Cheapest way to hide cables?

[Chapbass]

So, if you look here you'll see that in my new apartment I've managed to get everything mounted (a bit unorthodox but the best I can do given the situation).


The question is: I probably wont be able to run the HDMI and power cables through the wall...I know they make cable runners for this sort of thing...anyone have any suggestions of model or where to get em for cheap? I looked on monoprice, they seemed expensive and alot more than I needed.


I would also need some to run along the floor for speaker wire.

Thanks all!


EDIT: Oh man, I hit 1000 posts?!? when the hell did that happen!?? awesome!

 

[djnsmith7]

I was in a very similar situation with my wall mounted display. I have 2 cables going from the display to the receiver & I needed to conceal them. Due to the fact that my walls have vertical & horizontal studs all over the place, it was very difficult to locate more than a 4" gap to do a cutout.

So, instead of tearing up my apartment wall, I decided to get the paint code from management & matched it up at Home Depot, which cost me $3.00 for their smallest sized paint option (Sample size or whatever they call it).

Then I headed over to Fry's where I knew they carried a very flexible rubber cable management piece that was about $3.00. I went with the 1" x 48" tube (beige) which was a close match to the paint I bought at HD. To make sure it matched, I painted it. These rubber tubes, if you will, vary in size from I believe .25"W - 2" W x 48" L & vary in color options.

While at HD, I bought a box of the smallest nails I could find (1" L x <.25" thick). Very, very small nails (white nails, at that, but didn't require painting - $2 - already had the brushes).

I cut the painted rubber tubes down the middle to extend it to 2" since Fry's didn't have the beige 2" in stock. Once I straightened it out on a flat surface, I covered the hanging cables. I used the nails to secure it to the wall. Yes, you can see the painted, flattened tube on the wall & no, it's not nearly as clean as a cutout in the wall behind the display, which is what I had at my last place, but it is a close 2nd best option. It's not distracting anymore, but it was in the very beginning.

As you can see, I spent about $8.00 for the entire project & it took me a little over an hour to do.