How to run cables through a wall without cutting drywall
Wall cavities often contain hidden staples or obstructions that block the fish tape, forcing you to choose between cutting open the drywall or finding an alternate route. This makes simple cable runs frustratingly difficult without damaging the wall surface.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from September 2026.
- It is not one crowd: 3 people on Reddit and 2 on Stack Exchange ran into the same thing.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Using a flexible fiberglass rod or glow rodsDid this help you?
- 2Using a steel fish tapeDid this help you?
- 3Attaching a small steel washer to fishing line and guiding it down with a magnetDid this help you?
- 4Cutting a temporary access panel through the drywall behind the baseboardDid this help you?
- 5Use the coax as a guide stringDid this help you?
- 6Use a proper fish tape or a stiff pull cordDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I thought this was going to be an easy fish!”source ↗
“However, it seems the coax is stapled inside this small run inside the wall, meaning I can't do that without opening up the wall, which I don't want to do unless necessary.”source ↗
“Anyone know a better way? I don't want to remove and patch drywall or drill a hole through the floor.”source ↗
“I was wondering, could I tie a cat-5 cable to one end of the coax cable, and just pull it through?”source ↗
“If there are any staples holding the coax down along the way it would get stuck.”source ↗
“The 75 ohm coax is usually thicker than cat5e so it might jam at bends or staples, and if the coax isn't actually pulled all the way through to a termination point you can grab, you're stuck fishing anyway.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2How to run electrical wire through an exterior wall safely
- 5How to run a cable through a tight crawl space without entering
- 2How to retrieve something dropped down a wall cavity
- 3How to connect electrical wires that are too short inside the wall
- 6How to run ductwork through a load-bearing wall without weakening it
- 2Can you move a waste pipe inside a wall near outlets?