My busy-as-a-bee self is continuing to work in her “hive”. This time, I’m sharing how to hide wiring in open ceiling concept style.

Maybe you’re wondering, “Why not just cover it all up?

Well, that would be too easy. tsk.

Honestly, though, I am the shortest kid in my family at 5’10”, my kids are generally as tall or taller and the drop ceiling I just removed wasn’t cutting it. Not only did I gain 6″ on this side of the staircase, but when I also removed my kitchen ceiling, I gain about 8″ there.

To me, that’s a no-brainer.

In addition, in my previous home, I pretty much removed every ceiling there too and NO REGRETS.

Before I get to that, let me show you what I had to take care of first for sanity’s sake.

I need to be able to do laundry and show in my vlog how that’s going. whew!

With the open beam concept, you will have “stuff” to deal with, especially if it’s a two-story home like mine with no basement. Everything runs overhead instead of under floor.

Today, I’m sharing how I’m keeping everything neat and tidy as well as safe before tackling the walls.

A BREAK

You’ll see below what I did next.

But… I also spent time on a hike with my kids – those of the six that could be there.

It was a much-needed break, allowed me to process some events and just feel the fresh air in my lungs and sun on my face.

This is my old stompin’ grounds and many memories come flooding like the river that is up three feet after all our melting and rains.

HIDEY TIDEY

To start, I have to remove all these nails coming down from the flooring above. I show how in my video below. You can see in the top of the picture they’re removed while I have several more to go.

As you saw in my previous post (linked above), I had to create housings for the new lights as well as the wires running all along the joists.

However, there are these wires that run side-to-side just need a quick fix using a cord cover. While I used a specific brand mentioned and shown in my video below, there are others out there that do the same purpose.

The nice thing about these is that you don’t have to take down the wires but rather pop these on and snap shut. They even have adhesive backing to mount as well.

These are more expensive than metal conduit, but if you can’t remove the wires to thread them through, this is the next best thing. Additionally, there are elbows, connectors and such that make the job easier.

It’s the same kind of idea of having a flush mount television on your wall and you want to hide the wires.

You can see I put some covers on the one wire that is pretty rigid and wonky. Thankfully, the covers have some flex. Then, I work on the other wires you see above. I use my jigsaw and cut angles to fit pieces between the joists.

Again, as I show in my last post, I make 1″x 4″ supports and cover the recessed lights with a piece of luan (thin plywood) to finish it off.

Lemme just say my NECK and SHOULDERS are so glad I do overhead presses in my workouts. Though, my shins and calves are permanently bruised from ladders.

JUNCTION BOXES AND PLUMBING

However, for the end of the room, I use scrap 2″ x 4″ to make braces for me to attach a custom cut piece of luan. This will hide the electrical boxes and wires that lead into other rooms. (video shows this best)

Once I get those wires hidden, I begin to create the encasement for my second-story bathroom. No one wants to hear that lovely waterfall when having a nice conversation. ahem

If you recall, there was a wickedly HUGE box here before. I want to make this not only more pleasing to the eye but also easier to access for repair purposes.

I rip and cut lengths of 1″ x 6″ to specs needed and use my pocket-hole jig to make spots so I can attach to the joists.

Likewise, I remove some of the paneling because I will be removing all of it at some point and don’t want to build over it.

And no worries… I give away all my removed materials to someone who will use them. No waste here!

I’m leaving that finishing part for later until I get more work done.

LONG RUNS

Last, but not least, I have the GIANT power source that leads from outside into my circuit box in order to hide wiring in open ceiling concept style.

Thankfully, it’s in a sort of straight line and I plan to just encase it as well.

But before I can do that, I want to remove these archaic mounts using nails.

This makes me feel less twitchy.

See the action in my video below – if you skip the video, you miss most of my content. {{wink, wink}}

This method is same as the light housings; I rip and cut 1″ boards and then cut a piece of luan to cover.

All went smoothly as could be. And I feel good I am getting my cuts right so there is very little waste.

UPDATES:

• Family Room Demolition Begins
• Family Room Lighting
• Hide Wiring in Open Ceiling (here)
• DIY Open Staircase
• Open Staircase Update
• Family Room Update
• Wall to Ceiling Transition
• How to Paint and Open Beam Ceiling
• Open Staircase Trim

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With that, I’m moving on to a birthday wish for my daughter as promised. I’ll be back at this family room remodel at some point. Though, my outdoor work and garage finish are calling my name too.

Before you go, be sure to sign up for my FREE newsletter. Until next time!

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