Best Ways To Hide TV Cords
No one likes having a tangle of cords exposed in their home, as they can be messy and have a way of making your space look unkempt. But the dilemma is that cords are a must in any household, especially around your TV and entertainment center.
Mounting your television to the wall is an amazing way to elevate your home's entertainment experience. However, it does tend to pose a problem in regards to cords. That's because a TV mounted on the wall usually leaves unsightly cords hanging down, which present nothing but an eye sore. As Tom's Guide notes, it's easier than ever to mount a TV to the wall, as you can do it in just eight easy steps. But you don't want to mount your TV if it compromises the tidy look of your home, right?
And even if your TV is not mounted and is on a console table, you still may be dealing with cords that you'd prefer were hidden away instead of in plain sight. There are a lot of clever methods of hanging cords that you could take advantage of to have your home looking much more tidy, organized, and orderly.
Pick the right media console
If your TV is going to sit on a media console, then you will need to choose the right one in order to ensure that cords are tucked away and out of sight. There are many options out there, which means you'll have to find the perfect model to fit your needs. Luxatic shares some of the best TV stands to invest in for your living space. The article explains that in buying a media console, you should think about several factors. First, the design of the console is important, as you want it to match your taste and the style of your home.
Besides that, cord management is a big factor. Many console tables have clever holes along their back side, which are meant to help you hide TV and electronic cords with ease. Additional factors worth considering that Luxatic mentions are whether the table is the right size to fit your TV and, of course, if the console is within your budget. Finally, ensure that it's adjustable so that you can account for things like a glare from the sun and still be able to enjoyably watch TV.
Run the cables through the wall
If you're willing to work through a bit of a DIY project to completely hide the wires of your TV, then running them through the wall is the right fit for you. This requires measuring, a few power tools, and some maneuvering, but it'll be worth the effort to have your cords completely out of sight in arguably the most effective possible way.
Cody Jensen provides a straightforward tutorial video on how you can both mount your TV and run the cables through the wall. He goes in depth on how you can measure and mark the spot for your TV to ensure it's perfectly located, the tools you can use to mount the TV with ease, and inexpensive items that make it a breeze to run cables through the wall. It may seem intimidating to put holes in the wall in the name of keeping your area tidy, but doing so is way simpler than you think!
Use cable ties
Cable ties are a useful and inexpensive way to manage cords from your TV — and pretty much any other rogue cords in your home, for that matter. All you have to do is use these handy organization ties to gather and affix cords together behind your TV or electronics. While this won't necessarily make cords disappear completely, it'll definitely make them more tidy than a tangled mess of cords that are left un-wrangled.
If you want to make your own cable cords to save a few bucks, it's incredibly easy to do. As DIY Photography explains, you can likely do it with items you already have around your house. Or, you can easily pick them up on the cheap. You'll need elastic bands or cords as well as a pack of spring loaded cable locks. Additionally, make sure you have scissors, a ruler, and a lighter on hand for this simple DIY project.
Add more outlets
While this is another option that is more involved as a DIY project than other cord-hiding solutions, it's a great way to make cord management a lot easier in your home, especially with your TV. Adding outlets that mitigate the need to stretch cords to plug in your TV — or any other electronic — means you can keep cords close to the item and more easily hidden away.
Deanin' It Yourself has a helpful tutorial video that shows how you can add an electrical outlet virtually anywhere in your home. Once you choose a spot for the outlet to be installed, see if there are any nearby outlets either in the same room or even on the other side of the wall. Installing another outlet between the same studs is easier to do. The video also explains how to use a stud finder in this project and how you can actually get the new outlet up and running.
Mount a cable strip
Cable strips are very useful in your home and are especially practical to have behind a TV, as you'll likely have a bunch of different electronics to plug in. Between the actual TV, your cable box, speakers, game systems, and anything else that contributes to your entertainment area, that's a lot of things that require an outlet.
But using a cable strip on the ground means all of the cords will have to extend down there to be plugged in, which may not look that great. However, mounting a cable strip to the wall will mitigate the need to stretch those cords! Superdanny details the many different ways you can mount a cable strip with ease. You can either screw it into the wall or even use double-sided tape to affix the strip to the wall without drilling any holes. Elevating your cable strip is as simple as that — and it really works when it comes to hiding cords without much effort.
Get creative using hooks
Hooks have many uses in your home! This goes beyond hanging coats or keys on them. In fact, one of these is to help you wrangle cords so that they don't get tangled and can have less of a visible presence in your home. SBLY Home Hacks cites Command hooks as a wonderful option to organize your home in a way that doesn't cause any damage to your walls. From hanging a hat collection, to organizing under your kitchen sink, to housing an indoor herb garden, there's no shortage of what these hooks can do.
Wrap excess cord slack around a Command hook to keep them neat and tidy. Install one behind your TV to hold cords and prevent them from being visible under a console table or from getting tangled up with one another. Just like that, cords will be easily tethered and no longer spooling on the ground, which is beyond unsightly — as well as a possible tripping hazard.
