling will cover it anyway.

[Kurt Triebe]

4 minutes ago, K Cooper said:

I definitely wouldn't put a 1" gap behind the paneling, even though it's 3/8" to 1/2' thick as it will always sound hollow if tapped on, jmo. I would nail into the studs where available and use constructive adhesive to attach the panel boards to the rock between the studs supplemented with pin nails shot at an angle into the rock. If you attach it directly to the wall, you can cut strips of sheetrock away to allow access for the wiring, as the paneling will cover it anyway.

Good thoughts. Part of my concern is also being able to run a new cable if necessary; HDMI won't be a useful cable forever, and I'll want to be able to run something new from the right to the TV area. Maybe if I took a portion of the sheetrock away, I could drill holes through the studs and run a pipe through those holes- thus giving me an easy path to run a new cable through in the future, if necessary. Construction adhesive scares me a bit- I liked the idea of this potentially being removable in the future without it being a total re-do of the wall, and that stuff never comes off anything. But, maybe there's no point to that- with so many holes in the wall, if we ever decided to take the wood down, it may be easier just to do all new drywall on there.

[CharleyL]

Get a set of these. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Calculated-Industries-8105-Blind-Mark-Drywall-Electrical-Box-Locator-Tool/754039270?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=13357&adid=22222222227136534419&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=245326962864&wl4=pla-404247316461&wl5=1021064&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=117593816&wl11=online&wl12=754039270&wl13=&veh=sem

They will save you a lot of grief. The company has other pieces for round boxes, etc, should you need them.  You can run low voltage cable,TV Coax, Phone Cables, Network cables, etc by cutting holes the size of a duplex outlet box, You don't need to use the box itself because there are metal frames that easily fasten into the cut hole, and special outlet plates with snap-in connectors, so you can configure the plate any way that you need it. This frame and special cover as well as the inserts are readily available from Lowes, Home Depot, and many of the electrical supply houses. My media room/living room is wired this way.

Charley

[Tom King]

Any time you pull a new cable, pull a mason's nylon line along with it.  It will be easier to pull the next cable with than the old cable.

Google "electrical box extender", and you will probably find something useful.   There are many variations, such as:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Electrical-Box-Extender-BE1-2/202708650

[MattF]

I have a wall in our family room that I want to do the same thing. My plan was to offset the wall on spacers that are attached to the studs. My reason for the offset is to run all power and cables inside false wall to eliminate them being seen.

4 hours ago, K Cooper said:

I definitely wouldn't put a 1" gap behind the paneling, even though it's 3/8" to 1/2' thick as it will always sound hollow if tapped on, jmo.

I did not consider the hollow sound issue. I assume the hollow sound could somewhat be fix with some foam insulation added for sound dampening. Am I way of course here?

[wtnhighlander]

I think the furring strips to stand the shiplap off of the drywall is an acceptible idea, but would consider some sort of insulating material to deaden the hollow wall sound Coop mentioned. Rather than bury a conduit inside a space only 1" deep, I might use some extra strips of that 2x4 to form a channel behind the shiplap, several inches wide, and pull the wire through that. Never know what size connector the next generation of signal cable might use. If you are adding a power outlet, I WOULD use conduit for that.

[Coop]

Kurt, what kind of wood and finish are you thinking of?

[Tmize]

I agree with the no conduit for the data because the ends of those thing vary so much in size a shapes. The power doesn't need conduit a simple 14/2 Romex will do the job an if you ever think you need another circuit pull a 14/3 but it's doubtful in a house. Which ever way you go furring strip or not install the wire in the Sheetrock before you cover it in the location you want turned out of the wall leave a foot of slack or so. An when install the wood just cut out for a old work plastic box sold at all the big box stores an install the plug. You can do the same for hdmi 

[Tom King]

I use this exact type all the time, whether new work, or old.  Even in a new house, I pull all the wires, leaving slack where a box will be, and mount the box in whatever the finish wall is.  I dislike oversized cover plates, and fiddling with cutting a nice opening for a box already in the wall.   I do all the work myself though, so I'm not following anyone else's work.  I mount the box in the finished part of whatever type of wall it is, and run a bead of liquid nails around the back edge to both add strength, and completely seal it. Pull the wire into the box as the piece of wall goes up.  It's really no more trouble, leaves a perfectly spaced box to the finish wall surface, and you are not bound to exact location of studs.

I like this particular type of box much better than the cheaper, more flimsy ones.  If you are putting one in an old wall, lube the screw first, or the little flapper can misbehave.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001ARBCQS/ref=asc_df_B001ARBCQS5380389/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=394997&creativeASIN=B001ARBCQS&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167135564802&hvpos=1o5&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2627322791784743661&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009780&hvtargid=pla-304351407060

They're sold in Lowes and Home Depot too.

[Kurt Triebe]

13 hours ago, CharleyL said:

Get a set of these. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Calculated-Industries-8105-Blind-Mark-Drywall-Electrical-Box-Locator-Tool/754039270?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=13357&adid=22222222227136534419&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=245326962864&wl4=pla-404247316461&wl5=1021064&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=117593816&wl11=online&wl12=754039270&wl13=&veh=sem

They will save you a lot of grief. The company has other pieces for round boxes, etc, should you need them.  You can run low voltage cable,TV Coax, Phone Cables, Network cables, etc by cutting holes the size of a duplex outlet box, You don't need to use the box itself because there are metal frames that easily fasten into the cut hole, and special outlet plates with snap-in connectors, so you can configure the plate any way that you need it. This frame and special cover as well as the inserts are readily available from Lowes, Home Depot, and many of the electrical supply houses. My media room/living room is wired this way.

