How to get through studs behind plasterboard wall?

Adam

Adam

Adam

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I'm trying to run some Cat5E from the loft to my office on the 1st floor. I've drilled a hole in the loft through the headplate and have cut out the plasterboard for the back box. However there appears to be 2 horizontal studs between the 2 points. My fibre glass rods hit a horizontal stud around 1m from the top and around 50cm upwards from the bottom. Hopefully there isn't another.

I'd like to do this the most time efficient way, I'd rather spend more on tools than take the time to repair the plasterboard.

I believe I have 2 options:

1) Create a very long drill bit with a 16/20mm auger/wood bit on the end, perhaps 3 or 4 of these connected together? (http://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-flat-wood-bit-extension-300mm/11130)

2) Cut out the plasterboard around the stud, perhaps with a holesaw, drill the hole through the stud and make good after (repair, plaster paint).

Option 2 seems the most time consuming although I'm not sure if option 1 would be feasible?

Irwin do a 450mm extension but they are £35+ and I'd still need 2/3 of them.
 
I've only ever done / seen this done using your suggested method 2.

I'd be wary that with such a long drill bit (option 1) it wouldn't be very accurate and a slight angle introduced by holding the drill in the loft would be magnified at the end of the bit, introducing risk of cutting a hole in the adjacent room??

I'd guess it would be pretty hard to apply sufficient control and pressure to cut a hole easily.

I guess another option, minimising plaster repair, would be to chisel out just enough plaster around the horizontal stud to see the end of a dropped down cable rod. Pull the rod through the hole and use a sharp chisel to cut out a "notch" in the stud to hold your cable. This could then be repaired with filler as opposed to a big chunk of new plasterboard and extra wood to hold it, which you would need if you had to make enough room to drill the stud.

Hope that helps / gives you some ideas?

Mike
 
Not much you can do without risk of making a mess. Maybe try an existing cable route, remove the light switch back box and poke around or even use the cable a draw cable if it's unclipped.
 
Multi tool to cut through the plaster where the stud is just little wider than cable, then put a wood cutting bit on a cut a small channel into the stud about a third through, run cable in then put small wedges in the stud to hold cable back then plaster over
 
Two metal coat hangers bent straight with hooks at the end. One through each hole. Catch one with the other, pull through?

Or am I missing the point here?
 
Looks like removing the plasterboard is my only option, I'll just have to minimise the making good after. Thanks for your comments.

AshD93 said:
Two metal coat hangers bent straight with hooks at the end. One through each hole. Catch one with the other, pull through?

Or am I missing the point here?
Click to expand...

I have fibreglass rods which does the same thing as you describe, the issue is that the plasterboard is attached to the wooden studs so you can't get a route from the top to bottom because of the studs being in the way.

See here: http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/ro...-prep-before-building-a-non-bearing-stud-wall
 
IMO, removing a larger section of plaster makes an easier repair than trying to keep the hole as small as possible. The more you take out, the more options you have for fixing it back in place.

I would cut a large strip with a stanley knife covering both studs then drill your holes, route the cables and screw the cutout to the studs again.

* make sure you're not cutting through any joints between sheets of plaster. and be careful not to break the cutout - drill pilot holes and countersinks for all the screws when you reattach it.
 
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If you can thread a few metres of 20mm pvc pipe via the holes you've made, it will save that doh moment when you realise later that you need to route one more cable through the same spot.
 
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