Cable wires have become an essential part of our life, powering our electrical devices, but they are an eyesore, aren’t they? Whether they are tangled in a corner, or you have run them neatly, they aren’t the most attractive thing and cause us a lot of grief when organizing.
Especially outdoor cable wires. They can be challenging to house and hide, with few options available to most homeowners. These wires are more prone to wear and tear, too, making protecting and hiding these wires a top priority for anyone craving an aesthetically pleasing outdoors.
Thankfully, there are now some fantastic options available to help conceal and protect these outdoor cables, with many requiring little work from yourself. Whether you are installing a new security camera, fountain, or outdoor lighting, we have some tips on how to hide and protect your outdoor wire cables today!
How To Hide Outdoor Cables – Easy Ways
When it comes to hiding your outdoor cables, we all want an easy way to do it, don’t we? Well, you can use some of the methods below to hide the cables with ease. Placing your cables along outdoor walls or baseboards and matching them or their covers to the wall color will provide an easy fix and keeps the wires out of sight!
You could also run them behind the wall themselves, keeping them out of sight but still safe. You should avoid using an old wire or extension cord at all costs, though, even if your wires are covered!
You want your wires to be waterproof, too, providing you with protection should water enter the wire or its cover. Even the smallest crack or crevice is space enough for water to enter and cause circuit failures or malfunctions down the line.
Below are some more easy methods you can choose from to hide your outdoor cable wires.
Painting Your Cable Wires Or Cable Raceway
If your cable wires are being attached to the outside of your home, painting them is one of the easiest ways to hide them. The wire will then match the exterior color of your home, blending in and becoming difficult to spot.
Use any leftover paint you have from the last time your home was painted, or you can take a chip of your house’s paint and have it matched at a paint store. This ensures the color is exact and helps the wire blend into the wall.
Not only does painting your cables help them blend in, but it can also help prevent UV damage, keeping your wires working perfectly at all times. You will need a sponge, some outdoor spray paint primer, matching outdoor paint, and a refillable paint spray gun to paint your wires.
To paint your cable wires, follow the steps below in order:
- Scrub the length of the wire lightly using a sponge. Scrubbing helps the paint to stick better and prevents it from running.
- Next, use the primer spray to coat the length of your cable.
- For canned paint, mix 1/10 part of water with 9/10 part paint. Pour the mixture into the spray gun and coat your cable wire.
- Leave the paint to dry. Once dried, you can install it and attach it to your wall.
It’s worth noting that some cable raceways are pre-treated for exposure to chemicals or UV rays and will be waterproof. Try and purchase these, if possible, in a similar color to your house to save yourself some time (and possibly money).
Cable Wire Ground Protector
If the aesthetics of your cable wires aren’t your top priority, but their protection is, then a floor cable raceway is your best option. These plastic raceways come in various shapes and lengths and will protect your wires from being torn or run over, perfect if they are placed in high-traffic areas like your driveway or garden path.
Some raceways are quite thin and will snake along the length of the cord, whereas others are more solid and stable, creating a roof that a car could drive over. Select the raceway that offers the right versatility or protection that your cable wires need.
You can pick them up in-store or online, with the price varying from affordable to quite pricey depending on the brand and type of protector.
Cable Boxes
Do you have excessive wires piling up, creating an eyesore in your garden or by the side of your house? Then a cable box could be the option for you! These plastic boxes are waterproof and can be attached to the side of your home. These boxes can be drilled directly onto the side of your house.
You can also get boxes that match the color of your house if you want to hide them! Again these are widely available for purchase both in-store and online.
Hiding Cable Wires On Your House
For those with electrical devices attached to their homes, treat the cables as you would with indoor cable wires. You will want to keep an eye out for the following household designs that you can use to hide your cables:
- Walls
- Deck
- Siding panels
- Roof overhangs
Let’s take a closer look at each option now and how you can use it to hide your cable wires!
Roof overhangs can be used easily; simply tuck the cable wires underneath and staple them to the side of the house. If possible, use a cable tube or wire guard to provide more protection to your wires. You can do the same to hide your cable wires under the lip of a house’s side panel, too, if you wish.
Alternatively, you can drill holes into your walls and run cables behind them. You can also run cable wires along the bottom or vertical edges of your walls. This is a fantastic option for security cameras that only need a small hole drilled into the siding. You can easily run the power and ethernet cords into the attic or house, providing power to your devices.
Hiding Cables In Your Yard
Do you have a pond, fountain, lighting, or another outdoor device in your yard? The best way to hide them is to bury them underground. Then you are likely to have longer cable wires that need to be covered and hidden.
To do this, you will need to consider the soil composition of your garden and how much cable you need to run. If your ground is quite dense, you might only need to dig and bury the cables six inches below the ground.
However, the lighter and looser your soil is, the further down you will need to dig and bury them. It’s worth noting, though, that the deeper you bury your cable wires, the cheaper the conduit is that you need.
What Conduit Do I Need?
Now, when you install cable wires underground, you need the correct conduit. No matter your situation, the conduit and cable must be waterproof. Electricians can provide you with tailored advice if you aren’t sure and even help bury the wires if you struggle.
You can use the following table as a rough guide if you need it:
| Cable Depth | 6 inches | 12-24 inches |
| Conduit Material | Rigid Metal Conduit – Galvanized Steel | PVC Pipe |
Steel is typically used for shallower depths to prevent the conduit and wire from melting if there’s a fire or explosion. The damage from either of these can reach underground, so your wires must be appropriately protected.
Depending on the cable and depth used, you might not need to use PVC pipe paste six inches. Check with an expert or look at the kind of coating your wires have, like:
- Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter Protection (GFCI)
- Thermoplastic High Heat-Resistant Nylon-Coated (THHN)
Hiding Temporary Cables
You don’t want to carry out too much work or spend a lot when it comes to hiding temporary cables, as it’s just not worth your time or money. Instead, you can match your cable colors to the surrounding area or use a cable wire ground protector. Either one of these options will work well.
Extension cords and cables are available in a range of colors, designed to blend in. when selecting your cord and cables consider where you are placing them and the colors needed to blend in. struggling? You can use our table below for guidance:
| Surrounding Area | Grass | White Walls/Trim | Dirt/Garden/Shade |
| Cable Color | Green | White | Brown |
When blending your cables into the area, consider any yard work you might conduct during the interim. Avoid putting the cable wires down if there is a chance they could get tangled in your weed-whacker or damaged by your lawnmower.
For cable wire ground protectors, purchase a cable runway from the ground in high foot or vehicle traffic areas to hide your cables from damage in the short term.
Hiding Heavy-Duty Cable Wires
If you’ve got industrial-grade wiring that needs to be installed, you will have more to consider. You will need to think about how you will hide more wire outdoors, considering the following:
- Cable weight
- Cable length
- Cable strength
You will need a heavy-duty cable runway system for heavier cables or larger amounts, usually made from steel. Steel brackets can also be used to protect your wires from corrosive damage.
Fragile wires like fiber optic cables will need steel tubing for added protection too. Consider these factors when hiding your wires, and don’t be afraid to consult a professional if you need more assistance or guidance.
Final Word
And just like that, we have come to the end of our outside cable journey today! As you can see, there are plenty of options when it comes to hiding your outdoor wires without too much effort. Whether you are painting the wires, hiding them in your roof overhangs, or burying them underground, there is an option to suit everyone!
Ensure that you follow all safety procedures and protect your wires from the weather and wear and tear for successful results. Don’t forget that should you need it, a professional can come and hide or bury your wires too, making even less work for yourself!