Charley

Interesting- thanks! That's a handy little tool.

13 hours ago, Tom King said:

Any time you pull a new cable, pull a mason's nylon line along with it.  It will be easier to pull the next cable with than the old cable.

Google "electrical box extender", and you will probably find something useful.   There are many variations, such as:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Electrical-Box-Extender-BE1-2/202708650

Yeah, I really should get into that habit. I've done a lot of re-wiring things here over the past few years and something like that would have been very helpful.

[Kurt Triebe]

12 hours ago, wtnhighlander said:

I think the furring strips to stand the shiplap off of the drywall is an acceptible idea, but would consider some sort of insulating material to deaden the hollow wall sound Coop mentioned. Rather than bury a conduit inside a space only 1" deep, I might use some extra strips of that 2x4 to form a channel behind the shiplap, several inches wide, and pull the wire through that. Never know what size connector the next generation of signal cable might use. If you are adding a power outlet, I WOULD use conduit for that.

A 2x4 channel is a great idea. You're right that'd provide more flexibility. Hopefully they don't go back to huge connectors- we seem to be shrinking them, moving away from the giant ones of old- but you never know!

[Kurt Triebe]

12 hours ago, K Cooper said:

Kurt, what kind of wood and finish are you thinking of?

Walnut. Finish undecided; I've been using Osmo Polyx on everything else walnut that I'm building, because it's so quick and easy, and I absolutely love how it looks & feels afterward. I don't know if I'd do the same thing on the walls, but I probably would. If I'm looking at having to finish something like 30 separate boards that are each 8' long, I reaaaaally don't want to use something that requires a bunch of coats. My thought was to finish front & back, then put them up on the wall, carefully fill the nail holes with a bit of wood filler, and then touch up the finish on the nail spots. I may also just finish the backs first, and not do any finish on the front until after the nail holes are filled. Still have to think through what would work best.

[Tom King]

Is there not a way you can design it not to have nail holes to deal with?  For fun,  I once (1983) built a house with White Oak siding, and there was not a single exposed nail on the exterior of the house.

[Kurt Triebe]

1 minute ago, Tom King said:

Is there not a way you can design it not to have nail holes to deal with?  For fun,  I once (1983) built a house with White Oak siding, and there was not a single exposed nail on the exterior of the house.

There probably is, yeah. I hadn't given that much thought to hiding all of the holes, but, you're right- that would certainly be a preferable finished product. I could probably do some sort of a tongue & groove rather than shiplap, still do the same sort of edge chamfer that I'd planned on, and then just shoot nails down into the groove to adhere the boards to the wall rather than right through their finished face. I do have one of those angled tongue & groove nailers- the floors got redone here a decade ago, still have the tools. Hmmm. It wouldn't be hard to do except on the top few boards- but that's 16' up in the air and I could just do normal finish nails there and they're far enough away that you'd never notice.

[Minnesota Steve]

Look into Smurf Tube... blue flexible conduit.   It's used for running low voltage wires behind walls.

Technically you're not allowed to run power cords behind walls.   You're supposed to run a new outlet box following electrical code.   But you can run low voltage stuff like speaker wires, hdmi, etc.

[legenddc]

Run the outlet box right behind the TV. For the HDMI cord, there are wireless options, but since you're going to have to pull off the baseboard, you could run the wire behind it and then up in the cavity of the wall.

If there's a room behind it, you could put the HTPC behind it and run the cord through the wall.

[Kurt Triebe]

9 minutes ago, legenddc said:

Run the outlet box right behind the TV. For the HDMI cord, there are wireless options, but since you're going to have to pull off the baseboard, you could run the wire behind it and then up in the cavity of the wall.

If there's a room behind it, you could put the HTPC behind it and run the cord through the wall.

That's a good idea, yeah- I could have a "channel" at the bottom, behind the baseboards. I would just stop the lowest panel piece an inch, inch and a half short of the flooring- enough for the baseboard to hide what's happening there, but still give me plenty of room to run things. And the baseboard is easy enough to pull away periodically if necessary.

No room behind this wall, unfortunately- that's the side wall of our house. I do have room below, actually- that's my basement/woodshop area, and I may end up relocating a few things (router, HD HomeRun, etc) down there instead of where they currently live in the media console. All I'd have to run up from there to the basement would be two ethernet cables to hook the TV and the HTPC into the house's network.

[legenddc]

Stick it all in the fireplace is you never use it. Look at monoprice.com for cheap cables. Test it before you cover it all up.

[Kurt Triebe]

1 hour ago, legenddc said:

Stick it all in the fireplace is you never use it. Look at monoprice.com for cheap cables. Test it before you cover it all up.

Heh, we don't really use the fireplace, but I'm not willing to 100% commit to never using it by sticking electronics in there! The space under the window will work just fine- it's totally useless otherwise. I may build a nice little end table to go over there, where the HTPC could sit on a lower shelf, maybe have a drawer there to hide remotes, etc. Monoprice is great, for sure... definitely my go-to source for cables and other similar supplies.