Conceal your cable box
Your actual TV may have cords associated with it, but your cable box is another aspect of your entertainment center that also has cords that can end up displaying themselves in your living area. But in most cases, a cable box is a necessary evil in order to truly enjoy all that your TV has to offer. According to Bustling Nest, you can easily work to conceal your cable box altogether — along with its cords. If your TV is mounted with cords running through the wall, then it could be a good idea to mount your cable box to the back of your TV, also running the cords through the wall to conceal them. Another idea is to stow your cable box in a drawer or cabinet. Perhaps there's one on your media console that can be used with a hole in the back of the cabinet to run the cords through to the outlet. If either of those options don't work, put your cable box in a basket that has holes in the wicker or canvas so you can fish the cord through it to plug it in. That's a simple and fool-proof method of hiding it!
Cover cords with faux plants
Faux plants can go a long way in helping you disguise cords from your TV. Not only do they do that job, but they also look great in your home and make it more green. The best part? They stay green and looking fresh without watering, maintenance, or a need for light! What could be better than that? All you have to do is place the plants around your TV to mask any rogue cords peeking out from the media table.
Insider shares the best places to source faux plants. They're not all created equal, and you surely want some that have a realistic look and that are built to last in your home. Wayfair, Amazon, The Sill, West Elm, and Home Depot are just some of the places they cite as great sources for faux plants. These vendors will have a variety of options, plant types, and products in different sizes so that you can choose what will fit best in your space and match your style.
Stash cords in a basket
Like hooks, baskets are a great way to store cords and keep them from being unsightly in your home. This is a very easy cord hiding hack. All you have to do is wrap them up and secure them with cord ties or cable ties so they're neat and won't get tangled. Make sure to leave enough slack so that it can reach the basket. Many times, the bottom of your media console will have a large shelf that would be perfect for stowing baskets like these. Then, just plop the cord bundle in there to keep it out of the way.
Organizing Moms shares that there are many places to source inexpensive storage baskets that will look great in your home. Places like Dollar Tree, HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Target are all great places to start. Second hand shops and thrift stores are also excellent resources to source these without breaking the bank.
Hollow out a book
Hollowing out a book is an inventive way to mask cords or even a cable box. This is a cool option to hide something in your home with an item that looks like decor. Whether you're a bookworm or just love the look of old books, this could be the perfect project for you!
Hollowing out a book is not hard to do either. This tutorial by wikiHow spells out just how simple — and even fun — it is to do. Start by choosing a thick book with a hardcover for the project. For this one, you may want to use a few books that you glue together in order to have more room to hide cords or a cable box. You'll then cut out a box shape from almost all the pages of the book, leaving the first and last few unchanged. Using a DIY glue mixture or Mod Podge, you'll then coat the inside of the box to keep it sturdy and usable as a real place to stow items. Once your book box is ready, you can place cords inside of it as a chic method of hiding them.
Use a cord cover kit
Cord cover kits are available for sale at places like the hardware store or Amazon. These are simple to use and are effective in concealing TV cords. Gratefully, these are both an affordable and straightforward solution to use in making your home more tidy and less cluttered, particularly around large electronics.
The way these kits work is that they act as an actual cover on cords, allowing you to secure them to the wall down to the floor or an outlet. These will completely cover the cord and typically come with a bunch of different pieces to accommodate different sizes, lengths, and shapes. There are a lot of cord cover kits on the market, so it can be difficult to tell which one will be right for you. Thankfully, Old House Journal shared a comprehensive guide of their favorite options so that you can read all the facts as to which will be the best for your specific TV.
Create a fabric wall panel
A fabric wall panel is a fabulous way to completely block TV cords from your sight, and it could look really stylish in your home to boot. Creating an upholstered wall panel will allow you to place it in between your TV and the actual wall, snaking the cords underneath it and completely removing them from view.
Sailrite provides a tutorial on how you can create one of these wall panels for your space. These are completely custom to your home, meaning you can create them to be any size and you can also use the fabric of your choice, completely tailoring it to your preferences. To make this, the tutorial depicts that you will use wood panels. Plywood will work as it doesn't need to be a load-bearing wall. The measuring process in creating this wall panel is of paramount importance as it will help you ensure you're set up for success in acquiring and cutting wood for the project.
Embrace cords with wall art
Sometimes the best way to conceal cords is to leave them in plain sight. If that's the route you decide go, create artwork on your walls that incorporates the cords right into the piece. This is sure to spark a cool conversation in your home.
Whether you create a city skylight piece, a faux frame on the wall, artful and abstract lines and squiggles, or a nature scene, this will undoubtedly be a quirk of your home that you'll love. Use stickers, electrical tape, and cord clips to make your art and secure the cord to the wall so that it stays in the shape you want. As you can see from this YouTube video, Crafted Wall turned her cords into art by simply adding stickers and decals — it can be as easy as that. There are even decorative cord covers on the market that will transform cords into leafy vines if that's your vibe. The possibilities are endless!
Hide them behind a fake wall
A fake wall is a great way to make your cords disappear. This may seem like a lot of work to conceal cords, but it's actually easier to create than you may think! Today's Homeowner explains how you can create a non-load-bearing wall for your home in just a few steps. This faux wall will go right in front of the wall that houses the outlets your TV is plugged into. That means the fake wall allows you to run cords under it, making for a much tidier situation than it would be without the fake wall.
You may also want to mount your cable box behind the fake wall, as long as the signal will pass through it to ensure it is still functional. Having this fake wall means you will feel better running cables through it and it will prevent you from having to put holes in the real, load-bearing wall that already exists behind your TV.