Q: What’s the easiest way to run electrical lines through a finished wall for a new outlet?
A: If you’re running the wire up from a basement, you can probably cut a hole in the floor plate to feed the wire through. From the attic you may be ale to do the same through the top plate. An assistant to help pull the cable through the walls will help immensely. If you’re working alone, bend a coat hanger and hook it on the outlet cut-out to retrieve the wire from below. If you are routing wire from a higher floor downward, drop a fishing line equipped with a small weight on the end through the wall in the top floor and almost to the floor plate of the room below. Grab the line and secure it on the floor of the room that will have the outlet wall plate. A fish tape may be required in lieu of a weighted line when pulling wire through insulated walls. Fish tape, a tool available at most hardware stores, offers the right combination of flexibility and rigidity to assist pulling the wire.
